A melodious tribute to Tambo
All the action from the Ekurhuleni melting pot choral festival.
The second instalment of the Ekurhuleni Melting Pot Choral Festival recently took Carnival City by storm.
The event brought together South Africa’s 10 best choirs, who battled it out for the number one spot, and the chance to win the grand prize of R500 000.
This year’s competition also saw cash prizes being awarded for the Best African Rendition and for the Best Opera Rendition.
SA Singers were named winners of the Best African Rendition category, with the Best Choral Rendition awarded to the Kopano Chorus.
Monti Tshepo Manamela, of the Kopano Chorus, was named the Best Conductor for both days.
He was awarded R15 000, as well as a one-year scholarship contract with the KZN Philharmonic Orchestra.
“It is a joyous day for us as a choir, our hard work and dedication have yielded results for us,” said the elated Manamela.
The competition is proudly hosted by the metro, as a key event on its Oliver Tambo Month calendar, in celebration of the life and legacy of the late struggle stalwart, choral music composer and conductor.
Speaking to the audience, the metro’s mayor, Clr Mondli Gungubele, said: “Choral music is the most underrated genre of music in the country, yet the most therapeutic to consume.
“Thus the metro is putting its weight behind this form of music in order to uplift the standard of choral music in our country.”
The two-day festival began on a nostalgic note, at the gravesite of Oliver and Adelaide Tambo, in Wattville, Benoni, where world-renowned vocalist Sibongile Khumalo, together with 1 000 choristers and the KZN Philharmonic Orchestra, gave a moving tribute during a brief memorial service.
The Tambo Month commemorations continued with a schools debate on Saturday, October 25, at the Actonville Community Centre.
This was followed by a wreath-laying ceremony and memorial lecture on Monday, October 27.
