South Africa’s famous Drakensberg Boys Choir to perform at Southwark Cathedral, joined by top UK choirs

Drakies will showcase their musical talents to UK audiences for their Hear Us Sing UK Tour

23 August 2024

What: The Drakensberg Boys Choir will bring their renowned choral performances and Afro-Pop sounds to Southwark Cathedral, together with the choirs of Eton College, Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School and Westminster School.

When: Tuesday, 24 September, 2024, at 7:00 p.m. BST

Where: The Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St Saviour and St Mary Overie, Southwark, London, SE1 9DA, United Kingdom

Details: Enjoy an enchanting evening with the Drakensberg Boys Choir at Southwark Cathedral. The performance will include a mix of classical choral works and Afro-Pop music, promising a unique and captivating musical experience that highlights the best of South African music.

UK audiences can look forward to experiencing a captivating blend of classical masterpieces and infectious pop hits. The repertoire will range from the timeless compositions of Carl Orff and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to the vibrant rhythms of Afro-pop and traditional African contemporary works, promising to enchant audiences of all tastes. The Drakies, as the choir is also affectionately known, will offer the melodic genius of Ola Gjeilo, Knut Nystedt, and works from other celebrated composers during the tour.

The Drakensberg Boys Choir will be joined on Stage in Southward Cathedral by the Eton College Chapel Choir, the Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School Choir and the Choir of Westminster School.

Southwark Cathedral or The Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St Saviour and St Mary Overie, Southwark, London, lies near the south bank of the River Thames, close to London Bridge. It is the mother church of the Diocese of Southwark. It has been a place of Christian worship for more than 1,000 years, but the church was only raised to cathedral status with the creation of the Diocese of Southwark in 1905.

Tickets: You can purchase your tickets for £27.80 via this link.

About the Drakensberg Boys Choir: The Drakensberg Boys Choir School (DBCS) aims to prepare boys for life and leadership through excellence in music, academics, sports, and social enrichment in a Christian environment. Known affectionately as "Drakie boys," students are moulded to harness their musical talents to bring hope and positive change in South Africa and globally. With a 57-year history, DBCS is the only established choir school in South Africa, earning international respect and producing young men of exemplary character.

For many of our talented boys, attending this world-class choir school is a long-held dream come true. The blessing of talent does not only come to boys from families that can afford to pay for their children's unique education in the Drakensberg. Unfortunately, a boy's world-class talent cannot be realised due to a lack of funding. As a result, the Drakies bursary fund is critical in providing deserving boys with the opportunity to perform on the world choir stage, an honour they would not have had without generous donations to our bursary fund. Proceeds from the UK tour will go to the bursary fund.

Join us for a magical evening of music and experience the excellence of the Drakensberg Boys Choir, a genuinely South African national treasure.

Eton College Chapel Choir - The Foundation of Eton College in 1440 by King Henry VI provided ten men and 16 boys to sing chapel services, and, with a few breaks, the choir has been singing in Eton College Chapel from then until the present day. Although singing for services in the College Chapel remains the choir's principal duty, the choir can increasingly be heard further. Each year, the choir embarks on an international tour, with recent destinations including Spain, Portugal, Japan, India, Germany, Latvia and Hong Kong. The choir performs regularly in the UK with recent performances, including concerts with The Sixteen and a performance of Bernstein's Chichester Psalms with the Hong Kong Philharmonic under Leonard Slatkin.

The Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School Choir - The Cardinal Vaughan Schola Cantorum (Director Scott Price) is the liturgical choir of The Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School, Kensington. Alongside serving the school's liturgy, the Schola also has frequent external engagements and is heard in concert halls and churches all across the UK. The Schola has appeared at the BBC Proms and the Aldeburgh Festival, and its voices feature numerous famous film soundtracks, including one of the Harry Potter films, The Batman, Rocketman and the Oscar-winning score for Life of Pi. In February 2022, the Schola became the first state school choir to lead the BBC's long-running religious broadcast, BBC Choral Evensong. The choir has firm links with the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, where boys have performed in many productions over the past twenty-five years.

The Choir of Westminster School - Westminster is an ancient British school. Its origins can be traced to the Benedictine monastery at Westminster Abbey, and its continuous existence is particular from the early fourteenth century. After the dissolution of the monasteries in 1540, Henry VIII personally ensured the School's survival by statute, and his daughter, Elizabeth I, confirmed royal patronage in 1560 and is celebrated as the School's Foundress. Old Westminster's include John Dryden, John Locke, A.A. Milne, Henry Purcell and Christopher Wren. The Choir of Westminster School regularly performs at venues including London's St John's Smith Square and the Barbican, where recent performances have included Duruflé Requiem, Brahms Ein Deutsches Requiem, Poulenc Gloria, Britten Rejoice in the Lamb and McDowall The Girl from Aleppo.

As well as singing for twice-weekly services in Westminster Abbey, the Choir embarks on an exciting programme of concerts and tours both in the UK and abroad. Recent engagements have included a performance of cantatas and masses by J.S. Bach conducted by James O'Donnell in Westminster Abbey and the release of the Choir's debut album on the Signum Label, Now may we singen: Music for Advent and Christmas, which was a recording of the week on Classic FM's Drive and reviewed in Gramophone Magazine and BBC Music Magazine which included it in its top ten Christmas playlist.