Chanticleer Singers

The Chanticleer Singers was formed in 1980 by Richard Cock. Over the years their reputation and renown grew as they became known through public performances and radio and television broadcasts. The choir is still regarded as one of South Africa’s leading chamber choirs and continues its legacy under the musical direction of Louise Frahm-Arp and Esté Meerkotter.

Though based in Johannesburg, the choir has appeared in concert throughout South Africa, including performances at the Grahamstown National Festival of the Arts, the Cape Town International Organ Festival, the Knysna Nederberg Arts Festival, the Sowetan’s “Nation Building” Massed Choir Festival and the opening of the Zeitz MOCAA in Cape Town. The have also performed internationally in Botswana, Swaziland, the United Kingdom, Namibia, the USA and Israel. Their tour of the UK was the subject of an hour-long TV-documentary, “Lands End and Beyond”.

Their repertoire is wide and varied, and includes both serious and light music ranging from Renaissance to contemporary. Although generally concentrating on unaccompanied choral music, the choir has also performed many larger works with the National Symphony Orchestra, the Transvaal Chamber Orchestra, the CAPAB Orchestra and the Johannesburg Festival Orchestra. The Chanticleer Singers upholds a proud tradition of performing music by South African masters such as Peter Klatzow and Mzilikazi Khumalo, as well as new works by the likes of Motshwane Pege and Franco Prinsloo. In 1989 they gave the first ever live TV music broadcast in South Africa: Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610, performed on Good Friday. Before and since then, they have been involved in many other TV productions and more recently in a programme for Radio Netherland and with the French Choir Musicatreize, when they performed the 40-part motet by Thomas Tallis.

The Chanticleer Singers pride themselves on the quality of their work and on their commitment to classical music in South Africa.