The South African music scene includes both popular (jive) and folk forms like Zulu isicathamiya singing and harmonic mbaqanga. Other popular genres are marabi, kwaito,house music, isicathamiya, gqom, rock music, hip hop and amapiano.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo is a South African male choral group singing in the local vocal styles of isicathamiya and mbube. They became known internationally after singing with Paul Simon on his 1986 album Graceland, and have won multiple awards, including five Grammy Awards, dedicating their fifth Grammy to the late former President Nelson Mandela.
Winterton is a small town situated on the banks of the Tugela River in the foothills of the Drakensberg mountains, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It was founded in 1905 as Springfield when the Natal Government built a weir across the Little Tugela River. The town later changed its name to Winterton in honour the secretary for agriculture, HD Winter. Winterton is a small town with only a primary school. It is close to the Second Boer War battle sites of Battle of Vaal Krantz and Spioenkop.
The Regensburger Domspatzen is the cathedral choir at the Regensburg Cathedral in Regensburg, Bavaria, Germany. The boys' choir dates back to 975, and consists of boys and young men only. They perform in liturgy and concert, and have made international tours and recordings.
Saint Thomas Choir School is a boarding school located in Manhattan, New York, one of three world-wide that exclusively educate boy treble choristers, while requiring them to board at the school.
Sacred Heart College, Marist Observatory is a private Catholic school in Observatory, Johannesburg founded in 1889 by the Marist Brothers. The college was originally established as the first Catholic school for boys in Johannesburg. It now accepts girls and boys through creche, pre-primary school, primary school and high school. It is distinguished among independent schools for its contribution to fostering an inclusive society in Apartheid-Era South Africa. The college runs an IEB examination course and is affiliated with the Independent Schools Association of Southern Africa.
The Pacific Boychoir was formed in 1998 with 6 boys, and it now includes more than 175 singers from ages 4 to 18. The New York Times said the PBA goes “beyond the reach of most youth choirs” and the Los Angeles Times described the PBA quality of sound and musicianship as “astonishing.”
St. Alban's College is a private, boarding, English medium and day high school for boys situated in the suburb of Lynnwood Glen in Pretoria in the Gauteng province of South Africa. It was founded in 1963 by Anton Murray. Its history, influence, wealth, and academic reputation have made it one of the most prestigious schools in South Africa. The sister school is called St. Mary's Diocesan School for Girls, Pretoria.
Voices of Birralee is a non-profit youth choral organization, based in Brisbane, Australia, which has gained a reputation for its leading choirs, that have performed in front of audiences in both Australia and across the world.
Woden Valley Youth Choir is an audition based children's choir located in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. It performs not only in Canberra, but also across Australia and internationally during regular tours. The name derives from the Woden Valley district of Canberra.
The Maryland State Boychoir is an internationally touring American boys' choir based in Baltimore, Maryland. It was founded in 1987 by Frank Cimino, and was designated by Maryland Governor William Donald Schaefer as "Maryland's Official Goodwill Ambassadors". The choir is a donor-supported 501(c)3 organization that provides talented boys an opportunity to sing at a professional level while developing their self-esteem, self-discipline, and character.
"Weeping" is an anti-apartheid protest song written by Dan Heymann in the mid-1980s, and first recorded by Heymann and the South African group Bright Blue in 1987. The song was a pointed response to the 1985 State of Emergency declared by President P.W. Botha, which resulted in "large-scale killings of unarmed and peaceful demonstrators against racial discrimination and segregation in South Africa." Defiantly, the song incorporated part of the melody to Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika, the anthem of the anti-apartheid African National Congress. "Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika" was banned at the time, and inclusion of even the melody violated the law. Today, "Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika" is part of the national anthem of South Africa. The formerly illegal lyrics—"Nkosi sikelela, thina lusapho lwayo"—are now often sung when "Weeping" is recorded or performed.
The KwaZulu-Natal Youth Choir was founded in 1968 by Hein de Villiers. The choir is based in Durban, South Africa, and attracts talent from across the KwaZulu-Natal province.
Gérard’d du Toit is an International figure in the Choral world who has drawn attention when he conducted the Drakensberg Boys’ choir in Europe in 1988, Namibia and South Africa from 1985 to 1989. His involvement with the Drakensberg Boys Choir school led to his post-graduate studies at the University of Pretoria specialising in choral conducting and writing a thesis on the formal training of the boys voice when mutating. It his energetic and spirited leadership with the KwaZulu-Natal Youth Choir and the University of UKZN Bel Canto Chamber Choir from 1996 that led to examining and adjudicating in Europe such as Estonia ; presenting a week-long choral course on South African Choral music in Ljubljana (Slovenia) under the auspices of the Ljubljana Madrigalisti (2005), acting as the SA partner of the Choir World Games in Xiamen, China (2006), and on the jury at the prestigious Cecilia Seghizzi International Choir Competition.
Adolf Fredrik's Youth Choir is a Swedish co-educational choir comprising singers from the ages of 16 to 25. The choir was founded in 2000. During recent years, the choir has performed both in Sweden and abroad. It has also received awards at international choir festivals. The choir is a part of the Adolf Fredrik's Church in Stockholm and was founded by Karin Bäckström, one of the parish's organists and choral directors.
The Tucson Arizona Boys Chorus is a boys' choir based in Tucson, Arizona, which performs locally, nationally, and internationally. Founded in 1939 and incorporated as a non-profit educational organization in 1945, its mission is to facilitate music education and social development among Tucson youth ages 6 to 21. The chorus, presently numbering 150 members, sends out touring companies of 30 boys each who sing folk songs, Western ballads, Mexican songs, Christmas carols, spirituals, pop music, classical music, Broadway show tunes, and American patriotic songs. The boys also perform rope tricks. The chorus has performed in major venues around the world as well as on television and radio, and in collaboration with symphony orchestras and arts organizations. It has released albums both under its own label, TABC Records, and with Capitol Records, United Artists, and C.P. MacGregor.
Idols South Africa VII was the seventh season of South African reality interactive talent show based on the British talent show Pop Idol. It premiered on 5 June 2011. The judges returned with the addition of Unathi Msengana in the place of Mara Louw and were supported by a guest judge in every casting city.
The Bala Brothers are a vocal trio from the Kwa Nobuhle Township outside Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape. The group consists of brothers Zwai Bala, Loyiso Bala, and Phelo Bala. The brothers first gained prominence when Zwai Bala joined the Drakensberg Boys' Choir School in 1988, becoming the first black member of the previously segregated group six years before the end of apartheid.
Dawn Faith Mackay is an author, musician, speaker, social activist and the host of her own TV show titled Deep & Meaningful. She started her music career in 2008 working with a local artists in South Africa and has since released her debut EP in 2015 titled "Audience of One". In 2016, she established a TV production company, MYZIZI Productions, named after her daughter Zinhle (Zizi) Grace, who was born around four months premature and died aged three months. in Melbourne, Australia.
Zwai Bala is a South African kwaito and gospel musician.
