My name is Tashai van Niekerk and on the 28th of October I had the honour and opportunity of performing in front of the Queen of England and the 52 presidents and prime ministers of all the commonwealth countries at CHOGM 2011 (Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting).

On that day, I walked into the office and the teachers gave me a letter from the government saying that I got nominated to perform. From that moment, my life was changed.

There was news papers, cameras, security-cards and even bodyguards! It was an experience I will never forget! The buzz backstage, the high level security and the intense 6 hour rehearsals was all part of a day that strengthened my dream of going into the performing arts industry. The student choir consisted of people from all around the commonwealth countries.

We opened the ceremony with the national anthem. It gave me goose-bumps! The stage was breathtaking and the anticipation was tangible as we waited to go on stage with the one and only Guy Sebastian for his new single called ‘It starts with us’. The Queen was standing less than half a meter from me and personally I think she is smaller than she looks. Not hard to guess that I would do it all again in a heart beat. It was amazing and I wish it wasn’t over this quickly and I will never forget the amazing people and the fun times we had.

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Additional Photos:

The crew before the performance:

Tashai on stage at CHOGM performing in front of the Queen: