Ndwedwe songbird goes from rural church choir to performing for presidents
Just a year after joining a Durban choir, young Ndwedwe soprano hits the international stage.
It has been just a year since KwaDukuza’s Phindile Mngadi joined Durban’s Clermont Choir and she has already rubbed shoulders with presidents.
The 28-year-old soprano is originally from rural Msunduze in Ndwedwe but has since seen her vocal talent take her across the globe.
In September she joined her first international tour with the choir, which saw her travel to Dubai and New York.
In Dubai she performed with Khuzani Mpungose, one of South Africa’s biggest Maskandi stars, following it up with a performance alongside American gospel legend, Hezekiah Walker, in New York.
While in New York, the choir also enjoyed an impromptu dance and performance with president Cyril Ramaphosa, who was attending a United Nations conference nearby.
“It was amazing to get that opportunity to travel with the choir and to perform with such incredible artists,” said Phindile.
Photo: Clermont Choir Foundation.
“It opened my eyes to what is possible through singing and I hope being part of the choir will continue to open doors for me.”
The 30-person Clermont Choir was founded in 1992 and has become one of Durban’s best known, performing regularly across South Africa and the world.
Its communal atmosphere appealed to Phindile, who first discovered a love for singing while attending church with her grandmother as a young girl.
That love grew while attending Lihlithemba High School and convinced Phindile to follow a career in music.
She has since graduated with a degree in music from the University of KwaZulu-Natal and will finish her honours this year. She hopes to complete her masters next year.
Photo: Clermont Choir Foundation.
“At the moment I am teaching music at Groutville High School, studying and keeping up with the choir rehearsals, which can be three of four times a week before a performance,” she said.
“There’s not much free time in my life!”
Aside from the choir’s catalogue, which covers a wide variety of music genres, Phindile said she has also discovered a love for performing opera.
Her honours thesis has covered the inequality in music tuition between private and public schools, but she is planning to compare African and western opera styles for her dissertation.
Perhaps her next international performance will be at La Scala. Whatever the direction, it appears Phindile is ready to take her next step up.
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