For four decades, the Tygerberg Children's Choir, based in Cape Town's northern suburbs and under the baton of internationally acclaimed conductor Hennie Loock with Theresa Loock as arranger and accompanist, has taken lovers of choral music on a very special musical journey.
The choir regularly performs for heads of state, princes, kings and queens and is one of South-Africa's proudest export products. The choir has won every major international choral competition since its inception in 1972, and its unsurpassed legato singing, maturity of sound, musical power and dynamic interpretation of very difficult material makes the Tygerberg Children's Choir a foremost exponent in the world of international competition choirs.
In July 2010, these children participated in the world's flagship choral competition, the
6th World Choir Games in Shaoxing, China, where they received two gold medals and were crowned Double World Champions - in the Religions of the World and Folklore categories. The
World Choir Games is widely regarded as the '
Olympic Games' for choirs, and only the very best choirs from all over the world are invited to participate. The fact that Tygerberg Children's Choir is a children's choir aged between 10 and 14, and that these results were obtained against much older choirs, makes the achievement even more remarkable.
In July this year, the choir will participate in the
7th World Choir Games (this time in Cincinnati, Ohio), to defend its position achieved two years ago.
And this year, 2012, is a reunion year. The 40
th reunion will take place from 6 to 9 December, with a gala reunion concert in Artscape Opera House on Saturday, 8 December at 19:30. The choir will be joined by a wide array of artists, of which the majority will be ex-choristers. Bookings are through Computicket.
All ex-choristers are invited to join the Tygerberg Children’s Choir 40
th Reunion group on
Facebook or to contact Rian Strydom at
[email protected]. Further details can be found on the choir’s
website.