WHILE seeking to give South Africa a revamped and youthful Transnet Foundation and Sowetan Massed Choir Festival, tradition is also tagging along in the true spirit of nation building.

WHILE seeking to give South Africa a revamped and youthful Transnet Foundation and Sowetan Massed Choir Festival, tradition is also tagging along in the true spirit of nation building.

This is in the form of continuing to honour the icons and legends of South African and African choral music. The spotlight this year falls on Mosoeu Michael Moerane, the extraordinary composer, arranger, conductor and orchestrator, who would have turned 100 years this year.

Moerane was the first black South African to gain a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of South Africa in 1941.

Falling under the auspices of the Aggrey Klaaste Nation Building Foundation, the choir festival is part of the corporate social investment and responsibility activities, projects and programmes of the Transnet Foundation.

It is one of several community and youth development programmes that emerged as a catalyst at a time of heightened political intolerance, racial division and economic instability in South Africa more than two decades ago.

One of the festival's major revamps is to make the event an articulation and expression of excellence among the country' s choirs, their conductors, young choral music composers, arrangers, orchestrators and young choral music artists.

The festival is designed as an exuberant celebration of South Africa's rich choral tradition. Top choirs are selected from diverse communities, and young soloists are propelled towards success in the classical music environment. - Victor Mecoamere