The superb male voice choir of the Scenic South Peninsula
The Fish Hoek Civic Centre was filled to capacity on Sunday 27 February with a very appreciative audience at the Quarrymen Concert, organised by the Rotary Club of the Cape of Good Hope.
The sensitive touch of their accompanying pianist Helen Broekmann and the masterful conducting of Winsome Fourie added feminine flair to the professionalism and the pizzazz of the Quarrymen.
Bedecked in their long blue-and-yellow scarves – used playfully for effect – and matching miners’ hats, the Quarrymen are a talented and highly entertaining group of male singers, drawn from the diverse communities of the Scenic South. The group was formed in 2007 by Rory Wilson and Hans Zwets and its first musical director was Commander Mike Oldham, who also performed with flair and flourish at the concert. The Quarrymen choir is based at the Glencairn Quarry where they practice every Thursday evening.
The objectives of the choir are: to have fun, to build goodwill and friendships, to bring communities closer together and to bring happiness to others. It is blatantly obvious that they are achieving all their goals!
Their repertoire is varied: soulful Negro spirituals, rumbustious Zulu and Xhosa mining songs, traditional Welsh songs, operatic classics, Latin hymns, Afrikaans folksongs and haunting rock, beautifully and harmoniously rendered. The delightfully dry humour of Dr James Rawlings who acted as MC at the concert speaks volumes for the spirit and vibe of the choir.
Guest artists Lainey Boonzaaier and Len Ward added sparkle and wit with their music hall numbers while the Dixie Swingers played with vivacity and verve, each member of the band masters of their instruments.
If you enjoy singing, and you are male and the cats don’t caterwaul when you sing in the shower, perhaps you too would like to join the Quarrymen? Give Winsome a call on .
