Takoma Academy Chorale Wins Gold at World Choir Games

Story by Shaun Robinson

Five years after winning one gold and two silver medals at the World Choir Games in South Africa, the idea of competing at the 2024 World Choir Games (WCG) in 2024 was introduced during one of Takoma Academy’s (TA) music parent meetings last spring. 

The enormity of this kind of project cannot be understated, given the amount of planning and fundraising, travel planning, rehearsal time and other preparations needed, says a spokesperson for the fundraising committee. 

Six years later, a new choir—comprised mostly of students who spent their first year of high school as virtual students due to the COVID-19 pandemic—would travel across the world to compete in Auckland, New Zealand, alongside 11,000 singers from 250 choirs representing 42 countries. 

Director Lulu Mupfumbu and the choir community would need to raise $300,000 in order to make the trip affordable for families. Parents volunteered as members of a planning committee and turned what could easily become a logistical nightmare into a well-organized and successful campaign. TA’s choir canvassed local churches on a fundraising tour and received in quite a few sizeable donations, including $50,000 from the Alfred Street Baptist Church in Alexandria, Virginia as well as several area Seventh-day Adventist and Baptist churches and organizations.

In the end, the choir raised $300,000 and 34 students were able to participate in what many consider the most prestigious choral competition in the world. 

“Throughout the process, we prayed in faith that God would make Himself visible in our lives and experiences with others.  He showed up in a mighty way through numerous testimonies. It was clear that it was not by our own power, but by His, that we emerged victorious,” says Mupfumbu.

All of the hard work paid off for the group, resulting in a gold medal in Spirituals and a silver medal in the Secondary Schools category. School leaders say that Mupfumbu has a unique gift that allows her to take an obstreperous set of high school students and turn them into a highly disciplined, high-octane group of vocalists. 

Samantha McKenzie (’24) recalled that "Preparing was really stressful and nerve-wracking. However, when we got there and competed, it was very clear that all the hard work was worth it. I really enjoyed the experience.”