This weekend sees local a capella group, Pro Carmine Choir, off on their tour of the Eastern Cape Midlands.
This weekend sees local a capella group, Pro Carmine Choir, off on their tour of the Eastern Cape Midlands.
They’ll kick off at 11am in Bedford as guests of the annual Garden Festival. The concert is in St Andrew’s Church in Jan Van Reebeck Street – which is also host to the Festival’s country fair. They’re then in Cradock on Saturday evening and Somerset East – in the town’s majestic NG Kerk – the following morning after the 10am service (details below).
The twenty strong outfit will present a varied programme, beginning with music of the 1500s by the likes of John Dowland, Hans-Leo Hassler and even Henry VIII and moving on through Mozart (Ave Verum) and traditional spirituals (My Lord, what a morning) right up to George and Ira Gershwin (I got rhythm), Cole Porter (Let’s do it) and Ben E King (Stand by me). This year is also the 70th birthday of the British composer, arranger and founder of the Cambridge Singers, John Rutter, and the choir is doing his arrangement of the traditional Dashing away with the smoothing iron.
Choir master, Peter Breetzke – one of the choir’s founding members – says that a concert tour has become an annual event which, in the past, has included Hogsback and Nieu Bethesda.
“We try and add to our repertoire every year and, of course, enjoy singing in Grahamstown. But it’s always a good experience to travel and sing to different audiences with different musical tastes,” he says.
The choir was started in 1979 by Dorothy Hart, a music teacher at Victoria Girls High School in Grahamstown. With one break of about a year, it has been going strong ever since.
Breetzke adds, “We’re lucky this time round to be singing in three of the Eastern Cape’s most beautiful churches”.
Dates and times are as follows:
24 October
Bedford (as part of the Bedford Garden Festival – the country market will be taking place in the grounds and church hall on that day) – 11am at St Andrew’s Church, Jan van Riebeeck Street.
Cradock – 7pm at St Peter’s Anglican Church, Bree Street.
25 October
Somerset East – 11 for 11.30am (after the morning service), NG Kerk, Nojoli Street.
Entry is free but, in each venue, there will be a collection for a local charity.
Call Jayne Morgan – 083 450 7060 or Sheila Hicks –083 442 3322– for more information.
Music event in the grounds of Cavers House. This year they’re performing in St Andrew’s Church in the town. Photo: Supplied
