THE DRAKENSBERG Boys Choir will be going back to the Joburg Theatre.
And the excitement in their camp is quite understandable, especially after two years of show droughts.
Touring has been severely affected over the last two years, and the boys have not been able to bring their special magic to the Joburg fans until now.
For the Drakies, as they are popularly known, nothing beats a live show.
Chairman of the Drakensberg Parents Association, Calvin Christopher, told SunBuzz: “There is so much excitement! After two long years of struggle with concerts suspended and touring curtailed, the boys will finally have a chance to tour the country and bring their magical music to their audiences.
“In particular, we are excited to be back at the Joburg Theatre, one of the country’s premier performing arts venues, for the first time in four years!”
Calvin said the past two years has been very challenging for the school because of Covid-19.
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He said for six months, all concerts were suspended, “which was a huge blow for the boys.”
“Not to be able to perform for live audiences was extremely disappointing for these talented young musicians. They used the time to work on music production and leverage technology and released some captivating videos over the period such as the hymn Ndikhokhele Bawo.
“This time was also challenging for the school financially. Even when concerts returned, numbers were capped, at times from 50 people to 50% capacity, meaning the boys were often performing for a nearly empty auditorium and the school lost out on significant revenues,” Calvin said.
Fortunately the school has navigated through this difficult time. As the lockdown gradually eased, the school has managed to perform for bigger audiences.
With more than 50 years of history, the Drakensberg Boys Choir is a national institution and an international icon.
he school is unique in Africa as a boys choir school, and stands among a handful of schools globally that offer a choral musical education and performance-based boarding school environment for young boys.
The boys have performed for the late Nelson Mandela, and Pope John Paul II.
They have toured internationally and hosted visiting choirs from around the world, and have also won numerous musical accolades.
The boys’ African musical repertoire also marks them as truly South African, producing music that is distinctive for our country and our continent.
Calvin said: “The audience can expect to be blown away by these young gentlemen.”
They can expect to be moved emotionally by the music and leave with a feeling of energy and hope for our beautiful country. They represent a vision for what South Africa can achieve and can offer the world.” Ticket prices, which range from R280 t0 R420, include a Pre-Concert Cocktail Party that will start at 6pm.
The Boys Choir’s musical sound is unique and uplifting on a number of levels. In addition to elite musical quality, there is also versatility, showcasing music from Mozart and Vivaldi to Ed Sheeran and Imagine Dragons.
The mission of the Drakensberg Boys Choir School is to prepare boys for life and leadership through excellence in music, academics, physical development and social enrichment in a Christian environment.
The boarding school is unique in the sense that it uses choral music as a significant vehicle for holistic education.
They performed yesterday, 23 June, and will perform again today, 24 June, at 7pm.
