Voices of the North and the Drakensburg Choristers will represent Limpopo in the national finals of the Old Mutual/Telkom National Choir Festival at the Nelson Mandela Metro University in Port Elizabeth on December 9 and 10.

Voices of the North from Seshego will compete in the large category and Drakensburg Choristers from Bushbuck Ridge will be competing in the standard category. These two choirs are the regional champions after winning their respective categories at the Limpopo regional championship, held on Saturday, at the Thohoyandou Town Hall.

Limpopo audiences gave the event their full support and the competing choirs treated them to an extremely high standard of choral music, as well as excellent performances.

The overall aim of the Old Mutual/Telkom National Choir Festival is to continue to raise the standard of choral music in Southern Africa and to enrich people’s lives, both as individuals and choristers, through their interaction with one another and their involvement in the festival. “As founder sponsors of the Proudly South African initiative, we are committed to recognising the exceptional musical talent that exists in South Africa and the surrounding countries,” says Tony Lankester, sponsorship manager for Old Mutual South Africa.

Some 250 choirs entered this year’s competition, which started in March with the district eliminations and 233 choirs made it through to the regional championships. These successful choirs have also been treated to intensive workshops in various regions around the country to help prepare them for their performances in the regional championships.

The national finals programme will provide music lovers with a real treat and promises to be exceptional and should not to be missed by anyone who enjoys choral music. Tickets will be available through Computicket from October 16, at a cost of R50 for each day.

The full results of the competition are:

Standard Category:

Best African Rendition:

Drakensburg Choristers 80 marks; University of Limpopo Choral Society (73); Malamulele EPC Choir (70).

Best Western Rendition:

Drakensburg Choristers (77); Jubilante Choral Society (75); University of Limpopo Choral Society (72).

Overall results:

Drakensburg Choristers (157 marks), receiving R7 000 and a trophy; University of Limpopo Choral Society (145), receiving R6 000 and a trophy and Jubilante Choral Society (143), receiving R5 000 and a trophy.

Large Category:

Best African Rendition:

Polokwane Choral Society 78; Voices of the North (76); Giyani Adult Choir (74).

Best Western Rendition:

Voices of the North (80); Polokwane Choral Society (76); Giyani Adult Choir (73).

Overall results:

Voices of the North (156) receiving R9 000 and a trophy; Polokwane Choral Society (154) receiving R8 000 and a trophy; Giyani Adult Choir (147) receiving R7 000 and a trophy.