Music in the Abbey

On Saturday, August 13, the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands and the Northern KwaZulu-Natal Youth Choirs will be putting on a choral concert at Inkamana Abbey, starting at 6.30pm.

Both Choirs have earned reputations in recent years for their excellence in performing a variety of musical genres, including classical, traditional, popular and African music and both choirs have won international honours at various events around the world, including the World Choir

Games in Germany and the International Eisteddfod in Wales, UK. The NRS School Choir, conducted by Ria Grobler, will also be performing a short repertoire as an introduction to the concert.

The conductor for the KZN Midlands Youth Choir, William Silk, is an old Nardini and Vryheid High School pupil, who is now Head of Cultural Development at Michaelhouse School. William has a Master’s Degree in Conducting (Univ. of Natal) and has now been in charge of the Midlands Youth Choir for six years, in which time they have toured extensively, competing in both National and International events, and in 2012, by invitation, performed at

Westminster Hall in London, UK, for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at her 60th Jubilee. That year, the choir was placed second in the Youth Choir Category at the Llangollen International Eisteddfod in Wales and were overall Winners at the 2013 ATKV ANIMATO National Choir Competition. In 2015 they toured Germany and competed in the World Choir Games in Magdeburg, winning one Gold and two Silver medals.

The NKZN Youth Choir, conducted by Ricka Willemse, selects its choristers from the High Schools in and around the Vryheid, Newcastle, Utrecht, Dundee and Ladysmith districts and has had a long relationship with Inkamana Abbey, first performing there in 1995, when William Silk was Head Chorister. This choir has also performed and competed extensively nationally and internationally, taking first place for ‘Folk Song’ at the 2008 Llangollen Eisteddfod in Wales.

The Choir concert at Inkamana Abbey on August 13 will have something for everyone’s taste, entertainment of this nature comes to Vryheid all too infrequently and we urge you to take advantage of this opportunity to relax and enjoy some beautiful music.
Tickets for the concert can be obtained through Annie Silk (Cell: 083 657 9319) or Geoff Silk (Cell: 083 448 8299, e-mail: silkgr@telkomsa.net

Tickets for adults are R50 per person and scholars pay R30 per person.
Light refreshments will be on sale outside the Abbey from 6pm, before the concert starts at 6.30pm, and during the interval.

The KwaZulu Natal Midlands Youth Choir will be staying in Vryheid overnight and performing again on Sunday morning at the Catholic Church in Landdrost Street at the 8am mass. If anyone is willing to act as “Host Parents” to two (or more) of the choristers overnight please contact Annie Silk on 083 657 9319 for more details.

If you have any interesting stories please send them to : estella@caxton.co.za or Contact us on: 034 981 39 30.

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