29 May 2010

Margate Community Hall

09h00 – 16h00

“The curious beauty of African music is that it uplifts even if it tells a sad tale. You may be poor, you may only have a ramshackle house, you may have lost your job, but that song gives you hope.”

Nelson Mandela

Church choirs, Youth choirs, School choirs and Community choirs offer a sense of community to some of the most destitute and impoverished people in our society. The coming together and singing gives renewed hope and offers people a sense of belonging. Margate and the surrounding areas have a wealth of untapped talent in our region. This Centenary year we will showcase these talents and share in the rich experiences of these diverse and talented groups.

More than 1o choirs from throughout the South Coast District have registered to compete in the inaugural Margate Choir Competition and will perform a variety of styles, from Classical to Contemporary, Traditional African to Contemporary African, Gospel and Jazz.

Judging

Choirs will be judged on the balance of their programme. Choral work must meet with a high standard of intonation, diction, tone quality, phrasing and interpretation. Soloist with a choir is allowed. Judging will be done in this order of priority, Musicianship, Technique, Programme Choice and Presentation and Choreography.

We are honoured to have musical legends from our area as judges. Norma Spiller has taught music for 62 years and has extensive experience in choir work. She is a seasoned judge of choir competitions and finds this work most rewarding.

JV Cele was raised and educated in the Harding District and went on to study and qualify in the teaching profession. His most recent teaching accomplishments have resulted in his appointment as Deputy Principal in 2007 and Principal in 2008 of Lenkasi Junior Secondary School. Mr Cele is an accomplished recording artist, musician, producer and composer and is also a seasoned choral judge. He has a passion to make arts and the creative industry economically sustainable and his expertise in this area is highly sought after both regionally and nationally.

Legacy

The Margate Centenary will be offering great prizes and in order to fulfil their mandate to assist with development and ensure these efforts live on beyond the Centenary year, we will be recording and editing a demo DVD of each performance for all participating choirs.

For further information contact Ingrid on 083 228 7440.

“Music is the mediator between the spiritual and sensual life.”

Ludwig Von Beethoven