South Africa’s Most
Exciting Choir
When the National
Symphony Orchestra lost its sponsorship from the SABC, it seemed appropriate to
re-create the choir too. Though it will continue to present the choral repertoire
and is essentially the same group it is now The Symphony Choir of
Johannesburg.
The original choir was
founded by Dr Edgar Cree, who ran it for about ten years. He was followed by
other conductors but it had actually been dormant for some time when Richard
Cock was asked by the SABC to start it again.
The choir normally sings
three major choral works each year. In the last few years, it has sung all
kinds of music both alone and with many other choirs. "This variety of
repertoire and style has made it South Africa’s most exciting choir to sing
with and to listen to. You never know what’s coming next," says Jeremy
Hele, who was elected as the choir’s first Chairman. (Though no one is really
in any doubt that this is Richard’s choir and will always be so while he is
around).
2001 started excitingly with Rachmaninov's atmospheric
unaccompanied Vespers and was rounded out by Mendelssohn’s vast Elijah in November. For 2002, the program included Mozart's Requiem and
Beethoven's Mass in C. In August, John Rutter once again travelled to
South Africa to lead the Symphony Choir in the African premiere of his
compilation of American spirituals, Feel the Spirit. The choir also went
on tour to Botswana, to sing Orff’s Carmina Burana in Gaborone. During
2003, the first highlight was Bach’s St John Passion on Good Friday, under
the baton of the distinguished English conductor Simon Preston, with a packed
auditorium and even people sitting in the aisles. The next highlight was Beethoven’s
monumental Missa Solemnis in July. On a lighter note, the choir broke
new ground by presenting a concert performance of Gilbert and Sullivan’s
Pirates of Penzance for its birthday concert in October, followed by a rip-roaring
cheese and wine party for choir and audience alike.
Come and join us
The choir is always on the
lookout for new blood (particularly tenors and basses) to keep its strength up
to about 100 voices. "The variety of the programmes does mean that we like
choir members to have a reasonable ability to read music in staff
notation," says Sue Cock, Richard’s wife, who helped to train the choir
with him for nineteen years. Anyone interested should contact the Choir
administrator, Debbie Kruger, at scj@worldonline.co.za or on 082 853 9709 to arrange an audition.
The Symphony Choir may have
a new name, but it has a proud tradition and sings glorious music - lots of it.
This and the standards it maintains give it a pretty good claim to the title
"Most Exciting Choir in South Africa."
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