Music Concert – New Apostolic Church

 

A concert of classical music took place on Sunday afternoon,  9^th October, in the beautiful surroundings of the Nuwe Kerk, Graaff- Reinet, given by the choirs and orchestra of the New Apostolic Church.  The concert was in aid of the Graaff-Reinet Hospice, with the further aim of developing the orchestra in Aberdeen.

The concert was the brain-child of Apostle Jerome Mintoor of Port Elizabeth, and was the joint effort of congregations in Port Elizabeth, Graaff-Reinet, and Aberdeen.  The rector of the Graaff-Reinet congregation, Donovan Harmse, acted as MC. The choir of sixty, and the orchestra of fifty musicians excelled themselves, and it was apparent that all concerned had practised long and hard for the event.

In addition, two other choirs performed.  The Graaff-Reinet Hospice Choir sang  a spirited version of “Never Give Up”,  and the Sunday School Choir performed “There’s a Song In My Soul” and “As the Deer” with enthusiasm and charm, ably directed by Valerie Coetzee.

The main choir practised for a full month under Hilton Hendriks, and it has to be said reached a very high standard of performance.  The orchestra, ten members of which were from Aberdeen, with the other forty drawn from various PE congregations, practised for three months, and also attained a very praiseworthy standard of musicianship.  The three conductors for the event were Howard De Vos, Gerrard Roach, and Franklin Moolman.

The very substantial task of organizing the event fell to Howard De Vos, at the PE end, and District Elder Christopher de Jager and musical director Roberto de Jager in Aberdeen.

The programme was mainly classical, and included pieces by Mozart, Beethoven, Handel, Puccini, Mascagni and Pacalbel, as well as Paul McCartney, Martin Nystrom, J F Tenney, Peter Lambert, Iain Johnson, E Bourne, and H D Carbonare.  Some of these pieces were quite difficult, including a most unusual arrangement of Pacalbel’s Canon in D Minor.  Soloists were Tarryn Mintoor at the piano, and what a promising player she is;  while the clear soprano voice of Esteline de Jager was, as usual, quite superb in “The Comforter Has Come”.

An honourable mention must go to Marlon de Jager for providing three busses from Aberdeen at a subsidized rate.

The audience of about two hundred and fifty attended the concert with obvious enjoyment, and the grand sum of R4 000 was raised for Hospice.