UJ Choir to Open World’s Premier Choral Symposium in 2026
Fresh from its 50‑year milestone, the ensemble will open the 2026 World Symposium on Choral Music — a landmark moment for African choral storytelling.
The University of Johannesburg (UJ) Choir is set to place South Africa and the African continent at the centre of the global cultural spotlight after being selected to perform at the prestigious World Symposium on Choral Music 2026 from 23 to 28 August 2026.
In a major international breakthrough for African choral music, the choir has also been invited to officially open the symposium programme, a rare honour reserved for some of the world’s leading choral ensembles.
Hosted every three years by the International Federation for Choral Music, the symposium is widely regarded as the highest global platform for choral excellence, innovation and cultural exchange. Only 13 choirs from around the world were selected for the 2026 gathering in Macau, with the UJ Choir emerging as the sole representative from Africa.
The achievement marks a defining moment not only for the choir and the University, but for South African arts and culture more broadly. The invitation positions African choral music on one of the world’s most influential cultural stages before an audience of global conductors, composers, educators, scholars and leading choirs.
The symposium’s 2026 theme, “Reimagining the Future”, aligns strongly with the University’s own vision of innovation, African excellence and future-focused creativity through the arts. According to organisers, the symposium will explore how choral music continues evolving across cultures and generations while shaping new artistic possibilities for the future.
The choir enters this historic chapter under the leadership of Senior Choirmaster Sizwe Mondlane, who took over the ensemble in 2024 after first joining the choir as a student. Under his direction, the choir has strengthened its global sound while maintaining a distinctive South African identity rooted in diversity and musical integrity.
Speaking during recent anniversary celebrations, Mondlane said the choir aims to authentically present South African choral music as “a language of unity” capable of connecting audiences across cultures and continents.
Fresh from celebrating its 50-year anniversary, the choir heads into Macau with growing international momentum. Their latest album, Echoes of Heritage, reportedly attracted more than 800,000 streams online, highlighting the growing global appetite for South African choral music and African storytelling.
The Macau invitation adds another milestone to an already decorated history. At the World Choir Games in 2018, the choir secured two Gold Medals and was crowned World Champion in the Folk Music category with a score of 95 percent. In 2015, the ensemble claimed the Overall Grand Prix at the Slovakia Folk Competition in Bratislava, cementing its reputation as one of Africa’s leading choral ensembles.
Perhaps most remarkable is that the choir’s approximately 70 members are not music students. They study engineering, accounting, law, science and humanities by day while performing at a level that places them alongside some of the world’s finest professional ensembles. The choir has also produced notable South African musical talent, including members of the acclaimed Afro-soul group The Muffinz.
Macau, known for its blend of Portuguese and Chinese heritage, will host conductors, composers, educators and performers from across the globe during the six-day symposium dedicated to shaping the future of choral music.
Mondlane concludes: “Macau represents far more than another international performance for the UJ Choir. It is an opportunity to carry the sound of South Africa onto one of the world’s most prestigious cultural stages while affirming Africa’s place at the heart of the global choral conversation. Through the #UJChoirToTheWorldSymposium campaign, the choir is calling on alumni, corporate partners, arts supporters and the broader public to help make this historic journey possible and ensure South Africa and the African continent are represented with pride on the global stage.”
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