The Kearsney College Choir had a year filled with highlights. The year started with a brand new team of matric leaders, with Dhiyarv Govender elected as the Head of Choir and Caleb Saks elected as the Musical Leader of the ensemble. A healthy intake of new boys into the choir at the start of the year was extremely positive, putting us in a good position to build and grow into the future. We look forward to working with the less experienced members to help them grow and develop to the point where they are independent and confident choristers on stage, both with their singing and their movements. As always, our first public performance is the concert during the Open Weekend. This year, due to the number of guests in attendance, the choir performed a double bill: a concert for the parents, followed by a concert for the prospective new boys to the College. This concert was a raving success and had both audiences on their feet. Our orchestra and marimba band joined in the action to create a memorable performance. After the success of the inaugural Freedom Day Youth Music Festival at Fig Tree Farm in 2022, the Choir Parents’ Committee took the bull by the horns for this year’s bigger-and-better instalment, which featured a larger stage and a larger, more suitable venue. A full day of music in the sweltering sun ended with a ground-breaking premiere live performance of the new single by Kyle Deutsch, Tell Me Something, during which our choir joined him on stage with backing vocals and some choreography. The audience of around 3000 people sang along and had a blast. As in 2022, the choir had another opportunity to host a phenomenal choir from the United States in our chapel. The Cardinal Singers from the University of Louisville in Kentucky performed a magnificent concert, showcasing their choral skills. The Kearsney boys benefit hugely from sharing stages with other renowned ensembles – this not only boosts the platforms and environment in which our choir operates, but also offers opportunities for our boys to learn, grow and develop their own skills as choristers. In August the choir embarked on a short concert tour to Cape Town, since 2023 was not an international touring year. The tour included performances at two prominent high schools in Cape Town (Rustenburg Girls’ High and Hoërskool DF Malan), as well as a gala concert at the Hugo Lambrechts Auditorium, one of the best concert halls in South Africa, in a collaboration between the renowned Tygerberg Children’s Choir, the Cape Town Camerata, and the KZN Youth Choir. The audiences in Cape Town loved our boys and invitations to return have been flowing in. As the choral year drew to a close, we enjoyed a wonderful opportunity to share a concert with the girls from St Anne’s College in Hilton, where our choir and orchestra performed with their female counterparts. This was followed by our annual Inter-house Music Competition, a highlight on our cultural calendar. This year, the final results were so close that the gap between first place and third place was a mere 0,84 %. Congratulations to Finningley House for winning the contest this year. We ended the year as usual with our famous Carol Services, a marvellous occasion of Christmas cheer and beautiful music shared with our broader community. Mr Bernard Krüger Director of Music Choir
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