Term 1
2025
One man, One team, One voice, One choir
Issue
#1
Term 1
2025
Issue
#1
One man, One team, One voice, One choir
UPYC, my haven, my heart’s delight.
A place where music meets, and love shines bright.
In rehearsal, I find my peaceful nest. A place to let go, be free and be blessed. With every note, I feel my soul take flight. UPYC is where love and music can unite.
One of my deepest regrets, I must confess, is not joining earlier. For in its harmonies, I’ve found a love so true…
A sense of belonging that I’ve never known anew.
But now that I’m here, I will cherish every moment, every song, every laugh, every heartfelt sentiment.
For UPYC is more than just a choir; it’s my family.
A place where I’ve found my voice, my heart and my destiny
Lhente Marie Pitout has been living the UPYC lifestyle for 20 years. Lhente has created a community that is seen as a beacon of hope in the eyes of elders and a place of happiness and enjoyment in the eyes of children and teenagers.
Lhente’s inspiration for the choir came from her own personal experience when she was a teenager. Having joined the world youth choir at the age of 19 was a huge culture shock to her. The world youth choir showed her how music can bring people of different cultures, races, religions and languages all into one place.
She wanted to bring what she learned into her home country, and she invested her knowledge into UPYC. It wasn’t easy with only 20 members in the beginning, but eventually it grew.
Lhente’s goal was for UPYC to be excellent and to grow to new heights. In 2018 the choir won an international competition with cum laude (Won all their categories). This was UPYC ‘s peak until COVID happened. During this time, Lhente felt like there was no hope in having UPYC rehearsals until the choir members asked to do rehearsals online instead.
At first, Lhente was sceptical but eventually realised how many opportunities and ideas came from it. And so, they started bringing those ideas to life, like creating music videos for the choir.
There have been many ups and downs, but in the end, she says if she were given the chance to do it all over again, she would do it in a heartbeat.
Monday, 10 March – The long-awaited soiree program is here”, said Piek in the early hours of the morning. Indeed, we have a brilliant lineup for the evening.
While the majority obviously could not make the list because there were limited spaces for performances. But we should all remember, “You are all very talented, otherwise you wouldn’t be in UPYC.” – Lhente.
Saturday, 15 March – Finally, the day has arrived! Everyone looks ASTONISHING tonight. I don’t think I’m the only one who was surprised by some of the main acts on stage. From dashing solos, duets and of course, for us new members, our first official UPYC performance. My experience regarding Soiree was…magical.
It was obviously my first, and yet I felt so connected. Also, I never thought that I would be a singer and paparazzi on the same night. Tonight’s soiree was the very last for some of the members, of which I got the opportunity to get a statement.
“Looking back at the relationships I’ve built and being able to see how far they’ve come makes me proud. Of course, it was hard knowing that the next time I attend Soiree, it will be as an alumnus. But every moment with UPYC forms a core memory, and soiree 2025 will be amongst the best ones”
– Genevieve
But for some of the new members, singing at Soiree was a dream come true: “Singing at Soiree, let alone singing with Ofentse, was the biggest thing to ever happen to me after joining UPYC. It was the best experience of my life, and I would do it over and over again.”
-Molemo
“My first experience at Soiree was absolutely magical! I loved how everyone dressed according to the theme. The love and support I got when I got on that stage and the cheering thereafter were unreal.”
-Muthanyi
Soiree was a magical evening for all of us and we hope to create many more memories and lifelong friendships.
This year UPYC has been blessed with passionate individuals who have stepped up to guide and support our choir, ensuring that we grow musically and as a close-knit family.
Chairperson: Stephan Kruger has more than proved himself to be loyal, disciplined and a strong leader. Secretary: Nathan Hitge is ready to assist in the smooth running of the choir.
Voice group leaders: Abby Moolman, Ontha Lebogo, Bokang Mmusi and Khumo Thubane
With the upcoming Cantus Festivals and Europe Tour, all eyes are on the committee. We know that they will give their all and see to it that 2025 is UPYC’s best year yet. Thank you to the committee members of 2025 and good luck!
Yonela is apart of the cast of the Teen Beach production by the Tshwane Youth Theatre (on stage from July)
Cristi and Jonathan Stoltz are a part of the musical FAME JR (on stage from August at the Centurion theatre)
When the altos are soaring and the sopranos are floating on clouds, the basses are down below, grounding the entire choir. It’s not glamorous, but someone must hold the fort. Without us, the choir would sound a little wobbly. Being a bass in UPYC may not always come with the spotlight, but it’s a role as crucial as any other. We don’t just sing low notes…we provide the foundation that brings the choir to life.
Our priority is a solid, firm sound that keeps the choir grounded. I think of the bass section as a blanket, supporting the tenors, altos and sopranos, ensuring their notes stay within bounds. While our section is small, we make up for it with quality.
When I first joined, I had no idea what being a bass meant beyond singing low notes. But now I can say it’s an experience that’s helped me grow, both musically and personally. My fellow basses are disciplined and always willing to help, and they’ve shown me the importance of hard work and prioritising UPYC.
At the end of the day, being a bass is about more than holding down low notes…it’s about supporting the entire choir, making sure we all shine in harmony.
“This is why we teach music:
Not because we expect you to major in music. Not because we expect you to play or sing your whole life. But so you will be human, so you will recognise beauty, have more love, more compassion, more gentleness and more goodness. In short…more LIFE”
Lhente has taught me so many lessons in the 3 years that I have been a part of our amazing choir. I have learned the power of taking control of an audience within the first few seconds of the first song we sing with a performance (whether we start with Hlonolofatsa or Music of Stillness). She also taught me the value of being an artist and that we are the people who have the power to bring peace into the world.
As artists, we are in touch with our emotions, and that makes us aware of the people around us. We should be able to be good communicators, peacemakers, a voice of wisdom in a storm and the key to respectful relationships.
But we get so overwhelmed by the people who are not like us that we lose some of our superpowers when we think that our love of music, art, poetry, movement and drama is just silly compared to a world drenched with sports and politics.
That’s what makes UPYC so important: it creates a space for us artists where we know that we are valued. Where we can go to rehearsals and enjoy the company of people like us while doing what we love most (SINGING)
In UPYC, there is a space for dancers and people who love taking photos and videos on the social media team. That’s why I got the idea of starting our own newspaper. I know there are so many great writers in our choir, and not everyone gets the chance to write more than just essays for school. Now the future poets, songwriters and journalists have a place to start.
I do hope that you all enjoy reading our humble newspaper each term.