BEST IN THE WEST - Young West Minsters take Keep The Dream crown after class show

THE Keep The Dream Malay Choir Board (KTDMCB) hosted its season finale, the Nazeem Benjamin Heritage Cup, at the Cape Town International Convention Centre last Sunday.

After two late withdrawals, eight choirs competed for the kampioenskap.

Of interest, KTDMCB carries forward points accumulated in the sectional competition to the final and the choir with the overall highest points is crowned champions.

Young West Minsters Sporting Club (Westies) came into the finals with a big 15-point lead and they did not let things slip, keeping the best for last for a runaway victory with 80 points in total.

They claimed the top places in the Senior Solo, the Comic song and Nederlandse lied sections.

Young West Minsters was a cut above the rest this year. They deserved every accolade and trophy that came their way. Their performances were testament to the dedication and toewyding of the whole team.

The big surprise of the day saw West London Dukes come from virtually nowhere to steal second place with a 65-point total from Starlites MVC, who finished third overall with 63 points. 

Last season’s champions Tjommies failed to impress the judges and ended in a very disappointing seventh place.

A small consolation vir hulle was a first prize junior solo win for Mogamat Zayd Damon, the little dynamo from Steenberg. Daai laaitie herrit, mense! 

Dukes, on the other hand, ran the new champions close on the day.

A personal highlight for me was the phenomenal performances of their two solo artists; Youth Soloist, Matthew Marinus, and Senior Soloist Craig Jordan.

Marinus deservedly won his section, while Jordan came a close second to Westies winner Anslin Gysman.

Wasief Piekaan also brought his A-game after a third place in the Senior Solo section, to win second prize in the Comic song category for Dukes.

With second prize for Nederlandse lied as well, Dukes grabbed 38 points on the day to sweep to second overall.

Chairman Nazeem Jacobs said: “Our boys felt very af after a mislikke performance in the section, but they picked themselves up and put in long hours to make things right.

“What a comeback! I am extremely proud of my team. Hulle was gevaarlik!”

Overall the standard of the solo category from junior to senior level was very high.

The junior solo was extremely competitive, which makes for a bright future. They should consider allocating points for that category as well.

A low point on the day was the lang soundchecks by the teams.

In fairness, teams rehearse all year and deserve the best sound in competition. 

However, the paying public does get impatient when they must wait until teams are satisfied with the onstage klank. This is an issue with all our Malay choir organisations.

Sound issues aside, we have had a great year of Malay choir singing, in my humble opinion, the best since the Covid-19 pandemic.

Our teams have dished up levels of choral singing that is absolute world-class, something the whole fraternity can be proud of.

The big surprise of the day saw West London Dukes came from virtually nowhere to steal second place with a 65-point total from Starlites MVC, who finished third overall with 63 points. 

Last season’s champions Tjommies failed to impress the judges and ended the season in a very disappointing seventh place. 

A small consolation for them was a first prize junior solo win for Mogamat Zayd Damon, the little dynamo from Steenberg. Daai laaitie herrit, mense! 

Dukes on the other hand ran the new champions close on the day. 

A personal highlight for me was the phenomenal performances of their two solo artists - Youth Soloist, Matthew Marinus and Senior Soloist Craig Jordan. 

Marinus deservedly won his section, while Jordan came a close second to Westies winner Anslin Gysman. 

Wasief Piekaan also brought his A-game, after a third place in the Senior Solo section, to win 2nd prize in the Comic song category for Dukes. 

With second prize for Nederlandse lied as well, Dukes grabbed 38 points on the day to sweep to second overall.

Chairman Nazeem Jacobs said: “Our boys felt very down after a mislikke performance in the section, but they picked themselves up and put in long hours to make things right. What a comeback! I am extremely proud of my team. Hulle was gevaarlik!”

Overall the standard of the solo category from junior to senior level was very high. 

The junior solo was extremely competitive, which makes for a bright future and I am calling on all the Malay choir boards to seriously consider allocating points for that category as well. 

A low point on the day was the lengthy soundchecks by the teams. In fairness, teams rehearse all year and deserve the best sound in competition. 

However, the paying public does get impatient when they must wait until teams are finally satisfied with the onstage sound. This is an issue with all our Malay choir organisations.

Sound issues aside, we have had a great year of Malay choir singing, in my humble opinion, the best since the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Our teams have dished up levels of choral singing that is absolute world-class, something the whole fraternity can be proud of.