Pr. George’s choir shines in South Africa

July 25 2013 6:12 PM EDT — Northwestern High school’s choir traveled to South Africa to perform after fundraising for nearly two years. (Courtesy of Ken Carter)

Petula Dvorak

They made international news outside the hospital caring for Nelson Mandela, brought the house down singing in magnificent churches, came face-to-face with zebras and penguins, flew in five different planes and stood high on Table Mountain, staring into the vast expanse of Africa’s southernmost tip.

But for many members of Northwestern High School’s choir, the most moving part of their 10-day tour of South Africa was the fourth day, when they visited Soweto and learned a different way to measure wealth.

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The day after they arrived, their tour guide told them that they were staying just around the corner from the hospital where Mandela, the revered former South African president, was being treated for a lung infection. So they all walked over and were moved by the wall of well-wishes, the people praying outside, the media camped out.

They began singing. And their soaring voices made the news — CNN, British papers, South African TV. Here was a group of young, mostly black Americans who’d come to sing for a man many regard as a living saint.