Chitungwiza Choir Scoops Online Award.

Priscilla Kamurira

Chitungwiza Harmony Singers won the recently held Festival of Song (FOS)  online choral music competitions and bagged a record deal with Jacaranda Culture and Media Corporation (JCMC).

Harare Institute of Technology (HIT) came second and received a record deal with Monolio Studios.

The first online edition which ran from October to December 2020 drew participants from Harare, Bulawayo, Masvingo, and Chinhoyi among other towns. Church denominations such as Anglican, Methodist, CCAP and AFM participated in the competition.

The competition had two rounds, the first was voted by Facebook viewers while the final round was adjourned by Sibusiso Mkhize from South africa and Tinashe Jera.

Chitungwiza Harmony Singers manager, Mr Maramba said the festival kept most members busy, away from causing chaos in the country during the lockdown.

“Its a  good festival and it kept us busy during the lockdown, other choirs must take part next time for it helps in creating a buzz for choral music,” he said.

The group also received  FOS 2020 most popular choir award .

 HIT music director, Elijah Chakwizira,  applauded the competition but called for diversity in the next instalments.

“The festival was our first and it was a great initiative. It should allow for diversity since choral music is diverse. It should incorporate young minds for they know what the youths want to hear,”

FOS founder and festival director Joseph Ndhlovu said most choirs are not savvy to online competitions hence many did not participate.

“The technological gap left out majority choirs in the rural areas and benefited urban and peri-urban choirs. This calls for intervention from more sponsors to come aboard so that this can be more inclusive,” he said.

The Festival of Song is a national choral music competition whose mandate is to unite communities through music by providing an annual stage for performance from educational institutions, church groups and community choirs.