ABOUT four months ago, on a chilly evening — July 13, 2024 to be precise — The Vine choir continued its adventurous musical journey, stepping into the grand Harare International Conference Centre (HICC) to record its special 10th anniversary debut live album.
The event dubbed The Vine Choir @10 Concert and Live DVD Recording had the iconic HICC reverberating to the great sounds of both local and international gospel music combining voices on an ambitious project.
This remarkable night was filled with passion, faith and an electrifying atmosphere, setting the stage for a groundbreaking moment in The Vine choir’s blossoming legacy as it celebrated a decade milestone in the cutthroat music industry.
The live recording held for free, in a gesture of generosity, courtesy of a kind sponsorship obtained by the choir, featured a dynamic 30-member choir, 30 children from the Adventist Pathfinders, a 100-piece orchestra from Johannesburg, South Africa and a 30-member brass section from Germany, delivering an unforgettable musical experience for gospel enthusiasts in attendance.
In demonstrating the strength of collaboration, the recording also showcased the talents of multi-award-winning local gospel artiste Everton Mlalazi, United Kingdom-based Zimbabwean songstress Blessing Annatoria Chitapa and American gospel icons VaShawn Mitchell and compatriot singer-songwriter Jekalyn Carr.
Almost four months after the remarkable live recording, The Vine choir on Friday presented its fans with an early Christmas present after it released Sewakhile (He is Built) the first song from the live recorded album.
The song available on both visual and audio platforms across various streaming networks features Mlalazi.
Within a few hours of its release, the seven minutes and 57 seconds song’s video, reached over 22 000 views on YouTube, an online video sharing platform owned by Google.
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A day before Sewakhile’s release to the public, The Vine choir’s fans and friends gathered at Ster-Kinekor Joina City in the capital for an exclusive watch party as they celebrated this first song from the choir’s 10th anniversary production.
“This single marks the beginning of a new album, set to be released in time for the festive season, bringing more exciting music to fans. We hope that fans will enjoy the first song,” The Vine choir’s manager Gamuchirai Mlalazi said.
She added that more songs accompanied by visuals would be released as we headed towards the festive season.
Founded in 2014, under the directorship of Mlalazi, The Vine choir released its debut album Musandipfuure in 2018, which was followed by a live recorded 12-track album titled The Great Physician about four years later.
On The Great Physician, the choir collaborated with a South African Grammy award-winning Soweto gospel choir, Mzansi gospel singer Mahalia Buchanan, Mabongi Mabaso and a 40-piece orchestra, among others.
