About the choir

Our story

Bulawayo Choristers Choir was constitutionally formed on 22 December 2014, established through its first auditions on 10 January 2015 and founded through its first rehearsal on 24 January 2015. Six people formed the choir: Busani Nkomo as founding Musical Director, with a founding interim technical team of Clive Zephaniah Simango, Givemore Hatinahama Muzombi, the late Ntombizodwa Gumbo, Paul Dumisani Bajila and Thobeka Msipha.

The choir sang in public for the first time at the Selbourne Hotel on 11 April 2015, and that August fifty-six members travelled to Polokwane for the Old Mutual National Choir Festival, the choir's first competition. Givemore Muzombi conducted in the first seasons, Linda Duma followed in 2016 with Dennis Kapiya as trainer, and in 2018 Lungelo Ncube was promoted from the ranks to the conductor's post.

The titles followed: ZITF champions in 2018, with a new 18-seater Toyota Hiace as first prize, and the title defended on a national platform in 2019. That same year the choir received the Most Outstanding Choral Group award at the Roil Bulawayo Arts Awards, placed second runner-up at South Africa's Old Mutual National Choir Festival and won the Federation for Choral Music of Zimbabwe. It has since been champions of the Siyephambili Choral Festival in 2022, 2023 and 2026, and runners-up at the Festival of Song Zimbabwe in 2021, 2022 and 2025.

Rehearsals restarted in October 2020 after the pandemic lockdown. Today the choir is a 120-voice mixed choir in four parts, soprano, alto, tenor and bass, drawn from congregations and neighbourhoods across the city. It marked its tenth anniversary in December 2024 and continues to compete, host and perform across Zimbabwe and beyond.

Mission

Inspired by the joy of singing and listening to choral music, Bulawayo Choristers Choir strives to provide service opportunity for Christian singers to give of their talents to the church and community.

Vision

We envision Bulawayo Choristers becoming a choir of choice and a leading voice in choral music within Bulawayo and beyond.

Core values

• Christianity and the Word of God
• Fellowship
• Diversity
• Peace and social justice
• Integrity

Aims and objectives

• To promote and encourage choral singing for the membership of the society, primarily in Bulawayo and Matabeleland region.
• To contribute to the musical, artistic and physical life of Bulawayo community and Matabeleland region.
• To offer public performances and recitals of choral music and any other collaborative works which the Musical Director, in consultation with the members, may decide upon.

Articles of the constitution of Bulawayo Choristers Choir, as set out in the choir profile by B. Nkomo, Musical Director.