About Us

The South Cape Children’s Choir is a proud product of the International Children’s Choir Movement that began in the 1800’s when girls were accepted into boys’ cathedral choirs for the first time, and reached our shores in 1967 with the founding of the Pretoria Children’s Choir.

There are currently approximately 15 children’s choirs active in South Africa, including the Tygerberg Children’s Choir, the Eastern Cape Children’s Choir, the Cantare Children’s Choir, the Erkhurhuleni Children’s Choir, the Jakaranda Children’s Choir, the Magaliesburg Children’s Choir, the Pietermaritzburg Children’s Choir, the Kimberley Children’s Choir and the Bloemfontein Children’s Choir.

Owing to need for the development of a culture of music in the Southern Cape in the 1990’s, the South Cape Music Academy (SCMA) was founded by Prof. Wynand Mouton, Dr Dries du Toit, Freude du Toit, Prof. Willie v.d. Westhuizen, John Theodore, Dr Ronel van Aswegen and Louis van Rooyen. 

At this stage Andries van Schalkwyk, principal at Outeniqua Primary School, (previously chairman of Eastern Cape Children’s Choir) was already busy forming a regional choir in the Southern Cape.

The SCMA became aware of this and contacted him, requesting that he become a member of the Academy and to establish this choir (South Cape Children’s Choir – SCCC) under their umbrella. This was done, but a few months later strategic members of the SCMA relocated and the Academy was dissolved, resulting in the SCCC to continue functioning under the leadership of the SCCC Committee.

Naomi Koekemoer (Park Primary School, Mossel Bay) was the founding conductor. Kalene Roux was the choir’s first accompanist. Karin Netley (Denneoord Primary School) was appointed as assistant trainer.

The choir had its debut concert in the Dias Maritime Museum, Mossel Bay, on 8 November 1996, with Gé Korsten as the guest artist.