28 Nov 2017

It was a music-filled day on November 25, when 15 choirs from across the country converged at Baobab school hall for the Botswana Choral Music Association (BOCMA) national choir festival.

Choirs were poised and magnificent in their radiant apparels and one could tell from the way they all carried themselves that people were in for a treat.

With different categories amongst them, the Mentors Western and African, Section C Western and African, Section B Western and African, female, male and the Section A Western and African, they came prepared, but for some choirs, the results were a sobering awakening to the harsh realities of competition.

Although the programme director, Steve Bothasitse may have been flattering in some of his observations with all of those that performed, the verdict on which choir was the best in each of the section categories, rested with the panel of seven adjudicators; three from South Africa and four from Botswana.

In the Mentors Western and African category, which was made up of retired elderly singers, only Serowe UCCSA was represented in the category.

They sang Good Morrow to my Lady Fair by John Grieva in the Mentors Western category and also Karabo Ke Bethele by Josiel Lepheana in the Mentors African category and scooped P6 000 for each song, making their total winnings P12 000.

As for Section C Western  and African categories, the competitors of both of these categories were classified as those that were still learning choral music.

Section C Western category, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa (ELCSA) scooped position one, followed by Broadhurst UCCSA and UB Choir making the top three in that order.

Still in Section C, African category, ELCSA still scooped position one, UB Choir position two and Okanyatsa Choral Choir got position three.

Prize money for both the Western and African categories in Section C stood at P6 000 for position one, P5 000 for position two and P4 000 for position three.

The competition song for Section C Western category was And the Glory of the Lord & For unto Us a Child is Born by G F Handel and for Section C African, they competed with Bagaka Ba Pina and Re Thabile by Albert Mosime.

In the female and male categories, only two competitors slugged it out and there were none other than Serowe Symphony and KTM Choir.

For the female category, KTM Choir attained position one along with a cash prize of P6 000 and Serowe Symphony rounded up the top two and also got P5 000.

In the male category, KTM Choir still attained position one winning P6 000 and Serowe Symphony got position two and got away with P5 000.

Section B Western and African, the competition was getting a bit stiff and the standard also was a better than Section C.

In Section B Western category, Mogoditshane UCCSA got position one, Sikwane Circuit Choir position two and DRCB Mochudi Church Choir got position three.

Section B African category, Mogoditshane UCCSA continued their winning streak by scooping position one, Sikwane Circuit got position two and Diamond Melodies were perched at position three.

The section attracted prize monies of P8 000 position one, P6 000 position two and P5 000 position three.

Kyrie from Great Mass in C by W A Mozart and Sanctus et Bennedictus by F Schubert were renditions for Section B Western category.

Thakadu and Lesang Bana by Puso Phetwe were songs for the Section B African category.

Section A Western and African categories was the highlight of the festival as it presented a clash of heavyweights in the industry.

In Section A Western category, choirs slugged it out to the renditions of Praise the Lord from Solomon by G F Handel and Gloria 1st Movement from Great Mass in C Minor by W A Mozart.

It was no surprise that KTM Choir scooped position one, followed by Melodic Voee Artists and Serowe Symphony in that order.

KTM Choir went on to do a double by scooping position one in Section A African category, position two going to Serowe Symphony and Melodic Voce Artists getting position three.

Binang Hosanna by Terrence Dube and Motheo wa Botswana by Clever Baifisi were the competing songs in Section A African category.

Position one for both Western and African categories in Section A was P10 000 each, position two P8 000 each and position three was P7 000 each. BOPA