A REMARKABLE journey has just been completed by a group of incredible individuals from the other side of the world. The ComArt Choir from Elsies River, Cape Town, South Africa, have now returned home after a three-week visit to the South West, organised by Wren Music. The choir, whose members are in their late teens and early twenties, showcased a range of South African music and culture during their stay as they sang for schools across Devon, sang with a range of local choirs, performed at the Exeter Respect Festival and tried to enjoy the Devon countryside, despite the terrible weather. ComArt Choir member, Heinrich Sass, 23, said: 'Okehampton is a hundred times slower than Cape Town and I've really enjoyed the friendly, wonderful people — there is a great spirit here. 'For many of us, it has been our first trip overseas and has been a fantastic opportunity. 'It has helped put things in a global perspective and taught us to respect international music as well as take pride in our own music. I've even found folk music surprisingly enjoyable! 'It's about the enjoyment of music and being who you are. We could do folk music but we do our own music brilliantly, so it is all about being yourself and taking pride in that. 'We came as individuals but now we sing as one, unified voice, it is really special to me.' ComArt is a non-profit organisation that provides access to arts, culture and heritage resources as a means to promote community growth and development. The exchange programme was initiated after Wren Music took young singers from Devon to South Africa in 2005 to perform at the Artscape Schools' Festival and in many of the townships surrounding Cape Town. Marilyn Tucker, artistic director of Wren, said: 'ComArt and Wren work to achieve similar objectives, providing opportunities for growth to the youth and local communities using arts and culture as development vehicles.' The choir all expressed their heartfelt thanks to Wren Music for providing them with the once in a lifetime opportunity.
