A small Union High School delegation, consisting of Union’s Department of Music staff and learners, headed to the mountains of KwaZulu-Natal this past Easter weekend, to attend the annual Music in the Mountains festival.
Music in the Mountains, hosted by the Drakensberg Boys Choir School, is held over three days at the end of April each year and offers a quality craft market, delicious food, performances by well-known South African artists and a variety of energetic performances by the Drakensberg Boys Choir School (DBCS).
This year, the main events were Loki Rothman (Friday night performance), the Saturday Pop Gala (performed by the Johannesburg Youth Orchestra and the Drakensberg Boys Choir), and the Mozart Requiem (performed by the Drakensberg Boys Choir, St David’s Marist Inanda, Johannesburg Youth Orchestra, and the Drakensberg Boys Choir Old Boys).
The group enjoyed their adventure in the Drakensberg tremendously. Apart from attending the many spectacular shows, the excursion also saw the UHS learners and staff explore the beautiful region surrounding the Drakensberg Boys Choir School.
On Friday, they drove to Monk’s Cowl – one of the most unspoilt areas of the Ukhahlamba-Drakensberg Park.
From there, they hiked to Sterkspruit Falls where they were rewarded with beautiful views. Some brave souls even ventured a swim in the crystal clear – but icy cold – rock pools.
For the rest of the weekend, however, armed with a bunch of tickets, the group made the most of the experience by attending the many incredible musical performances being offered by the festival.
The shows – which have been imprinted vividly on their memories – showcased, among other, the music of the Drakensberg Boys Choir, the Johannesburg Youth Orchestra and featured some of South Africa’s most popular artists.
The excursion was enjoyed by all who attended and the group, who arrived back in Graaff-Reinet on Monday evening, returned delighted and refreshed after a varied 3-day programme of jazz, popular, religious, classical and folk music from Bach to Beethoven and African folk.
Photo above:Â The Drakensberg Boys Choir and the Johannesburg Youth Orchestra