​​​​​In an article published in Die Burger on Saturday, 26 June, the spotlight falls on the SU Choir, and how its diversity has not only enhanced the sound of the Choir and expanded its repertoire, but also taught members valuable life lessons. Read the translated article below.​

When the Stellenbosch University Choir takes the stage, members represent each of the nine provinces and almost each of the South African national languages.

One choir leader and 117 diverse choir members grouped into eight vocal groups who sing together with devotion and enchant audiences worldwide.

The choir has won several choir competitions over the past decade and some of their versions of “Baba Yethu" and “Say Something" have been viewed nearly 6 million and 7 million times on YouTube respectively. The choir has also been ranked first on Interkultur's world rankings for choirs since 2012. This international cultural organisation is best known for organising the biennial World Choir Games.

André van der Merwe, who has been the choir leader since 2003, is convinced that the success of the SU Choir is largely due to its diversity and multicultural nature.

“Our diversity creates a magical energy and ultimately a sound world that is unique to South Africa. In any art form, one wants a unique voice, a voice that means something. I think we sometimes forget what we have, and when we compete on an international stage – or when you sing in a cathedral in Europe – and you see how people react to the choir's energy, then you realise again wow, we have something special here."

Third-year BA Law student Caitlin Laing says the impact their music has on people makes all their sacrifices and hard work worthwhile.

“The best part is when the atmosphere that our voices create is almost tangible and when both the choir and our audience are transported into a world that only music can create."

The different voice colours and cultural backgrounds within the choir has also broadened the repertoire.

“I now have many more options in the music that I can choose," says Van der Merwe.

“Before, I was hesitant to let the choir sing traditional African music, because I did not know what it meant or what the context was. But now I can ask my choir members, and so we learn from each other. This has made the choir less one-dimensional. Many of my overseas colleagues are fascinated with the diversity of the choir. Not only the diversity of our members, but also the variety of styles in our repertoire.

“We have never experienced opposition when we sing Afrikaans or any other language. I think it boils down to respect. When a white child tries his best to master all the clicking sounds in Xhosa, the black students also try their best when we sing Afrikaans. I can see the context is right then."

The diversity of the choir and the way it is welcomed also has a tremendous personal impact on the choir members. Tré Delange, a final year BCom student, says the choir is a refuge for him.

 “It's a place where people are accepting of each other whilst unapologetically being their authentic selves. I feel like it's so contrastingly different to what many of us experience daily in the real world – there's no prejudice or discrimination. It's just a group of young adults coming together, despite our different backgrounds, histories and cultures, to create something beautiful and inspiring."

Third-year BSc student, Stehan Malherbe, agrees. “My favourite thing about the choir is the way that this community, this family, creates a safe space for me to just be myself. The choir has given me a voice and an opportunity to spread hope in our country and the world."

Sinomtha Zake, third-year music student, says she feels comfortable in the choir. “I feel comfortable around these people – comfortable enough to learn and make mistakes with them, to let down any guards that I would have put up in other social spaces."

Christopher Arendse, a final year medical student, has been part of the choir for six years and says one of the most valuable lessons that he has learnt is that “the more he embraces others, the more he is able to embrace himself".

Van der Merwe believes this culture of sincerity and absolute acceptance of people for who and what they are starts with the leader: “When I stand in front of my choir, I am real. And I know not everyone is going to like me, and that's okay too. Some people will say sometimes you become so diverse that you lose yourself, but I think that is nonsense. I experience that the more I embrace people, the safer I feel, because they embrace me back just as I am."

Lauren Ramsay, a final year Music Education student, is of the opinion that the senior choir members play a big role in setting the tone in terms of the culture and discipline of the choir: “The more senior choir members know their job so well and are very disciplined, so it creates quite an expectation of new members. But the older choir members help one so much, it makes one feel part of the choir immediately – like a family."

Being able to sing well is obviously a prerequisite for singing in a choir, but being able to listen – to the music, the conductor, your fellow choir members – is equally important. For Delange, this listening skill has become a way of life – something that has spilled over into his everyday life and his interaction with people.

“I have learnt to listen to hear and understand, not just to respond."

It is precisely this ability of the young people in the choir that inspires Van der Merwe in Youth Month and excites him about the future. “They listen to each other more. There is a sensitivity to each other that I have not seen in the past.

“But we are not a kumbaya group," he states unequivocally.

“Anyone who works with students will know that they are much more realistic than that. We also talk about the difficult things. I motivate the team to not only look back, but ahead as well. We have to move forward, step by step.

“It is important for me to create a space where people can come together and not step on each other's toes, but also not be afraid of each other. If you walk on eggs all the time, you are not going to grow and also not learn anything from each other.

“I think I do this by living it myself: How do I handle criticism, how open am I to people to differ from me? I always say they can say anything to me, as long as they do it with respect."

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