A grand scale choral singing event dubbed the Ekurhuleni Melting Pot National Choral Music Competition will form part of the many activities lined up to celebrate the iconic O.R. Tambo in the October, which is the Ekurhuleni Metro’s O. R Tambo’s Month.

The Ekurhuleni-Melting Pot National Choral Music Competition will held in the Big Top Arena, Carnival City on Friday 18 October 2013, from 09h00 until late. This momentous musical event will feature the crème de la crème of choral music in honour one of South Africa’s great sons, O. R Tambo, himself a former school choir member at St. Peters, who was first introduced to formal music at Embhobeni, which became a lifelong activity and hobby. He was also a renowned choral music composer.

The Oliver and Adelaide Tambo Foundation endorses this festival. “Oliver Tambo loved classical and choral music, and was himself an accomplished choir master,” said Mavuso Msimang, CEO of the Foundation.

Tambo recognised the critical role of culture in the struggle liberation and encouraged the formation of cultural groups in exile camps, where freedom fighters lived. “Embracing the Melting Pot National Festival Tribute to OR Tambo was thus the most natural thing to do for the Foundation”.

The City of Ekurhuleni hosts the powerful show -down of the country’s most magnetic voices for the ultimate R250 000 cash prize, which makes it the biggest Choral Music Competion in the land. Never before has such prize money been on offer for choral music.
Entertainment at the festival will include performances by the Afro Tenors, Cenastra Male Choir, Tembisa High School Choir, Injula Yomculo Choir and Fumana High School. A school from Tambo’s birth place, Mbizana Village School Choir, will also come from the Eastern Cape to thrill choral music lovers.

They will perform songs that were close to Tambo’s heart. “There will be some unbelievable musical renditions, vocal and instrumental, by persons with disabilities. It’s an experience you have to see to fully appreciate,” said Msimang.

The 50 000 multi-purpose seater arena is expected to have audiences from as far as Swaziland, Mozambique, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia and plenty of local choral music lovers.

“People must come in their numbers because the standard of entertainment is certain to be very high. The musicians are simply marvellous,” boasts Msimang.

Tickets are selling from R180 and can be bought at Computicket 0861 915 8000, or online at http://www.computicket.com. On the day of the festival the audience will be given a chance to vote for their favourite choir via a number MTN will provide. The choir with the most votes will win the OR Tambo People’s Choice Award.

The 10 participating choirs have already been prepared. On 24 August a workshop was held to empower local choirs and develop their skills on how to run their choirs. The workshop also got the choirs excited and there was a draw – revealing the order of performances for the festival! CEO of Melting Pot Arts Festival, Gcisa Mdlulwa said, ‘‘It has been a long journey preparing this pot and now we are ready to melt the soul of our Nation through the Beautiful voices that will be at Carnival City. This is our way of remembering Tata OR Tambo for his love of music.”

South Africa’s top ten choirs are preparing to battle it out for the number one spot at the Ekurhuleni Melting Pot National Choral Festival: Tribute to OR Tambo on the 19 of October from 9am at Carnival City.

The order of performances by choirs competing is: Kopano Chorus (Gauteng); Voices of the Nation (Gauteng); Thabong Serenade (Free State); Gauteng Choristers (Gauteng/photo); Clermont Community Choir (KwaZulu-Natal); Heavenly Voices (Western Cape); Belcanto Voices (Free State); African Chorus (KwaZulu-Natal); SA Singers (KwaZulu-Natal); and Transnet Port Terminal Choir (Eastern Cape).