Posted on September 26, 2024
The University of Pretoria’s (UP) Camerata choir has been invited to perform as a headline act at the National Conference of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), which will take place in March 2025 in Dallas, US.
“The choir needs the support of the UP community to make this trip a reality for our students and members,” says Camerata conductor Dr Michael Barrett-Berg, who is also a senior lecturer in Classical Music Studies. “International travel, especially to the US, is very expensive. We are fundraising to make sure all our students have an equal opportunity; we strongly believe that no student should be left behind. This is also a proud moment for UP and for South Africa.”
The Camerata falls under the auspices of the School of the Arts in the Faculty of Humanities, and consists of 78 full-time students from various fields of study, including medicine, engineering, theology, law, education, economics, accounting, plant sciences and music.
The choir, which celebrated its 56th anniversary in 2023, has received many national and international accolades through the years. It seeks to contribute towards the cultural development of the student body, enrich the lives of students and the broader community through choral singing, and act as cultural ambassadors of UP.
Dr Barrett-Berg says being invited as a headline choir is an honour.
“This was truly a dream come true,” he says. “It is a major conference/choral event, towards which the Camerata has been striving. It is a huge honour to be invited to perform as a headline choir. I think I might have cried a little when I received the invitation.”
UP Camerata Choir
In his quest to make this trip a reality, Dr Barrett-Berg says the choir has worked exceptionally hard to raise most of the funds.
“We are not looking for handouts, just a little more support along the way,” he says. “People should read our campaign story on GoGetFunding to see what we are all about.”
The campaign is running until the end of October.
“Supporters can pledge and receive amazing rewards – you can book VIP tickets for our ACDA farewell concert, which will take place in the Musaion in March 2025, or you can pledge to support a chorister. There are also CDs and T-shirts up for grabs, so there is something for everyone.”
Choir member and law student Liandré Greyling says she been singing since the age of six.
“Music brings me so much joy,” she says. “While working hard on my future and studying to have a successful career in law, balance is also very important. This is our opportunity to show the rest of the world who South Africa is in the best way we know – through the choir.”
Engineering student Oratile Chiloane reiterates that the choir has made leaps and bounds in obtaining funding but has not reached the amount needed.
“The funding campaign is to bridge this gap so that every chorister can experience this opportunity, which will make an impact on their lives and the lives of others,” she says.
“Aiding us financially would mean a great deal to us as we would love for every chorister to be given the opportunity to showcase authentic African talent on a stage as big and grand as the ACDA’s,” says radiography student Ntando Buthelezi. “To some, this might be the first and last time that an opportunity to experience the world and travel internationally presents itself.”
If the choir gets the funds to travel, they will depart on 7 March 2025 and return home on 23 March. They will do a concert tour of New York, Philadelphia, Washington, DC, Springfield (Missouri), Bentonville and Dallas.
Visit GoGetFunding to pledge your support.
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