This prismatic concert is hosted biennially in rotation, and was set to be hosted by the University of Johannesburg Choir before the unforeseen lull. We are excited to finally host the University of Pretoria Camerata and the North-West University Choir in a Sunday afternoon kaleidoscope that heralds world-class choral performance. 

About University of Pretoria Camerata

The University of Pretoria (Tuks) Camerata is conducted by Dr. Michael Barrett, and celebrates its 54th anniversary in 2022. The choir has received many national and international accolades through the years and aims to; contribute towards the cultural development of the student body, to enrich the lives of the students and the broader community through choral singing, and to act as cultural ambassadors of the University of Pretoria. The Camerata falls under the auspices of The School of the Arts (Faculty of Humanities) and consists of 78 full-time students from a variety of study fields, including medicine, engineering, theology, law, education, economics, accounting, plant sciences and music. The choir has won many national and international accolades, and is regularly invited to perform at symposia and festivals across the world.

About North-West University Choir

The North-West University (PUK) Choir was founded in 1955, and has been under the inspired direction of Kobus Venter since 2012. Its overarching aim is threefold, namely; to serve the broad cause of good choral music, to give students the opportunity to hone their talents and develop as balanced people, and to inspire the sense of God’s proximity. Over the years, the choir has released nine CDs that have won numerous awards, including a SAMA. In 2014, the choir won two gold medals at the World Choir Games in Riga, Latvia, and two more at the 2018 World Choir Games. In 2019, they were the winners of the Prague Advent and Christmas Choral Festival with Eben’s Prize. The PUK-Choir is a choir that strives to make good music. To sing well goes without saying, but the core is to give heart to the music. In this way, music binds us, moves us, and is our humanity.

About University of Johannesburg Choir

UJ Choir has bloomed into a musical hybrid that reflects the struggles of the country’s past and hope for its future. Formed in 2005 from the former RAU Choir and RAU Chorale, the choir consists of students of the University that study a range of qualifications that do not include music. It has since raised the South African flag up high in Austria, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Denmark, Poland, Slovakia, New York, Namibia and many more. Under the genius hands of renowned conductor, Renette Bouwer, the choir’s travel and sound has earned them a number of awards and achievements over the years, among which are two gold medals from the 2018 World Choir Games in Tshwane for categories: Mixed Choirs and Folk Music (category winners with 95%). The year 2020 marked a new era for the choir, through the release of its ninth album, When the Earth Stands Still, currently available on all digital music platforms.