A panel of 80 international judges have crowned the Stellenbosch University Choir as the best in the world. The choral artists topped a list of 1,000 talented groups, as reported by Good Things Guy.

INTERKULTUR dished out the award to the SUC. They have been dubbed as the ‘United Nations of choir singing’, and are made up of musicians, politicians and leading names from the arts world.

South African Choirs dominated the top 30

They were blown away by the moving harmonies of the Stellenbosch University Choir. The group are made up of 80-100 members from many different vocational areas. However, only a handful actually study music. The choir already have a soaring reputation, as their YouTube channel topped 2,000,000 views recently.

The University’s choir have been performing for more than 80 years, after they were first conducted by William Morris in 1936. In fact, they have gone on worldwide tours and appeared in huge festivals that have made them a household name.

Watch: Drakensberg Boys Choir stun Japan with a spine-tingling performance

Though the Stellenbosch University Choir topped the charts, they were also flanked by some other great South African contributions. In the list of the top 30 choirs, there was a total of five groups from Mzansi – that’s more than any other country!

INTERKULTUR’s top five choirs in the world

1. Stellenbosch University Choir – South Africa

2. Kamerniy Devichiy Kor by Lysenko – Ukraine

3. The Muller Chamber Choir – Chinese Taipei

4. Gnesins Ensemble of Contemporary Music – Russia

5. University of Louisville Cardinal Singers – USA

Notable South African entries and their conductors:

11. Akustika Chamber Singers – Christo Burger

12. Kearsney College Choir – Bernard Kruger

18. Stellenberg Girls Choir – Andre van der Merwe

25. University of Pretoria Camerata – Michael Barrett

The Stellenbosch University Choir defeated their competition with a heart-warming rendition of Say Something (I’m Giving Up On You). The tune was originally written by New York duo A Great Big World, and performed alongside Christina Aguilera.

Watch Stellenbosch University Choir’s pitch perfect performance: