The KwaZulu-Natal Youth Choir is a provincial choir in South Africa. We are a diverse group of around 80 choristers, conducted by Bernard Krüger, a conductor, composer and an accomplished musician. The choir’s repertoire mirrors our cultural diversity and includes a range of classical (sacred and secular), pop choral and traditional African music. Being the oldest youth choir in South Africa, the choir was founded in 1967 by Mr. Hein de Villiers and has been open to the youth of KZN for over 50 years. Our choristers come from the greater Durban and surrounding areas, as well as from further along the KZN North and South Coast.

The KwaZulu-Natal Youth Choir has participated in numerous national and international choral competitions and has had the honour of winning many of those competitions. The last competition in which the Choir participated was the 13th Summa Cum Laude International Youth Music Festival in July 2019. This is Austria’s premier global youth festival which gathers young talent from all over the world to perform in Vienna. We were the only choir to represent the African continent, with other choirs coming from Australia, China, Taiwan and Brazil to name a few. The choir did exceptionally well, obtaining ‘1st place with outstanding success’ in the Mixed Choir category. Part of the tour included performances in Croatia and Slovenia as they prepared for the competition. It is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the choir members and creates memories to last a lifetime.

The Choir never rests too long, and even with the world being thrown into turmoil with the Covid-19 pandemic, continue to practice and perform, while social distancing. Technology has allowed the choir to continue doing what they love from the safety of their homes, practising and performing in virtual groups. Feel free to follow the KZNYC on our social media platforms: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok

If you are interested in becoming a sponsor for the KZN Youth Choir, please contact us here. Any help would be appreciated to give as many young people in KZN the life-changing opportunity to be a part of a choir, and to give these choristers the chance to experience an international tour.