SA Schoolboys Steal Show At World Choral Festival In Hong Kong!

Photo Credit: Kearsney College Choir

Kearsney College Choir have come home as the most awarded choir – with more medals than they probably had space for in their suitcases!

South Africa (21 July 2026) – The Kearsney College choir touched back down on South African soil this weekend after an absolutely electric debut at the World Choral Festival in Hong Kong, one of the biggest and most prestigious choral competitions on the planet.

Up against more than 70 choirs from 19 countries, the boys’ choir walked away with more awards than any other choir at the entire festival!

The choir entered two categories, Youth Choirs and Show Choirs, and struck gold in both. Their Show Choirs performance was a showstopper that scored a whopping 90.8%, while their Youth Choirs performance wasn’t far behind on a very impressive 87.3%.

The fantastic double win earned Kearsney a golden ticket into the festival’s Grand Prix Concert, where the very best category winners from around the globe – children’s choirs, university choirs, adult choirs, folklore, pop and jazz groups – all came together to perform.

Out of all of them, Kearsney was the only choir flying the flag for Africa!

At the Grand Prix Concert, Kearsney picked up Best Interpretation of the Music and Best Stage Presence, adding to their two category gold medals. Then came the cherry on top – the prestigious Jury Prize, handed out by an international panel of 38 conductors from 17 countries, in recognition of the choir’s musical excellence, artistry and consistently jaw-dropping performances all festival long.

Kearsney’s director of music, Bernard Kruger, couldn’t be prouder of his boys.

“We are truly proud of our success; but the real benefit lies in the boys’ interactions with other choirs, attending masterclasses with brilliant international specialists, and experiencing Asian culture and cuisine.”

He shared that the boys gave absolutely everything they had in both categories, making a huge impression at the competition and even receiving some beautifully humbling feedback from individual jury members along the way. They also became a bit of a hit with the locals, with random photoshoots turning into a near-daily occurrence for the group!

Beyond the medals and the music, the tour meant something bigger for a lot of these boys. Of the 44 who made the trip, 26 were on their very first international choir tour, and for 10 of them, it was the first time they’d ever set foot outside South Africa. Sweetly, five matriculants on this trip were also there for the choir’s last big international outing back in 2024, when Kearsney was crowned overall champions at the Golden Voices of Barcelona.