St Joseph’s College hall will reverberate to melodious songs when the annual Gaborone Association Catholic Choirs (ACCC) take place on August 19.
The association’s spokesperson, Douglas Ngwako, says this year’s number of competing choirs has increased. Altogether, 34 choirs – comprising 13 Section C choirs, eight Standard Section choirs, five Large Section choirs, eight Youth Section choirs as well as unconfirmed number of small ensembles of quartets, trios, male and female groups will to vie for positions.
“The activities of the day will start with Mass (Church Service) conducted by the Bishop of the Diocese, Right Reverend Valentine Tsamma Seane from 7 00. Thereafter the audience will witness how various sections perform as they render firstly the Hymn, followed by Western piece (classic music composed by the likes of German Composer-Handel) in the first session,” says Ngwako, adding that each group that ascends the stage had to render the two in that session.
He said in the second session; which will be after lunch hour, competitors will battle it out in the African piece (strong African rhythmic music composed by mostly South African songwriters). Those choirs that get positions one to three will win floating trophies and automatically book themselves spaces to compete in the second leg; known as the inter-diocesan music festival, in December, which this year will be held in Johannesburg. There the winners would be rubbing shoulders with experienced, long time competitors from South Africa and other countries like Lesotho and Swaziland.
This annual event was introduced some decades ago for the purpose of improving music in the Catholic Church, providing platform for talent nurturing; networking of artistes as well as raise funds for Church activities like provisions for the clergy and supporting Church initiatives like orphanages.
