The youngest choir on the programme left one of the biggest impressions when Curro Midrand Halfway Gardens Primary School performed at the Gauteng South Choral Celebration Festival, earning enthusiastic cries of 'Yiyo!' from the audience at Johannesburg's Linder Auditorium.

The choir took to the stage as part of the 2026 Choral Celebration Network Foundation (CCNF) festival, sharing the programme with six established choirs from across Gauteng in one of South Africa's best-known concert venues.

Youngest choir on a distinguished programme

Presented by the Choral Celebration Network Foundation, the festival celebrates South Africa's rich choral tradition while creating opportunities for choirs to perform. It also supports conductor mentorship and musical collaboration across the country.

Curro Midrand Halfway Gardens was the youngest choir among the invited ensembles, which included Brescia House Girls' Choir, Roosevelt Park High School, Eduvoice, Allen Glen High School Choir, Rosebank International Choir and Quava Vocal Group.

Performing sixth on the programme, the learners presented three traditional South African works: KwaNgena Thina Bo, Nelson Mandela, Usilethela Uxolo (You Bring Us Peace) and Rene Rebapala.

Their performance drew an immediate response from the audience, who chanted 'Yiyo!', a Xhosa expression meaning 'That's the one!', while parents joined in with chants of 'Curro! Curro! Curro!'

A memorable experience at the Linder Auditorium

For a developing primary school choir, performing at the Linder Auditorium offered a lasting experience in a professional concert environment. The venue has hosted leading orchestras and choirs, as well as international artists for decades and is recognised for its acoustics and musical heritage.

The concert concluded with all participating choirs joining together for a massed performance of Happy Birthday, arranged by South African composer and conductor Mbuso Ndlovu. The performance celebrated everyone with birthdays during the week and brought the evening to a close with a shared expression of unity through music.

After the event the school said, 'The evening gave our learners a glimpse into the future of choral singing and showed them the incredible opportunities that music can bring.'

The school also thanked the CCNF for the opportunity and acknowledged Mrs Govindasamy for attending the event in support of the choir.