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Ripon boy wins gold at World Choral Cup

Friday, 15 November 2024 08:41

Michael Chihobvu (centre) competed for Zimbabwe at the World Choral Cup.

A pupil at Ripon’s Outwood Academy is celebrating after winning gold at the World Choral Cup.

Year 7 student Michael Chihobvu is a member of the Choice Children’s Choir of Zimbabwe, which competed at the World Choral Cup in Barcelona.

Competing against 54 choirs, Zimbabwe scooped Gold for its Western performance in the children’s division.

The group also secured a Silver award in the folklore division and was one of a select number of acts to perform at the competition's opening ceremony.

Although known for its traditional Zimbabwean music and dance, the choir gave several performances throughout the competition, singing in a range of languages including Shona, Latin, English and isiNdebele.

Despite being over eight thousand miles away from the rest of the choir, Michael was able to join group rehearsals via video calls and get extra practice in at school break times.

Michael said:

“The competition was a thrilling experience for me after doing most of my practice online.

“I had to wake up very early for rehearsals because of the time difference and I also had to give up my break times to practice in the school music room.

“Winning gold was a huge achievement and it showed me that hard work pays off.”

Michael is currently looking for a local choir to join.

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