Henk Barnard (64) recently retired from being a Colla Voce Youth Choir conductor
His final choice was either becoming a church minister or a musician.
AFTER 23 years of grooming talented artists and aspiring musicians, 64-year-old Henk Barnard recently retired as the Colla Voce Youth Choir conductor.
Speaking to this humble man, you realise he could most probably have chosen to follow any profession. His final choice was either becoming a church minister or a musician.
His passion for preparing talented youngsters in music took over, leading him to become a youth choir conductor.
All about music
Henk has a vast background in the world of choral music. He holds a BMus degree from North-West University and a BMus Hons degree from University of Pretoria.
He served in the South African army, but it wasn’t long after that he started working for the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) as a specialist producer of classical music because of his educational background.
Working for the SABC for 15 years enabled him to meet many artists, conductors and instrumentalists from all walks of life.
As the old saying goes, “everything comes to an end”, so was his journey at the SABC after his department was closed down.
However, this was a start of a new journey for Henk when he was offered the position of conductor at Colla Voce Youth Choir.
During his times as a choirmaster, he opened his own music class at his home in Randhart, where he offered voice training lessons, piano training and the theory of music lessons.
Memories to keep
Colla Voce Youth Choir made a name for itself under Henk’s leadership and the then co-conductor.
They participated in world-wide musical competitions, performed nationally and were recognised on an international level.
In 2007, they were crowned as the best youth choir in Greece after their outstanding performance among other choirs who took part.
Again in 2013, they were in third position in a competition in Wales. The choir boasts with tours as far as Malaysia, Thailand, Poland, England and Slovakia.
Henk has played a role in shaping the talent of many artists. Among those are names such as Refentse Morake, Siyabonga Maqungo and a few artists in the Navi Redd group. He believes that working hard pays off.
In an almost by-the-way manner, he mentions that at some stage his musical experience also qualified him to be a judge in numerous singing competitions.
He was also trained other conductors and mentored choral musicians.
Challenges and joys
During his leadership days, he said the choir would face financial challenges, which at times slowed progress.
“We were initially funded by the Department of Education, but later it wasn’t able to continue funding us due to funds being depleted.
“We then had to independently sustain ourselves. I would approach a number of sponsors who helped us greatly. I would like to extend my gratitude to the community for their support,” he said.
His wife, Jenny, told the RECORD his job would take him on the road all the time.
“I would often travel with him on his local tours,” she said.
Henk currently conducts learners of Laerskool Orion’s senior choir, Hoërskool Dinamika’s choir and the ensemble group of Alberton Christian Academy.
Asking Jenny to describe Henk in three words, she said: “I would describe him as a caring, humble and strict person.”
His family has recently welcomed a new member, his grandchild, which Henk plans on spending more time with.
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