"Exceptional Talent": KZN Midlands Youth Choir Seeks Support after Viral Elevator Performance
- A viral elevator performance introduced the KZN Midlands Youth Choir to a wider South African audience
- The choir boasts international performances and an Amapiano choral medley celebrating South African music
- A bursary fund aims to help talented young singers overcome financial barriers, with auditions opening in October 2026
- Briefly News spoke to Cecile Jansen, the choir’s operational manager, about its journey and the support needed to help more young singers
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A group of young singers from KwaZulu-Natal stopped people in their tracks after a video of the KZN Midlands Youth Choir performing in an elevator went viral, now they're making an appeal to keep their choir running.
The choir, based in the Midlands region of KwaZulu-Natal, brings together talented young singers from schools across the area and its surroundings. It operates under the musical direction of William Silk, who holds a Master's degree in Music specialising in choral and orchestral conducting.
Silk travels weekly from Greytown to Hilton to lead rehearsals. Accompanist Anthea Hibbert, who is also an orchestra conductor and head of music at a Midlands school, and assistant accompanist Matthew Hoffman, who heads another music department, round out a professional team that gives these young people world-class training.
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A choir with international pedigree
The KZN Midlands Youth Choir is no stranger to big stages. In 2012, the choir performed at Westminster Hall in London as part of the celebrations marking Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee.
The choir has also competed at the Llangollen International Eisteddfod in Wales and the ATKV ANIMATO National Choir Competition. In 2024, the choir returned to Germany, giving a new generation of young singers the experience of performing abroad.
Closer to home, the choir performed at the Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees (KKNK) in Oudtshoorn in 2025, appearing in the Kuierkol programme in partnership with RSG and the ATKV.
The choir has also shared stages with school choirs and artists such as Joshua Na Die Reën in the Midlands.
One of the choir's most celebrated recent achievements was an Amapiano choral medley arranged by conductor Khwezi Ndlela, alongside Thembinkosi Khumalo, a trained Kodaly music educator, and Mpumelelo Manyathi, who is completing his conducting degree at the University of Pretoria (TUKS).
The medley brought something distinctly South African into a choral setting.
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Building opportunity beyond the viral moment
The choir's operational manager, Cecile Jansen, who joined at the end of 2023, describes the experience of working with the choir as one that constantly renews her energy. Speaking to Briefly News, she spoke about what the choir means to her:
"For me, what stands out the most, is watching a young person discover their voice. It is about learning to listen to the person singing next to you. It is about discipline, commitment and showing up for one another."
Even on the most exhausting days, she says, Wednesday evening rehearsals wake up her spirit.
Behind the scenes, however, financial barriers remain a challenge. While choir fees cover staffing and rehearsal costs, tours and broader access are harder to fund.
The choir is actively building a bursary fund to help talented young singers who cannot afford to participate, guided by a simple belief: talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not. Cecile said:
"Exceptional talent does not always come with the financial means to pursue it."
Auditions are opening in early October 2026, ahead of an annual December camp where new choristers work through the full repertoire for 2027 performances over five days.
The choir is also seeking fundraising partners and businesses interested in hosting live choral performances at corporate events and functions and those wishing to contribute financially can do so via the choir's BackaBuddy page.
More Briefly News stories on choirs
- The South African Youth Choir moved South Africans with a beautiful choral performance dedicated to the women of the nation, leaving viewers praising the ensemble.
- The Ndlovu Youth Choir showed off their dance moves backstage before a Netherlands show, and fans from around the world praised their electric energy.
- Jannie Kruger was moved to tears after South Africans rallied behind his choir tour fundraising appeal, helping him reach his goal within just 24 hours.
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Source: Briefly News
