The Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra Plays Regina Mundi Church

by Daluxolo Moloantoa · June 15, 2023

Named “Best Classical Music Ensemble” by Boston Magazine in 2019, the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra (BPYO) is coming to South Africa this June. The acclaimed classical music orchestra will be staging musical performances in Pretoria, Johannesburg, Cape Town and in Makhanda during the tour between June 17-25.

Now in its eleventh season, the tuition-free orchestra has garnered critical acclaim for its superb and memorable performances in Boston, at Carnegie Hall, and on seven international tours. The 106 members of the BPYO range in age from 12 to 21 and are chosen through a highly-selective audition process.

The group will kick off its maiden South African tour with a performance at the Regina Mundi Church in Soweto on June 17. The Southern Cross features writer Daluxolo Moloantoa had Question & Answer sessions with four Catholic members of the ensemble on their expectations for their first musical tour to South Africa and the significance of performing at the historic Regina Mundi Church. This is the final part of a four-part series:

Daluxolo interviews Christopher Broyles, a viola player in the BYPO

Q: Which parish do you attend church in your city?

A: I am a parishioner of the St Mary Church in Franklin Massachusetts (MA).

Q: What are you looking forward to on the BPYO tour of South Africa this June?

A: I am most looking forward to the various exchanges that we will be participating in as part of our tour. I am really excited to not only make music side by side with hundreds of South African peers but to exchange ideas with people who share the same passion for classical music that I do. Perhaps even more exciting than the music exchanges are the opportunities we will have to engage with more traditional South African music artforms.

Q: What does it mean to you to be able to perform at a highly significant Catholic church, the Regina Mundi Catholic Church in Soweto?

A: The opportunity to bring Mahler’s Second Symphony, “The Resurrection”, to the Regina Mundi Church is a special opportunity, both for us as an orchestra and for you as an audience. This symphony concludes with an epic representation of life after death. Almost as if this music was meant to be performed in a church!

To experience this piece live, in a church as significant as the Regina Mundi Church, will surely be a feeling like no other. It will be a very powerful experience for me to combine my strong Catholic faith with a piece such as this in just one event. I am immensely looking forward to sharing this with the audience.

Read interviews with Thomas Juhasz, Rosie Conway, Harold Rivas and Christopher Broyles