Partners
D
r Lichtenberg says that “Life is a team sport”. At Young Hearts Africa, we are big believers in collaboration and partnerships, because we can see and feel the results that come from such ventures. We have been both lucky and blessed to work with such amazing organisations and individuals that have elevated our music and our organization because of their talent, commitment and passion.
The heart and soul of Young Hearts Africa lies in the extraordinary dedication of our music artists, choirs and our musical director, Riaan Steyn. These talented individuals, driven by a shared vision of hope and transformation, bring their unique gifts to our cause. Their voices blend in harmony, creating powerful musical experiences that resonate deeply with audiences across cultures and backgrounds. Our collaborations with local and international artists have allowed us to create a rich tapestry of sounds that reflects the diverse musical heritage of Africa while also ncorporating global influences.
Dr Brian May
Brian May, CBE, PhD, FRAS is a founding member of Queen, a world-renowned guitarist, songwriter, producer and performer, also a Doctor of Astrophysics, 3-D stereoscopic photographic authority and a passionate advocate and campaigner for animal rights.
Accomplished Astronomy student Brian’s PhD studies were stalled when a musical career superseded. The following four decades have seen Queen amass a staggering list of sales and awards with a catalogue that consistently tops popularity polls and sees Queen remain the most successful albums act in UK chart history. Brian has penned 22 Queen top 20 hits, among them the powerful ballads ‘Who Wants to Live Forever’, ‘No-One but You’ and ‘Save Me’, along with anthems ‘The Show Must Go On’, ‘I Want It All’ and ‘We Will Rock You’.
He retains his keen passion for Astronomy and after a 30-year break returned to Astrophysics to update his doctoral thesis on the Motions of Interplanetary Dust, achieving his PhD from Imperial College, London, in 2007.
Brian Harold May was born on July 19, 1947, in Hampton, Middlesex, England, to parents Ruth and Harold May. An imaginative teen, May, with the help of his father, built his own homemade guitar, dubbed “The Red Special.” The guitar, which was made from makeshift materials including firewood and was played with a six-pence coin for a pick, would later figure prominently in May’s musical career. He would go on to play it on every Queen album and live show.
Appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2005 for ‘services to the Music Industry’ and for his charity work, Sir Brian May is patron to a number of charities, also a vice president of the RSPCA.
Kerry Ellis
Kerry Ellis is an English actress and singer who is best known for her work in musical theatre and subsequent crossover into music. Ellis made her first professional stage appearance in 1998 and went on to make her West End debut in the 2001 revival of My Fair Lady. After meeting Queen guitarist Brian May in 2002, Ellis expanded her repertoire as a solo artist. She has released four studio albums Anthems (2010), which reached number 15 on the UK Albums Chart. In addition to her musical work, Ellis involves herself in charity work and is the patron of several arts organisations. In 2019, Ellis received an honorary fellowship from the University of Suffolk.
The Tygerberg Children’s Choir
Now in its 49th year, the choir, based in Cape Town’s Northern Suburbs and under the baton of Karina Erasmus, has taken lovers of choral music on a very special musical journey.
The choir is one of South Africa’s proudest export products. The choir, under the direction of the highly acclaimed choir leader Hennie Loock, has won every major international choral competition since its inception in 1972 and its unsurpassed legato singing, maturity of sound, musical power and dynamic interpretation of very difficult material makes Tygerberg Children’s Choir a foremost exponent in the world of international competition choirs. The choir has a vast legacy of excellent choral CDs as testimony of its prowess.
In July 2010 year the choir was crowned World Champions and received gold medals in the Folklore and Music of the Religions categories at the 6th World Choir Games in Shaoxing, China. In 2012 the choir came second and won gold in the Children’s Choir division at the 7th World Choir Games in Cincinnati, USA. They also won a further two gold medals – in the Music of the Religions and Folklore divisions.
And again in 2018, the choir did exceptionally well at the 10th World Choir Games in Tshwane, South Africa. They participated in a mammoth four categories and were crowned World Champions in two categories – the highly coveted Children’s Choirs division and the Musica Sacra with Accompaniment division. They achieved 3rd places in two further categories – Pop Choirs and Folklore with Accompaniment. In total they won four gold medals.
Tygerberg Children’s Choir is currently the number one children’s choir in the world and holds the 4th position over all on the Interkultur World Rankings.
With innovative projects, the choir has managed to keep functioning despite the difficulties of the Covid pandemic. A mean feat indeed under trying circumstances.
Children4Children
The Children4Children concept was born out of a desire for Tygerberg Children’s Choir’s choristers to reach out in support of other children not as fortunate to share their good health, hoping to positively impact their lives.
We hope that the beautiful music, the prayer, the healthy, talented children, the joy of them singing, will inspire people to open their hearts to give something to children which are not so fortunate to be able to sing and bring joy and hope.
Soweto Gospel Choir
The Soweto Gospel Choir was formed in November, 2002 by David Mulovhedzi and Beverly Brye. The choir was formed to celebrate the unique and inspirational power of African gospel music. The choir draws on the best talent from the many churches in and around Soweto, South Africa’s famous township, mixing earthy rhythms with rich harmonies to uplift the soul and express the energy of their homeland. By blending elements of African gospel, traditional spirituals, and American popular music, the choir shares the joy of faith through music with audiences around the world.
In December, 2002 their first album “Voices of Heaven” was recorded and went on to reach the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s World Music Chart within 3 weeks of its release in the US.
In 2003 the choir won its first award, a Helpmann Award, Australia’s prestigious Performing Arts Award, for “Best Contemporary Music Concert”.
This success was followed when they won a 2003 American Gospel Music Award for “Best Choir”. In the same year, they won an American Gospel Music Award for “Best International Choir”.
They performed for President Bill Clinton at a corporate function in Little Rock, Arkansas and in October 2006, the choir performed as invited guests for their Patron, Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s 75th Birthday Celebrations, in front of an illustrious audience which included former President Nelson Mandela, Mrs Zanele Mbeki, Tokyo Sexwale, Samuel L Jackson, Alfre Woodard and Carlos Santana.
On 11 February 2007, Soweto Gospel Choir received its greatest accolade, a Grammy Award for their second CD “Blessed”, in the category “Best Traditional World Music”.
At the same time, they were nominated for the 26th International Reggae and World Music Awards, held at the Apollo Theatre, Harlem, on 5 May, in the category “Contribution to World Music”, alongside Jimmy Cliff, Salif Keita, Youssou N’Dour and Ziggy Marley.
In March 2009, they were nominated for three SAMAs (South African Music Awards), for their CD and DVD, “Live at the Nelson Mandela Theatre”, winning the Award for “Best Duo or Group”.
In December 2010, Soweto Gospel Choir received its fourth Grammy nomination, in the Best Traditional World Music category, for its album “Grace”. The choir was featured alongside the London Philharmonic Orchestra in the song “Baba Yetu” and on the album “Calling All Dawns”, both of which won Grammys in February 2011.
In September 2014, members of the choir performed, with the London African Gospel Choir, in front of 13,000 people at a corporate event at the O2 arena in London.
July 2016 the choir was featured as a special guest for Johnny Clegg concerts at Montecasino, performing with Johnny and artists Ross Learmonth, Francois Van Coke and Sipho Mabuse.
In 2019, SGC collaborated with several top South African artists such as Lady Zamar, Rebecca Malope, Idol’s winner Yanga and Amanda Black as well as performing with international artist Ben Harper on his South Africa tour. And the choir started 2020 by welcoming home Miss Universe 2019, Zozibini Tunzi, followed by singing at Miss Universe 2017 Demi-Leigh Pieters and Tim Tebow’s wedding ceremony in Franschoek.
Awards
2003
A Helpmann Award, Australia’s prestigious Performing Arts Award
“Gospel Music Award”
2007
Grammy Award
SAMA Award (South African Music Association Award)
2008
Second Grammy Award
PanSALB Award
2009
SAMAs (South African Music Awards)
2010
Associated Grammy Award
2011
Emmy Award for ESPN’s 2010 FIFA World Cup music promos
Associated Grammy Awards
2018
A 5thSAMA (South African Music Award)
5thGrammy nomination
2022
WATCH THIS SPACE!
OUR
BENEFICIARIES
All donations we collect get allocated to the great initiatives run by our worthy beneficiaries:
- The Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital
- Weekend Waiting List Project
- The Christiaan Barnard Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery
- 1000 Hearts initiative
HELP US
