Association introduces promotion and relegation for competition

MBABANE – The Eswatini Choral Music Association has introduced new measures aimed at strengthening the standard of local choirs.

A major shake-up is set to transform next year’s local Gospel and Choral music fraternity following decisive resolutions adopted at an Annual General Meeting (AGM) held earlier this month, where each local choir was represented by three delegates.

In a move aimed at safeguarding the prestige and competitive standard of the art form, the association has resolved that all local choir entries will initially be entered into the Standard Section rather than the Large Section. Previously, some choirs entered directly into the Large category, such as African Philharmonic Choir, now known as Dolce Harmony Chorus.

Addressing the rationale behind the sweeping change, association President Sihle Gumbi explained that many choirs often build immense hype for the Large category but fail to deliver on stage, largely due to last-minute chorister attendance issues.

“Sometimes conductors are promised by choristers that they will participate, only for them not to show up. You then find that the choir is small in numbers and fails to deliver the kind of competition the Large category aims to give, we also want to protect ourselves as an association we do not want choirs to drop the standard of the competition”, he said.

Clarifying how the new format will operate starting with next year’s Standard Bank Choral Music Competition, Gumbi confirmed that a promotion and relegation system based on performance scores will now govern the categories.

Under the new policy, a choir in the Standard Section that places first and achieves a score of 75 per cent or higher will earn promotion to the Large Section, as this mark demonstrates their readiness to compete at the highest level. Conversely, a choir competing in the Large Section that finishes in last place with a score of less than 75 per cent will be relegated to the Standard Section, where they will remain for the entire following year’s Choral music competition, including Ntjilo-Ntjilo and other competitions.

Gumbi noted, however, that relegation is not automatic for the bottom choir if performance standards remain high, “It will happen that we do not have a relegated choir if the last-placed choir still achieves 80 points or above,” Gumbi explained. This new policy signals a firm commitment by the association to restore rigor, accountability and stage excellence across all participating choirs ahead of next year’s competition season.

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