User:Mvnrsa/Bloemfontein Children's Choir

The Bloemfontein Children's Choir is a multiracial, children's choir consisting of members from Bloemfontein and surrounding areas in South Africa. Over its 25 year existence, the choir has won numerous awards, including two silver medals at the First World Choir Olympics in Linz, Austria, as well as the Bloemfontein organisation of the year in 1991.

The choir consists of between 60 and 70 children from eight to 17 years of age and performs regularly around South Africa and internationally. They host an annual concert in Bloemfontein, usually in the Sand du Plessis theatre. They have performed with Andre Rieu and Helmut Lotti and for three South African presidents, including Nelson Mandela and at the inauguration of Thabo Mbeki.

History
The choir was founded by Dr. Huibrie Verster as the Pacofs Bloemfontein Children's Choir in 1987. In a bold move for apartheid South Africa at the time, children of all races were allowed to participate in the choir since inception.

Controversy
In 2010, the choir was invited to perform with Andre Rieu in his hometown of Maastricht in the Netherlands. Rieu specifically requested that 30 children should perform with him and that at least 50 percent of the children should be black. Many senior choir members and their parents were upset by this, because it meant that senior members were left out in favour of less senior black members. Rieu defended the request on the basis that he wants to present Africa as a united continent.