Joburg Theatre is delighted to announce it will welcome back arts lovers to the Mandela Theatre on 22 and 23 October 2020 for a special evening of world-class opera with Cantiamo-Mzansi Opera Celebration.
Directed by Marcus Tebogo Desando, the production will feature the internationally renowned voices of Kimmy Skota, Kelebogile Besong, Thesele Kemane and Phenye Modiane, with Paul Ferreira on piano.
With special Covid-19 protocols in place, Joburg Theatre patrons will enjoy two live performances of Cantiamo-Mzansi Opera Celebration, while opera lovers worldwide can stream the production from the comfort of their homes on 24 and 25 October 2020. All performances are at 19:30.
Already established in the opera, oratorio and concert arenas worldwide, the four South African singers will be joined by the Vivacious Sounds Choir for a wide-ranging programme showcasing some of the most beloved and recognisable opera works in the canon.
The Vivacious Sounds programme identifies students with exceptional musical talent throughout schools in Gauteng and trains them in all music disciplines. The choir consists of 20 singers from Katlehong, Johannesburg South and Soweto, ranging in age from 16 to 35 years.
The one-hour Cantiamo-Mzansi Opera Celebration will feature music from Bellini’s I Puritani, Mozart’s Don Giovanni and Verdi’s La Traviata, together with a selection of local compositions showcasing South Africa’s contribution to the global opera repertoire. These will include extracts from Phelelani Mnomiya’s Ziyankomo and the Forbidden Fruit and Mzilikazi Khumalo’s Princess Magogo.
“Sadly, the pandemic has curtailed the ability of artists everywhere to perform for live audiences, but it’s to Joburg Theatre’s credit that we will have an opportunity in October to celebrate one of South Africa’s most valuable national treasures, our operatic voices,” said Desando.
“The idea of Cantiamo was born out of Joburg Theatre’s commitment to presenting a diversity of artforms and, as our opera talent is sought-after worldwide, I jumped at the opportunity to put together this celebration,” Desando continued.
“In addition to a range of beloved opera excerpts, we are featuring some beautiful work by a number of local composers and choral music legend Mnomiya, who sadly passed away in August.”
Joburg City Theatres CEO Xoliswa Nduneni-Ngema added: “Widely recognised as one of the biggest theatre venues in the country for staging both Broadway musicals and homegrown productions, we thought it would be timely this spring to celebrate opera, one of the most popular musical genres in the world.
“Cantiamo will be the first show in the Mandela after lockdown, and what a way to celebrate! We are particularly looking forward to welcoming our loyal audiences back to the theatre to enjoy these internationally recognised voices of Mzantsi and also to reaching a whole new national and international audience online.”
Booking is now open for R120, or stream the performance for just R70. Visit www.joburgtheatre.com for further details.
