His Majesty’s Correctional Service (HMCS) Choir and Pure Voices both made history on Sunday night, each claiming their sixth titles as the Standard Bank Choral Music champions.
HMCS continued their dominance in the large category, clinching their third consecutive win and sixth overall since 2014.
Meanwhile, Pure Voices were crowned champions in the standard category, also marking their sixth title-five in the standard group and one previously in 2022 in the large category.
HMCS, conducted by Melisizwe Zwane, walked away with E25 000 after scoring a total of 188 points. They earned 93 points for the Western prescribed piece Magnificat (D486) by F. Schubert, 95 points for the African piece Ingoma by Zwane and 76 points on the Imisebe Choice Piece, securing two first-place positions and one second.
The moment adjudicator Siphokazi Maphumulo announced the results, the choir burst into celebration, joining Zwane on stage and breaking into their triumphant song Kusekhaya la.
Speaking after the win, Zwane credited their success to consistency and discipline.
“We practise twice a week, two-hour sessions, with a third session added on Sundays, much closer to any competition we’re taking part in. We believe in short but frequent sessions as opposed to long ones. Each session is capped at two hours to make sure everyone is always rested and vocally fit. The consistency in preparation, chorister retention and application is almost always evident on stage.”
On what judges usually praise them for, Zwane said: “Songs and performances differ from one to the next. I cannot exactly say that there is a universal view of how we are assessed. We approach each competition with the same principles, but songs differ, eras differ and composers too.
We apply techniques relevant to the era, style and the composer’s music. Adjudicators assess us based on those aspects.”
In the standard category, Pure Voices scored 172 points and won E18 000. Choir representative and conductor Gabazi Nxumalo confirmed the group had now won the championship six times.
“This milestone means a lot to us because we are self-funded,” he said. “We rehearse every week and set targets. We play around with the prescribed songs and make sure we understand them fully before stepping on stage.”
Nxumalo also shared that in Pure Voices, auditions happen during every rehearsal. “It’s our culture to welcome everyone who wants to sing.”
They secured position 1 with 82 points for the Western piece O Come Everyone / And Then Shall Your Light Break Forth from Felix Mendelssohn’s Elijah, and another first place with 90 points for the African piece Tibongo Tenkhosi Mswati III by Vusi Gama. They finished third with 71 points on the Imisebe Choice Piece.
