7 August 2026
Clifton‘s Sutcliffe Theatre was the setting on Wednesday evening for “The Sound between Us“, a soirée, featuring musicians and vocalists from Clifton College and Durban Girls’ College (DGC).
What a wonderful celebration of the close ties between the schools and the musical talent they develop!
It was both entertaining and deeply impressive, all done in a spirit of mutual support in an intimate supper theatre setting.
Clifton’s Executive Headmaster, Adam Rogers, and his Durban Girls’ College counterpart, Heidi Rea, must have felt justifiably proud of the manner in which their learners represented their schools.
At both, cultural activities are not an add-on. Rather, they are a key component of the educational offering, and it showed.
As a feel-good occasion to further enhance the close ties the schools share – among learners, parents, and teachers – it was an A-plus success.
Clifton’s Director of the Arts, Shaun McCabe, said the soirée was introduced when the College was started at Clifton in 2006/7.
“That allowed for a greater working relationship with the high school component of Durban Girls’ College, and, of course, with Clifton College. The primary school and the prep school had been working together intermittently, but this has solidified the relationship for the past 20 years,” he explained.
The Girls’ College a cappella singers kicked off the evening on a high note, and the exciting standard never wavered. Piano, sax, strings, and orchestra performances followed, and the performers revelled in the opportunity to express their talent.
At one point, the DGC girls spontaneously sang along to a lively sax performance by Riaan Subramoney. Beautifully.
Another superb performance on the sax by Aryan Naidoo underlined the close ties between the schools, with his sister performing as a vocalist for DGC.
Among many outstanding performances, though, one stood out, and it was jaw-dropping. Clifton Grade 11 learner, Tayo Williams, a self-taught musician, played one of his compositions on the piano.
As one, the audience followed, mesmerised, barely moving, almost as if they had mutually agreed to hold their breaths for the duration of the piece.
Words cannot do justice to the flow, the creativity, the originality, the technical excellence, and the sheer brilliance so flawlessly rendered.
Clifton at the Hilton Arts Festival
The great news is that an opportunity to view this memorable excellence awaits this weekend: Clifton’s Sound Collective features on the main festival programme at the Hilton Arts Festival. They’ll be in action on Sunday from 13:00 in the Chapel at a ticketed event, which features three professional musicians: Nina Watson on cello, Logan Byrne on double bass, and Shelley Downham on piano and voice.
Joining that trio will be the Clifton Choir, Clifton Wind Band, the Clifton College String Ensemble, and Tayo Williams.
From 14:30 to 15:15, all the Clifton College music ensembles will perform on the Bell Tower Stage.
In addition, other festival performances include the Clifton Prep boys on the Festival Stage on Saturday, 8 August at 09:00, the Clifton Marimba Team on the Amphitheatre Stage at 11:00, and a performance at Hebron Haven in the evening, starting at 18:00.
For those not familiar with Clifton’s music programme, and unfamiliar with the advances in music in schools nowadays, prepare to be astounded and delighted.