TOP-rated a capella music outfit, Chitungwiza Harmony Singers, yesterday left the country for the two-day annual Old Mutual National Choir Festival finals set for Ellis Park Indoor Arena in Johannesburg, South Africa, this Saturday.
BY WINSTONE ANTONIO
The popular choral music group booked the ticket to represent the nation at the festival, after emerging champions at regional finals, hosted by Zimbabwe for the first time in Harare.
In previous years, Zimbabwean choral groups had to compete in the Limpopo Province Regional Competition.
The 60-member choir will perform in the standard category, where they will deliver their Western and African prescribed set, with the overall winners walking away R74 000 richer, while R64 000 and R54 000 is up for grabs for the second and third-placed respectively.
Speaking to NewsDay yesterday before their departure, the choir’s marketing manager, Peter Thole said they were ready to take on the other 10 choirs in their category.
“Preparations have been going on so well. We did our part as Chitungwiza Harmony Singers and we are ready to represent our nation at the competition,” he said.
Thole, however, decried lack of financial support from both the corporate sector and government.
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“We are going to represent our nation and for that reason alone government should intervene in terms of support. My prayer is that the corporate world and government will one day come up to assist us financially,” he said.
Chitungwiza Harmony Singers have become serial winners, both in international and regional competitions, having won six times over the past decades.
Some of the Southern Africa’s choral music regional winners that will compete for honours at the festival are the host, South Africa, Botswana and Swaziland.
