Dressed in smart black suits, the Stellenbosch University choir filled the stage of the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod 2018 with their members. Based in South Africa, the university choir traveled all the way over to Llangollen to perform in the Eisteddfod – a music festival inspired by the bardic traditions of ancient Wales. Nowadays, the festival has seen performers from McFly to Ladysmith Black Mambazo, highlighting talent from all over the world.
When the Stellenbosch choir performed a song from a video game, they added a unique edge to the competition that Music Man readers will love. The choir performed Baba Yetu, composed by Christopher Tin for Civilization IV. Sung in Swahili and inspired by traditional African music, the choir’s voices blended in a dynamic performance. Many online viewers were moved by the performance, leaving comments such as “It has just given me goosebumps” on the video, which has now received over 11M views.
At the Music Man, we love seeing talented musicians receiving recognition for their work. For their performance at the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod in Wales, the Stellenbosch University Choir won all three categories in which they competed. As the oldest choir in South Africa, they are no strangers to attending competitions worldwide. In 2012, the Interkultur World Rankings named them the top amateur choir in the world after eight years at the Interkultur World Choir Games.
In the 2016 World Choir Games, the Stellenbosch University Choir competed for the sixth time and won three gold medals in Musica Sacra A Capella, Musica Contemporanea and Spiritual. They performed a glorious rendition of Z. Randall Stroope’s ‘The Conversion of Saul’. As the best choir at the event, they received an album deal with Hänssler Classic, and they proved once again that they were at the top of the international choir game.
Over the years, Stellenbosch has proved its talent at various competitions and taken the world, as well as The Music Man, by storm. They have gained recognition from garnering millions of YouTube views across the videos of their performances to performing at royal occasions such as the funeral of Princess Margaret Obaigbena. Even Prince Harry has admitted he’s a fan of their work. This immensely talented choir uses their gifts to blend the traditional with the modern while they work together to bring the beauty of music to audiences across the globe. From the response they’ve gotten, it is clear that music lovers across the world are listening—and they like what they hear.
If you would like to hear more from this talented choir you can subscribe to their YouTube Channel for more incredible music. Follow them on Facebook and Instagram for updates, and visit their website for more information.