The World Youth Choir Summer Session 07 in South Africa is over

”There is something very wonderful in music. It speaks not to our thoughts as words do; it speaks straight to our hearts and spirits, to the very core and root of our souls. Music soothes, stirs us up; it puts noble feelings in us; it melts us to tears, we know not how it is a language by itself! “ Kingsley

Reading my favorite quote, and thinking of the World Youth Choir summer session 2007 in South Africa and Namibia, the 18^th , I realized I am blessed to live and to experience the true meaning of Kingsley's thoughts. If you have never attended a WYC summer or winter session you can't actually understand the true signification of these words. For me personally, they describe everything that makes the WYC such a unique project in our present life full of turbulences around the globe; the unique message by group of young choral singers all over the world is: “This is the world as it should be!” This summer, the World Youth Choir explained again in the language of music why UNESCO has named it "Artists for Peace”.

The World Youth Choir summer session was organized and held in South Africa thanks to the collaboration of Jeunesses Musicales South Africa together with the North-West University Potchefstroom. It was the second time that the WYC sang in South Africa (the first time was in January 2001).

Rehearsing camp in Stellenbosch, supported by University of Stellenbosch, welcomed 74 singers from 28 countries. More than half of them had never been to South Africa or Africa as a continent. Also, having the session in South Africa contributed to a general idea of true forgiveness between nations in the country after the apartheid. Singers had a chance to hear and see both sides of reality there and recognized their role in moments when it was necessary to do workshops, open concerts or advertising for pupils, students in schools or university, where now, finally everybody is equal, regardless of skin color, social position, etc. The singers spread the idea of the project at every place they visited. There was no difference between new and old, past and present…all of them where World Youth Choir members with a mission.

As usual, there were two conductors for the summer project. Singers were proud to welcome and work under the baton of Peter Dijkstra, conductor of the first part of each concert. Peter Dijkstra was born in the Netherlands in 1978, and World Youth Choir singer from 1997 to 1999. He now works on a regular basis with choirs such as the Netherlands Chamber Choir, RIAS Chamber Choir Berlin and the Netherlands Radio choir.

Peter Dijkstra, one of the youngest conductors in history of the project, gave a new, fresh approach in working with an ensemble of this kind, giving all his knowledge and experience as a conductor and singer for the cause: to achieve the highest musical level, performing “Fest- und Gedenksprüche” by Johannes Brahms and “The Marriage of Heaven and Hell” by Danish composer Bo Holten, in the first part. The extraordinary piece for double choir by Brahms, the pure essence of the German end of 19^th century music style, was hard work for choir and conductor: Perfect pronunciation of the German language and understanding of the smallest musical details together with a great relationship between conductor and singers, yielded a perfect result. In the double choir, you could almost hear the sound of an organ in the rich polyphonic structure of the piece. The clean musical phrasing and deep understanding of the text left no one in the choir and audience untouched: the WYC succeeded in transposing the thoughts of the great Brahms.

“The Marriage of Heaven and Hell” is an extremely demanding and outstanding piece in six movements, written for triple choir, with elements of historical composition techniques extraordinarily well-connected with modern ways of harmonic thinking, especially in the triple-choir division, where listeners have a true impression of peace in Heaven and chaos in Hell. The piece leads us through six stories: “The Sick Rose”, “The Tiger”, “A Cradle Song” for three-part choir and solo soprano, “Spring”, “The Divine Image” and “Night. Under Peter Dijkstra, the WYC achieved incredible sound moments on the stage, constantly changing from chamber to big mixed choir, from children's to youth and then adult choir, developing thus constant sound and structure contrasts. With the sound impressions of Heaven on the one side and Hell on the other, alternating tonality and bitonality, rhythms and polyrhythmics, tonal and polytonal parts… in contrast to the musical technique of the core part), the WYC realized a perfect rendering of the piece. The audience acknowledged this by great applause after each performance.

The second part of each concert, with easier music, was also a true challenge for the singers and brought moments of enjoyable relaxation for the audience. Conducted by Sidumo Jacobs the singers proved that singing repertoire based on African traditional music is possible not only in Africa, but also in a choir with the word WORLD in it.

Born in Cradock, Eastern Cape, Sidumo Abraham Jacobs completed his Diploma in Music Education and the advanced Diploma in Choral Conducting at the University of Port Elizabeth. Sidumo became an assistant conductor for the UPE Choir, under the direction of Junita Lamprecht. Sidumo has gained extensive exposure and experience by participating in various national and international festivals. He has been invited to Europe and Norway for summer school in choral conducting and to conduct workshops in African traditional music. Sidumo is currently a part-time conductor for African music of the University of Johannesburg Kingsway Choir and a full-time music teacher at St John's College.

Sidumo Jacobs was also one of the youngest conductors in the choir's history. Raised in a traditional African family, Mr. Jacobs showed himself to be a true conductor, dancing teacher and, first of all, a great human being respecting different cultures and their different possibilities to adsorb, learn and memorize music which they had never sang in their lives. It was a challenge, for himself and the singers, for in Africa choirs perform African music in their proper stile, with very well-done body movements. So try to imagine what the reaction of the audience in the full halls was! Sidumo`s way of working with the singers, teaching them everything by heart without written music, showing them all the movements, repeating everything many times, dancing in front of the choir, and together with them in the rehearsals and in the concerts, made the experience unforgettable. The singers actually attended an open workshop day by day until they were ready to bring the workshop live at every concert and to every person in the audience, especially to those who were dancing in the audience together with the choir, yelling traditional sounds, clapping and screaming all the time as a way of showing respect and admiration. The colorful repertoire of traditional African songs was very well chosen for this type of choir, making musical peace between different cultures in all Africa. The repertoire consisted of “Wildsbok - Psalm 42”, Renette Bouwer (Afrikaans); “Gebed - Koos de Plessis” verw. D. Hyman (Afrikaans); “Chunchani Mindzhalo” - SJ Khosa (Shangan) A song to welcome visitors or guest; “Akhala Amaqhude Amabili” - Arr. Mzilikazi Khumalo (Zulu); “Askaz'ukuhamba, Umbombela, Shosholoza Tshukhutshukhu”(Xhosa) Mine working songs (medley); “Thula Sizwe” (Zulu) Be quiet, nation; “Lebitso” (Sotho) The name of the Lord is praised ; “Bawo Thixo Somandla” (Xhosa) Our Father, God of Power; “Shiloyini” Tsonga) A song about the German ship; “Koloyi ena” (Sotho) The car is so old and it does not have wheels; “Isiponono” (Xhosa, Zulu) I have a lover in Durban; “Skhanda mayeza” (Xhosa, Zulu) We are making or grinding the medicine; “Thina ntozabantu” (Xhosa) Bragging song; “Ndandihleli” (Xhosa, Zulu) I was in the darkness, thinking of my lover.

The atmosphere of the second part was filled with the energy of the African conductor and “world” youth, and touched emotions of all those privileged to attend the concert. It showed how the “world” can learn to be one in just nine days of rehearsals, with the strong desire to learn something new every day and to feel and experience true, mystical Africa. In those moments all WYC members were “Africa” on stage. Only in the World Youth Choir! So all of us can just say “Thank you members of the WYC, thank you Sidumo“.

After nine days of rehearsal camp, the WYC was ready for the very well-planned concert tour in Cape Town, Stellenbosch, George, Port Elizabeth, Bloemfontein, Potchefstroom, Rustenburg, Johannesburg, Soweto and Pretoria. Each concert was a unique experience for the singers, conductors and the audience. Traveling through beautiful South Africa, visiting cultural places, game reserves and having the chance to know and learn so many different things about country and people truly was a unique experience. Churches or concert halls were always full to capacity.

The amazing summer session ended with a five-day tour in Windhoek, Namibia.

Three men in particular gave all their passion, energy, time and strong will to make this project to happen. Jean-Marc Poncelet, Executive Director of the WYC with his ideas, logistics and fund-raising prior to the session; Peet Ryke, main organizer in South Africa, and his assistant, Braam Bredenkamp; without the two of them this session couldn't have happened. Thanks to all three of you!

Our respect and words of gratitude go to all people who contributed to the success of the tour: the host families in the ten cities which opened their homes, hearts and shared everything with us, making our stay unforgettable and giving us the feeling of being a welcome part of their families.

Special thanks go to all people who helped organizing concerts: Annemarie van der Walt, Junita Lamprecht and all the others. Thank you for your commitment to the project and for giving us all those wonderful moments we spent together.

The session in Namibia was organized by Lydia Auala, former WYC singer, and her team. Their extraordinary work, their true passion for having the choir in Windhoek, and their commitment made all of us feel at home and truly enjoy all workshops, sightseeing and, most importantly, the two concerts at the end of the tour in the fully packed Windhoek Cathedral with its amazing acoustics. Great gratitude goes to Lydia and all the people in Namibia, especially the choir's host families.

Special thanks go to the city of Namur, and to Belgium's French community for their financial commitment.

To conclude, I would like to say: The World Youth Choir was, is, and will be, the unique project on this planet which brings choral people from different cultures and nations together for an unforgettable moment in each of their lives. There is only one “WORLD” Youth Choir. The world needs this project as a global school of understanding, respect, and unity. The one language all of them understand is that of choral music and singing! For all of us who have sung in this choir, it has changed our lives forever. And the same thing happened to the 74 singers of this summer's World Youth Choir in South Africa and Namibia. Thanks to this project, at least 74 more people will try to make this -their- world a better place. This is the “crown” of the project, with all its shining “jewels”, which gives us hope. Let's believe and be optimistic.

Vladimir Opacic

World Youth Choir Session Manager and Former Singer