Hout Bay Ingoma Choir hitting the main stage

The Hout Bay Ingoma Choir performing at a wedding, last year.

Since their launch back in 2017, the Hout Bay Ingoma Choir has become a household name in the community, and they are now preparing for their biggest shows to date – a performance on the main stage at KDay alongside Majozi and their African Summer concert on Monday.

Singer Siphosethu Tyekana, 23, from Imizamo Yethu, has played a big role in the smooth running of the choir, according to its founder Tanya Blacher.

Ms Tyekana was first introduced to music while attending Sentinel Primary School.

“Siphosethu was recently elected as part of the executive committee and it’s nice to see how they’re starting to manage the choir by themselves,” said Ms Blacher.

“She was part of the initial auditions. She’s now also the secretary on the committee and has also been helping with the marketing. She has really good organising skills and has had a good impact on having everyone at rehearsals on time and arranging transport,” she added.

Ms Tyekana is a public relations intern at the Kronendal Music Academy and also assists with fundraising and supervising classes.

“I always loved to sing. I remember being so nervous for my audition for the choir, I was shaking, I was scared and didn’t have much time to prepare. I just wanted to be involved in music because it’s fun, and I like being around people. I was involved in a few singing groups in the community previously as
well and also played the cello in primary school. Now we are all excited for the shows we have coming up. People need to listen to our new songs. They can expect beautiful African music and culture,” she said.

The choir has rehearsals on Tuesday evenings at the IY community hall and at times when space is an issue, they rehearse in a converted green shipping container, the “Green Hall”.

“It’s been tough trying to get reliable space, but we make do with what we have. We have a really good mix of singers Our youngest members are 17 years old, but most of them are in their 20s and working. Some have had formal musical training or been part of some musical projects, while others are just raw talent. Our conductor, Zamile (Gantana), went to UCT for studies and has classical training. He passes down his skills to the rest of the team. The group has been working hard, and we’ve been experimenting with some new things. We mainly have an African repertoire, but we’ll also be doing some English songs and gospel,” said Ms Blacher.

The Hout Bay Ingoma Choir will host their African Summer concert at the Riverside Boutique Hotel on Monday February 18 at 7pm. Tickets are R100.

They will also perform alongside
Majozi at KDay at Meerendal on Saturday March 2.