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SA’s favourite choir kicks off the year in the Mother City!

A busy year for the much-loved Ndlovu Youth Choir kicks off with concerts in Cape Town at Artscape on Thursday, 05 February at 7:30pm, Friday at 7:30pm and then two performances on Saturday 07 February at 3pm and 7:30pm before closing the run with two shows on Sunday.

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 The Choir’s national tours have been sold out every year since 2021, underlining the esteem in which they are held by audiences in their home country.

 It’s not only here that they are loved, though: the Choir currently has a social media following of 4.5 million and their total video views recently surpassed 750 million across all platforms!

During the Cape Town run, presented by Showtime Management in association with SmileFM, music lovers will be treated to a hit-laden setlist in which one of the undisputable highlights will be the Ndlovu Youth Choir’s interpretation of Queen’s eternal tour de force ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’.

The song was added to their repertoire in 2024, featuring an arrangement that somehow gave even a song this popular a boost in popularity. The story of how the Choir was able to get the rights to record and perform the song is an unconventional one.

Choir Director Ralf Schmitt knew it would be difficult, particularly once the lyrics were translated into isiZulu and the arrangement was updated to include African rhythms and stylings.

So, he took a chance, recording a fully produced studio version of the track and creating a spectacular music video before sending the results to Queen’s publishers Sony Music in London, who in turn forwarded them to the surviving band members and the Mercury Phoenix Foundation, representing the late Freddie Mercury.

The band loved it and gave their blessing to an Ndlovu Youth Choir release, an incredible encouragement for the Choir’s young singers.

Ndlovu Youth Choir
Picture: Supplied

‘We are incredibly proud to share our uniquely African, isiZulu rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody. Widely regarded as one of the greatest songs of all time, it has been a true privilege to reimagine what it might have sounded like had Freddie Mercury’s musical journey never left our beautiful continent of Africa.’

‘We are deeply grateful to Queen for granting us permission to create the first-ever commercially released translation of this iconic masterpiece. We hope we have done the song justice and that uBaba Freddie Mercury is smiling down on us,’ says Schmitt.

The 2026 setlist combines some of the biggest names international music from across eras and genres, including Elton John (‘Circle of Life’); Aretha Franklin (‘Respect’); Giacomo Puccini (‘Nessun Dorma’, sung most famously by Luciano Pavarotti); Dolly Parton (‘Jolene’) and Toto (‘Africa’) among many others. Powerful local flavour comes from two medleys – a new South African medley, an Amapiano medley, Ghoema music – as well as classics from Vicky Sampson (‘African Dream’); Mango Groove (‘Hellfire’); Solomon Linda (‘Mbube’); and Mama Africa herself, Miriam Makeba (‘The Click Song’ and ‘Pata Pata’).

‘The Ndlovu Youth Choir continues to inspire, performing magnificent tours for homegrown audiences while also sharing South African musical culture with the world. We’re incredibly excited for the Choir’s 2026 dates and the new audiences they’ll reach in Cape Town, Johannesburg and abroad,’ says Tony Feldman of Showtime Management.

Ralf Schmitt elaborates: ‘We leave directly after the Artscape concerts on our American Tour. We also have another run at the Afas Theatre in the Netherlands and then a performance at the prestigious Amare Theatre in the Hague.’

Ticket availability is limited, get your tickets now for the Choir’s 2026 dates. The 15 choristers and live three-piece band will bring passion, precision and heart to their South African shows – 12 concerts only! Book today!

Details:

CAPE TOWN:

  • Location: Artscape Theatre Centre
  • Dates: Thursday, 05 February at 7:30pm | Friday, 06 February at 7:30pm| Saturday, 07 February at 3pm and 7:30pm | Sunday, 08 February 2025at 2pm and 6pm

JOHANNESBURG: 

  • Location: Montecasino’s Teatro
  • Dates: Thursday, 30 July at 7:30pm | Friday, 31 July at 7:30pm |Saturday, 01 August at 3pm and 7:30pm| Sunday 02 August at 2pm and 6pm

 

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Picture: Supplied

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