This choir makes me proud to be South African. To me, they are a beautiful example of my country. Black, white, and mixed-race all singing together, it is just beautiful.
I sang in the Stellenbosch University choir for 5 years and been following you & learning the best vowel technique for singing and to see you finally react to SUC made my day 🫶🏼
The choir performs so well because their director is incredible...leadership makes all the difference. This choir sets the standard for everyone else! Very enjoyable analysis of this performance. Your musical life experiences have just been greatly increased by your discovery of this choir...quite surprised you hadn't heard of Stellenbosch earlier. Nice!
I love that you have highlighted Stellenbosch. Yes, the conductor is the arranger. Andrè van Merwe inspires all who know him. Google their other performances. His passion, dedication and knowledge is second to none.
This year is my 6th year as a member of this choir and it was so much fun watching you interpret and react to our video! What you said about memorizing music and the elements we work on in rehearsals is 100% accurate. Thank you for your support!
Nick, I met this choir and their conductor at a choral competition and festival in Sochi Russia 8 years ago and have been a fan ever since hearing them. I still tell friends that I listen to their recordings a lot and they're one my best vocal groups till this day. I made a few friends from there too including one of the two improv soloists in this rendition. You should review of one of their African-Amercian Spirituals video recordings like "Plenty Good Rooms." My favorite recording from them is "The Conversion of Saul" by Z. Randall Stroope that they performed at the 2016 Varsity Sing in South Africa. The singing, choreography and passion exterted into their performance is not unmatched. One of the singers was generous to give me the score then in Russia. They are an incredible choir and I can't speak highly enough of them and their conductor, Andre.
You're right. This performance was magical and memorable. Nobody remembers mediocrity. The energy and enthusiam that a group or an individual performer pours into a performance shows that they care about what they're doing and that they enjoy what they're doing. Watching performances like this is just pure fun. Also, if you kick through a wall, don't forget to put your shoes on beforehand (beforefoot?).
Yes Nick, Andre is the conductor and also responsible for this arrangement. SU choir is made up of 120 students. They've been going strong since 1936, with Andre taking the helm in 2003. (World no.1 amateur choir ranking since 2012)
love your content! The way you pronounced Van der Merwe had me rolling on the floor. For reference, it sounds something like Van (FUN) der (thunDER) Mer- (MAveric) -we (VIntner)
Baba yetu, this 2018 video is perhaps the most watched choir group on RU-vid. The music, the choir and the conductor put on a beautiful show of a very well prepared performance. For me, this video is a celebration of the best in the human species. I've watched it dozens of times. The composer is Christopher Tin.
I would love to see your reaction of another song from this choir. The song is called Nkosi sikelel iafrika, its and amazing work that is just mind-blowing. Love your content
I remember the first time I played Civilization IV I had to stop at the main menu for a long time just to listen to this. It sets the perfect mood for the game.
Was playing civ4 when it first came out... kept playing the theme song over and over. The third transition always got me how it was sang with such a driving beat, I didn't know why. So when I translated baba yetu... and found out what this song really was I cried. You need not only energy with this song, you get passion from what the text is. Our Father.
Hey Nick, I'm new here, but would love to hear you talk about Waloyo Yamoni - I have watched the live at Cadogan Hall video (with the Angel City Chorale) dozens and dozens of times and it never fails to give me chills.
Watching my Alma maters choir always gives me chills. It's even better live in the little hall where they practice. I would love to see you listening to In die Donker.
From the first time I heard Baba Yetu performed by Angel City Chorale, I knew immediately that this was a very spiritual song, such an incredible chorale and orchestral composition, and Christopher’s arrangement for a video game is incredible. I was thrilled to see that you had reached to this, thank you ❤.
One thing I notice about this choir versus many choirs is how freely they move. It seems that a lot of choirs push for a level of stoicism and reverence, especially when if comes to religious songs, when performing. These you folks are almost dancing as they sing.. it's infectious and really adds to the "brightness" of the song, as you have said in a number of videos. I really love the culture that Mr. Van De Mewr has created and it's clear that his singers appreciate it too.
I think the conductor did make the arrangement, because the style is similar to other songs they perform (and he is the same conductor in all of them). Also, it is different from all other covers of the song, that I've heard(:
I know you already reacted to Yerushalayim by the Miami Boys Choir a year ago, but you should react to Yavo by them too! I personally think it’s a lot better and so much more fun! You get to see the soloists shine a lot more
I wonder if the Chicago Children's Choir-now Uniting Voices Chicago, but I'll never call them that-has a recording of this? They do a lot of South African music, thanks to conductor and alum Mollie Stone. They're a much better choir than this, honestly.
