Join world-renowned choir directors Matlakala Bopape and Patty Cuyler in their only full day workshop in New Zealand! This is an amazing, one-off opportunity not to be missed for any singers, and choir members who love world music and choral songs from South Africa and would love to extend their knowledge. In this workshop, Matlakala and Patty will lead us into songs from South Africa, Georgia, US and Corsica. Learn from the best in an authentic way.

MATLAKALA BOPAPE

Matlakala Bopape, of Polokwane, South Africa, is the director of Polokwane Choral Society—a community-based group whose aim is nurturing musical talent in African society.
As a director, Matlakala is committed to drawing out musical excellence from her singers, as well as exposing them to musical cultures of the world. Her limitless patience, careful attention to vocal technique, and rich repertoire of folk and contemporary South African choral music make her a formidable teacher.
Matlakala’s first taught with Village Harmony in Italy in 2000 after a fortuitous initial meeting with Patty & Larry at Festival 500 in St. John, Newfoundland the previous summer. She has taught Village Harmony groups in South Africa, Europe and North America nearly every year sice then, to great acclaim. She is very excited to bring authentic South African choral music teaching to New Zealand.

PATTY CUYLER

Patty Cuyler, born in California, educated at Princeton University, long-time resident of Vermont and currently living in Chicago, IL, is an energetic, dynamic workshop leader and choral director and is internationally-renowned for her expertise in teaching Corsican, Georgian and South African music. She is now VH’s director after acting as the co-director since 1995. Over the years Patty has spear-headed the expansion of the organization’s reach into the four corners of the globe. It was also primarily Patty’s vision and labor that shaped VH’s successful response to the pandemic years, launching online programs that spanned the continents and allowing Village Harmony to maneuver a financially rocky period with aplomb.