The University of Pretoria's (UP) choir, Tuks Camerata, recently delivered a performance to bid farewell before heading off to the US, where they will perform as the headline choir at the National Conference of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) in Dallas, Texas, this month.

The Heritage Farewell Concert took place at UP’s Musaion Theatre on the Hatfield campus.

For conductor Dr Michael J Barrett, being able to perform alongside the choir that he has worked with for 12 years is the opportunity of a lifetime. He has visited many countries in his capacity as conductor, lecturer, and choral clinician, including the US.

However, this will be the first time that he will be performing with the choir in America.

“It will have an enormous ripple effect for the choir and hopefully for me personally,” Dr Barrett said.

He added that taking the Camerata to the US will be life-changing for him, the singers, and everyone who comes to see their performance.

The choir is world-class, but its true uniqueness lies in the integrity and honesty of its performances. Tuks Camerata will be performing choral pieces in some of South Africa’s indigenous languages and will participate in an interest session at the ACDA conference, where it will offer insight into some of the country’s cultural elements.

The ACDA aims to foster choral singing and promote an understanding of choral music as an important medium of contemporary artistic expression. It also seeks to foster cultural expression.

Tuks Camerata’s performances incorporate aspects of South African cultures, as well as musical renderings of traditional prayers in indigenous African languages.

Despite singing in an indigenous language, they’re still able to convey the meaning of the pieces through other elements in their performance, such as their facial expressions, body language, and gestures.

The choir’s performance garments also feature stylistic elements from African cultures. By incorporating these features into its performance at the ACDA, the choir will encourage cross-cultural understanding and expression.

“I have been in Camerata for four years, so for me, performing at the ACDA is a highlight as a choral singer,” Marnus Erasmus, an MA Archaeology student, said.

He explained that they sing so that people can feel something. “We want to share something with the audience.”

Tuks Camerata does succeed in sharing an experience with the audience. At one point during its farewell performance, choir members took up positions among the audience and delivered a moving performance of one of their choral pieces that will be sung at the ACDA. They received several standing ovations during the performance.

“Choral music is a powerful reminder of our shared humanity. It is a celebration of the beauty around us and a refuge that allows us to momentarily escape the burdens of life,” Barrett said.

zelda.venter@inl.co.za