On Sunday 6 September, Mandy Collins will see a dream fulfilled when the Johannesburg Bach Choir sings her composition, “We sing for the love of music” at its concert.
Mandy, who also serves as the chairperson of the choir, grew up in an intensely musical family in Gqeberha (previously Port Elizabeth). With a mother who played the piano, an uncle who was proficient in wind instruments, and another uncle who played a staggering nine instruments, Mandy had no choice but to follow in their footsteps.
In particular, she loved singing and expressed this as a member of the Eastern Province Youth Choir. She would sing herself to sleep every night as a young child, and when her mother died when she was just 16, would bring singing comfort to her little brother when nightmares woke him up.
Mandy believes that singing gives expression to the soul and this is clear when one listens to some words from her song:
“We sing for the love of music;
We sing for the joy of song;
We sing when the road gets rough
And the journey feels too long.”
In preparation for Sunday’s concert at St Martin’s Anglican Church, Rosebank, the choir has been practising her composition.
Mandy says: “It blows my mind when I hear the choir practising the song. It’s very emotional to hear one’s creativity brought to life, and to hear something that I have written will be a very moving experience for me.”
Finding the correct harmonies and arranging the piano accompaniment took a long time. But once she had a first draft and refined it on the piano, it was a matter of referring it to Ruth Coggin, the choir’s music director. The reply did not take long: “We’re singing it!” said Ruth.
“We sing for the love of music” is not Mandy’s first composition. “All I want for Christmas” was performed a few years back by a ‘flash mob’ at the Killarney Mall in Johannesburg.
Music is alive and well in this family with Mandy’s two daughters, Tessa and Samantha, both playing the violin.
Of her mom, Tessa says: “I’m so proud of my mom for writing this piece. The tuneful melodies and beautiful lyrics express her love for music and show how creative and talented she is,” while Samanatha adds: “I have always been inspired by my mom’s creativity and musicality and so impressed that she could come up with something so beautiful in her head and translate it to paper.”
