Minnesota Boychoir with Cape Town Children's Choir - Hugo Lambrechts Auditorium

Wednesday, 24 June, 19h00 | Hugo Lambrechts Auditorium (Cape Town)

Celebrated Minnesota Boychoir, conducted by Mark Johnson,

With Host Choir: Cape Town Children's Choir conducted by Bronwen Leith

Sacred, classical, secular, folk and contemporary choral music

Venue Address:

Hugo Lambrechts Music Centre

20 Picton St, Parow, Cape Town, 7500, South Africa

Doors open 30 minutes prior to the performance start time

MINNESOTA BOYCHOIR

The Minnesota Boychoir, now in its 64^th season, is the oldest continually operating boys choir in the Twin Cities area. Their reputation for excellence has brought invitations from local and national music conventions, as well as sporting events and touring Broadway companies. The choir has performed with the Minnesota Orchestra, the Minnesota Opera, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Baltimore Symphony, the Prague Philharmonic, and a long list of local and national performers. The Boychoir has traveled to five continents with recent tours that included performances at Sydney’s Opera House, Saint Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican and Montserrat Abbey in Barcelona. The Minnesota Boychoir trains young men to be outstanding musicians and strives to help them develop a sense of poise and self-confidence through education and performance.

ALLEGRO CHOIR Graduates of the Boychoir program are invited to return to sing in Allegro. Singers range in age from 14-18, and perform works for tenor and bass; the changing voice. They also regularly sing with our treble choirs, increasing the range of literature we perform.

CANTABILE CHOIR is for choirboys ages 9-14 who have demonstrated high levels of musicianship, leadership, responsibility, discipline and commitment. Their most visible choir, Cantabile performs at well over 20 events a season, singing music in a wide variety of styles and languages.

About Mark Johnson, Executive & Artistic Director

Mark Johnson began his work with the Minnesota Boychoir (Minneapolis – St. Paul USA) in 1992 as the accompanist and was hired as the Artistic Director in 1993. Mr. Johnson holds a degree in vocal music education from St. Olaf College (Northfield, MN USA) and he taught junior high choral music for six years before becoming full-time conductor of the Boychoir. His reputation in choral work, especially with children’s groups, has led to many invitations to work as a clinician, accompanist and adjudicator for honors choirs and festivals around the globe. The American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) of Minnesota honored Mark with the Minnesota Choral Director of the Year Award in 2022 and he currently serves as President for the organization, serving in a leadership capacity until 2029. In November 2025, Mark was awarded a Distinguished Alumni Award from his alma mater for Outstanding Service and work in the Arts community, especially his long-time service and work with the Minnesota Boychoir. Professional memberships include Chorus America, the American Choral Directors Association and the Minnesota Music Educators Association. Mark has also served as the American Choral Directors Association Repertoire and Standards Chair for Boychoirs at the state and regional levels.

Cape Town Children's Choir

Cape Town Children’s Choir lead by Bronwen Leith provides young singers with a positive, inspiring environment where they can develop their musical skills, build confidence, and discover a lifelong love of music. The choir brings together children from diverse communities across Cape Town’s southern suburbs and wider metropolitan area, creating meaningful opportunities for friendship, collaboration, and artistic growth.

The choir includes Junior members ages 7 to 10 and Senior members ages 10 to 16 with unchanged voices. Through rehearsals and performances, choristers are encouraged to strive for excellence while enjoying the shared experience of singing with musically talented peers.

Cape Town Children’s Choir performs a wide-ranging repertoire, including pop, musical theatre, film music, folk songs, gospel, classical and sacred works, spirituals, and songs in South African and other languages. Movement is included where appropriate, while the central focus remains on beautiful tone, musical discipline, and high-quality choral singing.

The choir sings in unison as well as two-, three-, and four-part harmony. Choristers are assigned voice parts through auditions, with regular re-evaluation as their voices develop. Performances may be a cappella, piano-accompanied, or enhanced by instruments such as flute, strings, and percussion. Recently, the choir was honored to add a newly commissioned work by two South African composers to its repertoire.