By Sofia Bassios and Leah Falcon
Students at Stellenbosch University (SU) can level up their lunch breaks with world-class music at the SU Choir’s (SUC) lunchtime concerts. SUC has hosted two such concerts this year on 30 April and 4 May, open to all SU students free of charge. The choir is not disconnected from its roots and forms a vibrant part of Stellenbosch culture, connecting with SU students and the broader community through events such as their annual lunchtime concerts.
Toyota Woordfees 2025 showcasing the SU Choir. Photo: Mark Cloete, supplied by Jan Pretorius
SUC is one of SU’s many claims to fame, being the oldest choir in South Africa, having started in 1936. It held the title of No. 1 choir in the Interkultur global choral rankings for 12 years and has subsequently won three gold medals in the 2025 Interkultur European Choir Games.
The choir was met with phenomenal support with full audiences. “I’m so glad the choir made the performance so accessible. I was in awe the entire time and am so grateful to have witnessed it,” said Zanda Dube (second-year, BA (Development and Environment)), one of the students in the audience.
Vaughn Else, SUC Committee Head of Events and Fundraising, explained the motivation behind the lunchtime concerts is to give back to the Stellenbosch community. “We know that some people are not able to spend money on tickets and would love to come watch us. The lunch hour concerts are for them.”
Choir members explained how important the support from students is to them. Sarah Stewart (second-year, BA (Political, Philosophical and Economic Studies)), a Soprano 2 in the choir, said that getting to perform to a full Endler Hall at lunchtime reminds her “how listening to the choir for the first time in the Endler Hall can feel transcendent”.
SUC members have an extensive rehearsal schedule in addition to their academic work, but Sinelizwi Miza (second-year, BA Music), another Soprano 2, explained how the community and joy she finds with the choir makes this worth it for her. “I’ll come from a full day of nine to five classes, tired and frustrated, yet I’ll still have the energy to be singing for hours and hours twice a week because of my passion for it,” Miza says.
The lunchtime concerts offer more than opportunity for SU students to experience world-class music in their break. SUC has started a food donation initiative to extend how the choir gives back to their community. Jen-Hendrik Pretorius, Chairperson of SUC, said, “While the concerts are free, we asked audiences to bring any non-perishables as donations if they were able.”
The SU choir fills a truck of donations to support Feeding in Action, in front of the SU Konservatorium. From left to right: Liesel Koen, Rico van Heerden, Buhle Funani, Jan Pretorius, Hadley Herman, Vaughn Else, Sebastian Meyer, and Liam Ramsay; Photo: Mohapi Khotsa, supplied by Jan Pretorius.
These donations went to Feeding in Action, a non-profit organisation (NPO) that provides meals and food supplies to nearly 5 000 people each week in the Stellenbosch Municipal Area. Else said that SUC was “overwhelmed with the amount of food they were able to donate” and that SUC will likely be continuing this initiative at future lunchtime concerts.
