“It is not a concert. It is a moment for us all to reflect and just to be quiet at the end of the day,” said Xander Kritzinger, cantor and director for the Cape Choral Academy (CCA), about this choir’s weekly free performance in Stellenbosch. VIDEO: Jess Holing
The first choral academy in the Western Cape recently started with free weekly performances for the Stellenbosch public. “Because the performances’ purpose is to serve the public, there is no charge to listen to them perform,” said Divan Bosman, head of marketing, concerts and events at the Cape Choral Academy (CCA).
These performances will be open to anyone in the public on Wednesdays in the Dutch Reformed Moederkerk in Stellenbosch, between 17:00 and 17:45. The CCA learners performed for the first time in April.
“We have people in town who really need this item,” said Xander Kritzinger, cantor and director for CCA. “It is not as much a concert as it is an opportunity to sit and listen – regardless of background or belief – and experience beauty,” said Kritzinger.
The Cape Choral Academy (CCA)] strives to use music as a medium to create musicianship and entrepreneurship within the children who join the academy, said Sung Jun Chung, an intern at CCA that also sings in the CCA choir. The choir will perform every Wednesday at the Dutch Reformed Moederkerk in Stellenbosch, he said. PHOTO: Jess Holing
Bringing hope
“We want to bring people hope,” said 15-year-old Chrislynn Swartz who is enrolled at CCA and sings in the choir.
People can go into the church to listen at any point during the performance, to escape from their daily races and reflect on their day, said Bosman. CCA uses the Moederkerk for free, however they participate in their Sunday services once a month in return, he added.
Kritzinger said that the idea of weekly performances came from his time in the Drakensberg Boys Choir which he performed in at school, and where they held weekly Wednesday concerts.
“My dream is for the academy to reach the ends of the country. A very big driving factor for the school is to change our communities and build our country through this change,” said Divan Bosman, head of marketing, concerts and events at the Cape Choral Academy (CCA). AUDIO: Jess Holing
‘Not a traditional school’
The CCA is based in the Dutch Reformed Church in Welgelegen Stellenbosch, where 17 children from grade four to grade nine are enrolled, said Bosman. The CCA, which Kritzinger describes as an entrepreneurial school, has only been running since the beginning of the year, and is the only one of its kind in the Western Cape, he said.
“CCA is not a traditional school,” said Bosman. It incorporates choir rehearsals, physical exercise and an online academic programme paired with in-person support every day at the academy, he said.
“The whole idea is to create future leaders,” said Sung Jun Chung, an intern at CCA who also sings in the choir.
Although the academy incorporates extensive musical practices and performances, the main goal is the mental and physical health of the children, said Kritzinger.
Xander Kritzinger is a conductor, a pianist and a singing lecturer at Stellenbosch’s (SU) music department, said Sung Jun Chung, an intern at the Cape Choral Academy (CCA) who also sings in the CCA choir. The CCA free weekly performances are there “for the people who need rest”, said Kritzinger. PHOTO: Jess Holing
Future dreams
“Our dream is to build a sustainable campus in Stellenbosch to house about 100 students and have three choirs that can perform in different places,” said Bosman.
Kritzinger added that the choir will have a Woordfees show in October, and has plans to launch their first Saint Cecilia Festival for spiritual music of different faiths at the end of the year.
“Most choirs in this country practice for months before they actually start performing. These children learn music on the Monday, and they can perform it on the Wednesday. They sightread,” said Xander Kritzinger, cantor and director for the Cape Choral Academy (CCA). PHOTO: Jess Holing