MBABANE – Four choirs from Eswatini delivered outstanding performances at the Tiro Mpane Foundation National Choral Eisteddfod Cluster Three regional eliminations held in Mbombela.
The local groups competed fiercely against talented choirs from the Mpumalanga and Limpopo provinces. In the highly competitive Premier Category, Eswatini was represented by the Manzini Choir, Mbabane Methodist Choir, and the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) Choir. The Manzini Choir secured a second-place finish, guaranteeing them a spot in the national finals, which are traditionally held at Sun City in December.
Meanwhile, the Mbabane Methodist Choir finished in sixth position, and the REPS Choir landed in eighth position. Under the competition’s qualification rules, these placements mean their spots in the finals depend on the performance of groups in other provincial eliminations; if a choir in another region achieves a higher score, they could replace the Eswatini groups on the final roster.
In the Standard Category, the Emmanuel Methodist Choir achieved top honours by placing first overall. By winning against strong international competitors, the choir automatically advanced to the final stage at Sun City.
Mlungisi Dlamini, the Public Relations Officer of the Eswatini National Choral Music Association (ENCMA), expressed deep pride in the achievement of the local groups representing the nation abroad.
“We are so happy about the way the choirs showed dedication to defeat other choirs, it is encouraging to see the position where our choirs are at now,” he said.
Conductor of the Emmanuel Methodist Choir, Tsepo Sigwane, shared his excitement following their first-place victory, noting the choir’s hard work during rehearsals paid off on stage.
“We are very happy as the Emmanuel Methodist Choir with the achievement of the last competitions, we displayed almost all the things we prepared for our performance and what made us happy was that it was well received by the audience and adjudication, hence the position one on our category,” he said.
Sigwane highlighted that competing successfully in an international stage marks a significant milestone for his choir’s ongoing development.
“This achievement means growth and musical progress for our choir, especially now that we have conquered international stages.
The elimination felt very competitive and interesting at the same time, in the sense that we were also competing against other choirs who have already secured top spots in the log,” he said.
With the regional eliminations continuing across other provinces, Eswatini’s Choral community eagerly awaits the final results to see if additional local choirs will join the Manzini Choir and Emmanuel Methodist Choir on the Sun City stage this December.
