‘Suddenly I was with my people’: two South African choirs contributing to community development

Abstract Singing is a rich and dynamic part of South African cultural and national identity. The authors explore the identity of two choirs in the Cape Town metropole against the background of response to ongoing social change. The disparate yet similar choirs enhance the well-being of their members as communities and who sing for community. Community development as an outcome of community music is understood as process-driven. The Identity Process Theory serves as a useful integrative framework in which identity, social action and social change can be collectively examined with qualitative thematic analysis to code and analyse questionnaire and interview data (2017–2022). Three overarching themes are discussed, focusing on the experiences as perceived by research participants from the two choirs in relation to ‘singing as a music community’, ‘having a place to belong’ and ‘singing during COVID-19’. The discussion highlights differences, similarities, challenges and opportunities for these choirs in relation to community musicians, identity and place. Although generalizations to other choirs cannot necessarily be made, recommendations are offered, both for further research and of a practical nature. This paper argues that diverse forms of communal singing continue to play an important role in South Africa’s group identity for choirs, fostering hope for communities and their development. Notions of community development and community music should not become narrowly defined, excluding many choral groups and their contributions to society from the global conversation.