A Jozi student choir has been chosen to open one of the biggest and most prestigious choral events in the world…
Johannesburg, South Africa (29 May 2026) – More good choir news for the week! The University of Johannesburg Choir is heading to a choral symposium in China, soon. They won’t only be performing there, they’re opening the show!
The choir has been selected as one of only 13 ensembles from around the world to perform at the World Symposium on Choral Music 2026, taking place from 23 to 28 August.
Out of all 13 choirs chosen, the UJ Choir has been given the rare honour of officially opening the symposium, making them the first act on one of the world’s most influential choral stages. They’ll be doing it as the only African choir in the room.
Hosted every three years by the International Federation for Choral Music, the World Symposium on Choral Music is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious events in the choral world. Its audience includes conductors, composers, educators, scholars and leading choirs from across the globe.
This year’s theme is Reimagining the Future.
Under the leadership of Senior Choirmaster Sizwe Mondlane, who first joined the UJ Choir as a student before returning to lead it in 2024, the ensemble has carved out an unmistakably South African sound that resonates around the world.
The UJ Choir’s roughly 70 members are not music students. By day, they study engineering, accounting, law, science and humanities. And by night – and on the world stage! – they perform at a level that rivals some of the finest professional ensembles on the planet.
At the World Choir Games in 2018, they took home two Gold Medals and were crowned World Champion in the Folk Music category with a remarkable score of 95%. In 2015, they claimed the Overall Grand Prix at the Slovakia Folk Competition in Bratislava. Their latest album, Echoes of Heritage, has already racked up more than 800,000 online streams.
Fresh off celebrating their 50th anniversary, the choir heads into Macau with ready to carry African voices to the world.
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