Haydn hits a high note

Scottburgh singer, Haydn Henning has been selected for the KZN Youth Choir for a third time.

“I first auditioned in 2013 for the 2014 year and I haven’t been able to leave ever since,” said Haydn, who has just finished writing his matric exams at Durban High School.

“The choir means everything to me and I have really found myself as a person. Singing with friends is an amazing opportunity and I was fortunate to travel to Poland in June for an international choir competition, which we won.”

He recently competed in the second round of auditions for the choir for 2016 at an introductory camp at Crawford College in La Lucia, along with four of his fellow school mates. Following a successful audition, Haydn was accepted and will represent the KZN Youth Choir again next year.

“I was extremely excited. Making a provisional ‘team’ is rewarding and I was immensely proud of myself. I do believe in remaining positive all the time, but this was a nerve-wracking audition and I wasn’t even 70% positive. It was for KZN and there is a lot of competition.”

Haydn was born in Johannesburg, but his family moved to the South Coast when he was four. They lived in Umkomaas for seven years and moved to Scottburgh in 2008. He first auditioned for the choir when he was in grade 8. “I sang as high as a girl, but would constantly change to sounding like a demented man.” This awkward stage held him back from auditioning again until his voice was fully developed.

He re-auditioned at the end of his grade 10 year with an old folk song called ‘Bless This House’ composed by May Brah. “For the next two years we are asked to audition with music that has been in the choir year to test our musical knowledge. We also were given a vocal test range. I was never interested in singing or music. One afternoon I followed the sound of voices up to a room which was home to the school choir. I peeped through the keyhole and I was caught. My punishment for being so curious was to join the choir. Long story short, here I am.”

Haydn has worked with many well-known musicians in Durban, such as Gerad’d du Toit, artistic director of the KZN Youth Choir, Professor David Smith, his school choir master, and Charon Williams-Ros, the renowned singer, actress and director.

He is waiting to hear back from the University of Cape Town where he has applied to study drama and music, and opera. If he chooses not to study, he will work in local productions for a year and then study dramatic arts and music in Europe or America. The 18-year-old singer professes to not have an idol yet. “As my voice is registered as a bass and I fancy classical music, I haven’t found the right person to be my idol yet.”

He has appeared in two Rainbow Young Performer productions at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre, ‘Legally Blonde’ in 2012 and ‘Can You Feel It?’ in 2013. “I made my professional debut in musical theatre last year in KickstArt’s production of ‘Sweeney Todd’ at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre.

I have been in a quartet with my friends, where we have performed at girls’ schools in Durban. I recently went through the audition process of the international cast of ‘The Lion King – The Musical’, where I got a callback. I hope to star in musical theatre productions around the world and one day star in operas in Italy. This is my passion and there is no option to fail. I refuse to give up – I will succeed.

I am heavily involved with dramatic arts. Musical theatre requires singing and dancing. I just need to learn to dance, so I have the triple threat under my belt.”

Catch Haydn in action as the KZN Youth Choir features on Carte Blanche in December. Various clips will be aired during the week: Singing ‘Bells’ from 7 to 13 December; singing ‘Halle Halleluiah’ from 14 to 20 December; and singing ‘O Holy Night’ from 21 to 27 December. The choir will feature as part of main show, singing ‘Bells’ on Sunday, 13 December, and ‘African Christmas’ on Sunday, 20 December.