DURBAN CITY ORCHESTRA: A MUSICAL THEATRE ENCORE

Music-lovers are invited to an intimate Sunday concert in the company of the Durban City Orchestra (DCO) as they perform a beautiful programme of musical theatre greats at St Thomas in Musgrave Road on Sunday May 5 at 14h30.

The orchestra, one of the longest running orchestras in the country, has a complement of approximately 35 active members who get together weekly. The orchestra includes two accomplished professional musicians in Charl van der Merwe as Resident Conductor and Jitske Brien as Concert Master.

The programme is a carefully curated programme of musical theatre favourites including Lord of the Dance, Phantom of the Opera and The Sound of Music

Tickets: R150 / R120 booked through Quicket.

AFTER ISIMANGALISO

 

(Above: Pic supplied)

DUT second year Drama and Production students are staging a brand new especially-created production which looks at the notion of democracy and hope. After Isimangaliso (After the Miracle), comes to the DUT Courtyard Theatre from Mon 6, Tues, 7 and Wed 8 created, devised and directed collaboratively by Drama HoD, Dr Tanya van der Walt and Senior Lecturer, Dr Tamar Meskin working with dance lecturer Mduduzi Mtshali and singing specialist Zenneth Cibane.

The production looks at South |Africa’s recent past – the hope as we transitioned into democracy, and our grave disappointments 30 years on. It explores South Africa today and considers the possibility of daring for a better future, particularly for South Africa’s youth. 

After Isimangaliso has been created by workshopping ideas with the cast. Excerpts inspired from seminal works by Antjie Krog and Athol Fugard have been incorporated into the script, as well as material sourced from the archives of the Denis Hurley Centre.

The production is part of the Challenging Indifference series looking at our indifference to democracy and social justice, hosted by the Denis Hurley Centre, Diakonia Council of Churches and DUT Drama. Challenging Indifference was the theme of the annual Good Friday Service this year, which is being further unpacked in The Bridge - the time from Good Friday on March 29 to the national elections on May 29.

Each week the Bridge provides on-line prayerful and reflective material to help people to get a theological perspective on some important topical issues.  Materials will be prepared by groups of churches around Durban and so will form a kind of virtual pilgrimage.

Show times – May 6, 7 and 8 at 18h00. Tickets R50 (R20 students) available through secretary Bawinile at 031 373 2194, email: BawinileM1@dut.ac.za

DUT Courtyard Theatre is situated at 51 Steve Biko Road, Musgrave, Durban. Off-road parking available.

 

To sign up to The Bridge send your name via What’s App to 068 765 4107.

On WhatsApp click “updates” then “channels” and search for “the Bridge.”

I HEART MARKET – MOTHER’S DAY SHOPAGANZA

 

(Above: Pic supplied)

The ever-popular I heart Market, Durban’s iconic monthly market with soul, will take place this month on Saturday, May 4, 2024, from 09h00 to 14h00, allowing visitors an opportunity to indulge in a “shopaganza” a week before Mother’s Day.

The market, which is thriving in its new home at Northlands Primary School, Durban North, has a wonderful selection of locally handmade, homemade, up-cycled, recycled, and beautifully designed crafts, art, fashion, jewellery, home-ware, artisanal foods, second-hand gems, and more.

As the May market is a week ahead of Mother's Day, shoppers can explore the myriad beautifully handcrafted goods, just perfect for gifting that special mom in their lives.

With a focus on supporting local artisans and businesses, I heart Market encourages visitors to make a day of it and discover the unique offerings created by the skilled traders.

The I heart Market has become an important monthly event in the community, providing a vibrant space for artists, designers, and food vendors to showcase their creative abilities and helping to galvanize a warm community spirit. With its commitment to sustainability and promoting local talent, the market continues to attract visitors seeking unique and ethically sourced products.

For those with small children, there is a dedicated play area and a pram park, allowing adults to have a stress-free retail experience. The School Hall has air conditioning, guaranteeing a comfortable visit rain or shine.

There are designated areas for parking within the school grounds and precinct monitored by security guards.

For further details email info@iheartmkt.com

 

4TH ANNUAL ARTFLUENCE HUMAN RIGHTS FESTIVAL

 

(Above: We Stand for Freedom. Pic supplied)

 

4th Annual Artfluence Human Rights Festival: Building Bridges Through Arts

The Centre for Creative Arts at the University of KwaZulu-Natal presents the 4th annual Artfluence Human Rights Festival, a weeklong exploration of the power of art as a defender of social justice and human rights. Under the theme Bridges of Solidarity, the 2024 festival takes place from May 3 to 8, 2024, and fosters collaboration among 40 cultural producers who will develop strategies that advance shared values.

The festival’s performance line-up boasts six not-to-miss events. During opening night, audiences can expect to be captivated by renowned arts policy specialist and political playwright Mike van Graan’s acclaimed solo production, My Fellow South Africans, which is a satirical take on contemporary South Africa performed by Kim Blanche. For film enthusiasts, the festival will screen a documentary from Enver Samuels’s acclaimed documentary series, Truth Be Told on the TRC, titled Ntombikayise Kubheka, Bones of Memory.

Choreographed by Ukrainian Choreographer Kateryna Aloshyna and performed by South African dancers, We Stand for Freedom reflects what fighting for freedom means for Ukrainians and South Africans. The performance involves interactive participation by the audience via digital medium.  Based on the responses received, the dancers adapt the performance on stage.

Shakespeare to Gaza is a form of protest theatre drawing on liberation and resistance. This is a decolonial, Pan-African response by South African activist artists to the unfolding genocide, weaving together key historical moments reflected in Shakespearean text and extracts of the Gaza Monologues while harnessing our intertwined spirit of liberation resistance against injustice in solidarity with Palestine.

(Right: Musa Hlatshwayo. Pic supplied))

 

Durban-based choreographer, dancer and community activist Musa Hlatshwayo will introduce his interactive and performative installation, Rubbish Orchestra, to festival audiences. 

This installation integrates movement and sound into a creative orchestral jam.

 

The festival culminates in a free-of-charge closing event at KZNSA Gallery curated by Dr Michelle Stewart of the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Digital Arts Unit. 

This event will feature large-scale digital projections showcasing animation, experimental film, and digital imagery by Digital Arts postgraduate students. This programme will also include interactive multimedia performances, an exhibition, and a collaborative 30-metre artwork accompanied by performances by students from the Centre for Jazz & Contemporary Music. This project is presented in association with the Royal Academy of Art in Antwerp.

Expanding its reach, the Artfluence Human Rights Festival partners with the African Festival Network to welcome delegates from Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Mali and the DRC. Additionally, Nike Jonah, a Pan African Creative Exchange representative, will join the festival. Supported by the Flemish Representation of Flanders in South Africa, the festival will also host Philip Meersman, founder member and President of the World Poetry Slam Competition. The KZN Chapter of the South African Human Rights Commission has also pledged its support. Mike van Graan will curate a series of roundtables and discussions for the festival. The programme will also include site visits to the KwaMuhle Museum, Luthuli Museum, and the Nelson Mandela Capture Site. An evening programme will feature performances, exhibitions and film screenings.

The Artfluence Human Rights Festival unfolds from May 3 to 8, 2024. The main event venue for the 4th annual Artfluence Human Rights Festival is Howard College Theatre at UKZN, and the closing event will take place at the KZNSA Gallery.

The full programme is available on the Artfluence Human Rights website (artfluence.ukzn.ac.za). Bookings for ticketed events are available on Webtickets (R40-R100).

 

For more information on the Centre for Creative Arts, click on the advert to the right of this article.

 

UNDYING FACES BY MICHELLE STEWART

 

(Giclee paint on glass still 4 by Michelle Stewart. Pic supplied)

Undying Faces comprises postmortem portraits of unclaimed deceased from the Johannesburg Forensic Services, executed in several mediums: including an oil paint-on-glass animation, a series of 3D digital models, and a series of 2D oil paint-on-glass digital prints.

The exhibition aims, on the one hand, to present a final portrait of an anonymous individual, and to leave an indelible trace of their existence.

On the other hand, it aims to acknowledge the commemorative and transcendental roles of the traditions of the final portrait. While the portrayal of the dead is inevitably contentious, artists have long been working in this field of representing one of the very few constants we can understand as being a condition of life. The images have been fashioned with an acute awareness producing this work brings into tension the duty to the corpse, and the desire to hold onto a tangible memory or a visible trace.

Michelle Stewart is a senior lecturer and academic co-ordinator for Digital Arts at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. She has an MA in Fine Arts and a PhD in Media and Cultural Studies. She has exhibited on various exhibition and symposia platforms locally and internationally. Her animated works have been represented on The International Film Festival (Belgium), The Manifesto Film Festival (Amsterdam, The Animation and Social Engagement Symposium (Texas) and the International Symposium of Electronic Art and was awarded ‘Best Animation’ at the Euro-Kino Film Festival in Prague.

Undying Faces runs from Friday 3 May to Sunday 19 May 2024

The KZNSA - KwaZulu-Natal Society of Arts - is situated at 166 Bulwer Road, Glenwood, Durban. Phone 031 277 1705 or visit www.kznsagallery.co.za

Keep an eye on KZNSA socials for the walkabout date

 

KWASUKASUKELA

 Kwasukasukela – Once Upon a Time

by Ande Magoso and Sibusiso Mthembu

Patrons are invited to the openings of Kwasukasukela – Once Upon a Time, a duo exhibition by Sibusiso Mthembu and Ande Magoso, and Undying Faces by Michelle Stewart on Friday May 3 from 17h30.

 (Ande Magoso & Sibusiso Mthembu. Pics supplied)

 

Magoso’s paintings are rooted in land, both mythical and real, and in history and stories. In contrast, Mthembu’s ceramic sculpture is light, of the air and of daydreams. Both artists use rare forms of expression in their chosen mediums.

Early in life, Magoso found that drawing and painting shifted his focus to another realm, and as a young artist he was interested in the emotional responses of other people to his work.

Mthembu’s approach is more pragmatic; he always had a dream of making a living with his hands. The mythological elements of his ceramic work draw on the tradition of Josephine Ghesa and harkens forward; his imagined animals seem to have their eyes on the future.

Excerpt from text by Kirsten Miller

The exhibition runs from May 3 to 19, 2024.

You are invited to a walkabout with the artists on Saturday May 11 at 11h00

The KZNSA - KwaZulu-Natal Society of Arts - is situated at 166 Bulwer Road, Glenwood, Durban. Phone 031 277 1705 or visit www.kznsagallery.co.za

 

TAPESTRY FROM KD DANCE STUDIO

 

Tapestry is a culmination of the dance genres taught at KD Dance Studio - namely Ballet, Modern, Tap, Contemporary and Musical Theatre. 

From tiny ballerinas to teenage dancers, they dance together to strengthen bonds of friendship, and to weave a dance performance for you.

 Life is a Tapestry. The individual is only an insignificant thread in an immense and miraculous pattern.  In the Tapestry of life, when all connected, each one of us is a gift to those around us, helping each other be who we are; weaving a perfect picture together.

Tapestry takes place from May 4 to 5 at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre. Performances are on Saturday May 4 at 14h00 and 18h00, and Sunday 5 May at 14n00.

Tickets R160 and available through Computicket as follows: Online: https://computicket.com/event/tapestry/7278529

Outlets: Checkers Money Market Counters

For more information contact the Call Centre on 0861 915 8000

THE ANTIQUE HUNTER’S GUIDE TO MURDER: REVIEW

 

The denouement is certainly surprising, and there are lots of red herrings scattered along the way, but this novel, which is destined to be the first in a series, never really gets off the ground. (Review by Margaret von Klemperer, courtesy of The Witness)

The author of this debut novel is the daughter of the late Judith Miller of Antiques Roadshow and Miller’s Antiques Guides fame. So she certainly knows her antiques. 

The central character is Freya Lockwood, whose first career was as a hunter of missing antiques, aiming to restore them to their countries of origin and their original owners, until a tragedy made her turn away from both that work and her mentor, Arthur Crockleford.

 

But then, years later, Arthur dies somewhat mysteriously, and Freya’s imperious Aunt Carole, who was a close friend of Arthur’s, summons her back to her old home as a lawyer wants to see them both. And they discover that Arthur has left them a letter, instructing them to follow various clues to find an item of immense value. And so the hunt begins.

Freya and Carole end up in a semi derelict not-so-stately home in the English countryside for an apparent antiques weekend, with Freya supposed to be the valuer of the contents of an estate. But she quickly realises that all the antiques on show are reproductions, and not very good ones at that, and the weekend entertainment is not what is appears on the surface.

Meanwhile, the other people in the house are a curious bunch, all it seems with something to hide. And slowly Freya begins to realise that there are sinister links to the earlier tragedy in her life, which is finally explained to the reader.

Miller is aiming to put her novel squarely into the “cozy crime” category. But the trouble is that for cozy crime to work, even if the plot is convoluted and maybe improbable, the characters must be realistic, likeable and believable and the writing should be skilful. And here this book falls down. The baddies are too obviously bad and even the goodies are cardboard cutouts so that no-one is really convincing. And even when the plot speeds up towards the end, it is hard for the reader to care very much.

One of the major oddities is that, while Freya’s sections are in first-person narrative, other parts, dealing with other characters, are apparently from an omniscient narrator and this device unbalances the whole plot structure.

The denouement is certainly surprising, and there are lots of red herrings scattered along the way, but this novel, which is destined to be the first in a series, never really gets off the ground. - Margaret von Klemperer

The Antique Hunter’s Guide to Murder by C.L. Miller is published by Macmillan: ISBN 978-1035021819

ANA PEREIRA DE VLIEG EXHIBITION

 

(Above: “Looking Up To Hottentot Holland Mountains “  –15 x 20cm , oil on wood  panel)

 Travel With Me En Plein Air is the title of an exhibition by Ana Pereira de Vlieg which will run at Tamasa Gallery from May 4 at 11h00 to May 25.

 Tamasa Gallery is situated at 740 Currie Road, Durban. Phone 031 2071223 or visit www.tamasagallery.co.za

 

ABBA – THANK YOU FOR THE MUSIC

 

Rhumbelow Theatre will present ABBA: Thank You For The Music choreographed by Cathy Barry and musical arrangement and audio visual by Alan Barry.

Shows take place on April 26 and 27 at 19h30 and on April 28 at 14h00. The venue is open 90 minutes before show 

Mention ABBA and the upbeat foursome springs readily to mind but to ignore their melancholy side would mean we have not captured the true essence of ABBA.

This amazing foursome shot to stardom with hits such as Super Trouper, Money Money, Gimme Gimme and Mamma Mia. But as the group headed into the 80’s, a deeper/darker tone came out in their music.

One Step Productions will take you through the real-life journey of Agnetha, Anni-Frid, Benny and Bjorn as we celebrate their greatest hits.

The talented cast consists of fabulous singers Marion Loudon and Kiara Teunissen , as well as our Steps Dance Company dancers Shaye Caldicott, Caitlyn Petterson, Thandah Gazu and Tanya Webb. And last but not least, Brian Petterson as the fabulous guitarist for the production.

Book your tickets now and you won’t be disappointed.

R200 a ticket. Bar available (no alcohol may be brought on to the premises). Bring food picnic baskets or buy at the venue.

Limited secure parking available.

Booking is essential on email: roland@stansell.co.za or Computicket http://events.durbantheatre.com/

Rhumbelow Theatre is situated at 42 Cunningham Road off Bartle Road in Umbilo, Durban. For more information contact 0824998636.

THE ROYAL OPERA - MADAMA BUTTERFLY

 

Rhumbelow Classics Cinema - On The Big Screen will present The Royal Opera’s Madama Butterfly on Monday, April 29.

Screening starts at 18h00. (Venue opens 60 minutes before show for snacks/drinks)

Running time: 195 minutes (incl 1 interval)

Welcome to the Royal Opera House Season 2023/2024, these presentations are LIVE STREAMED EVENTS, with intervals, starring some of the world’s top performers. They are also recorded for venues such as The Rhumbelow Theatre and we are proud to bring you this series of Cinema experiences, as we endeavour to provide entertainment to appeal to everyone.

Madama Butterfly

Live in cinemas from Tuesday March 26, 2024

Music:  Giacomo Puccini

Conductor:  Kevin John Edusei

Directors:  Moshe Leiser and Patrice Caurier

Set designer:  Christian Fenouillat

Costume designer:  Agostino Cavalca

Lighting designer:  Christophe Forey

Cio-Cio-San: Asmik Grigorian

Lieutenant B.F: Pinkerton Joshua Guerrero

Sharpless: Lauri Vasar

Suzuki: Hongni Wu

Goro Ya-Chung Huang

The Bonze: Jeremy White

Prince Yamadori Josef: Jeongmeen Ahn

Kate Pinkerton: Veena Akama-Makia

Imperial Commissioner: Romanas Kudriašovas

 

Royal Opera Chorus

Orchestra of the Royal Opera House

Sung in Italian with English subtitles

Generous philanthropic support from Royal Opera House Principals Julia and Hans Rausing

 

For more information, and to book, visit: ROH - Cinema

 

About The Royal Opera

The Royal Opera, under the artistic direction of Antonio Pappano, Music Director, and Oliver Mears, Director of Opera, is one of the world’s leading opera companies. Based in the iconic Covent Garden theatre, it is renowned both for its outstanding performances of traditional opera and for commissioning new works by today’s leading opera composers, such as George Benjamin, Kaija Saariaho, Mark-Anthony Turnage and Thomas Adès.

About the Royal Opera House

Home to The Royal Ballet, The Royal Opera and the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, the Royal Opera House brings together world-class performers and trailblazing creative teams to share unforgettable performances with audiences near and far. Our theatres are in London’s Covent Garden, but our work is accessed and experienced across the UK and globally through our streams, tours, cinema programme, radio broadcasts and TV output. 

Over the course of the pandemic, we curated the #OurHouseToYourHouse programme – nine live-streamed concerts and 38 productions from our archives. Content was viewed over 15 million times in 183 countries, and broadcast in partnership with the BBC, Sky Arts, Marquee TV and Netflix. During the pandemic we lost £3 in every £5 of our income and we continue to feel the financial impact as we slowly recover.

In September 2021, we returned for our first full Season since 2019, presenting a packed programme of world premieres, landmark new productions and returning favourites. Since then, we have expanded our audience through a flagship Young ROH scheme, returned to live cinema, launched Royal Opera House Stream, and extended our national impact through an ambitious curriculum-linked programme for schools, specially designed to ignite creativity, broaden participation and diversify the future of opera and ballet. We are committed to reducing our impact on the environment and aim to achieve net zero emissions by 2035.

About ROH Cinema

Since 2008, our cinema programme has brought over 120 opera and ballet broadcasts to audiences across the globe. It now reaches more than 1,500 cinemas from the UK to New Zealand, bringing the best of our resident companies to the big screen. Each broadcast offers audiences the best seat in the house, and includes exclusive behind-the-scenes footage, interviews and insights into the rehearsal process. The programme forms an integral part of our plan to secure our future, expand audiences and continue to help facilitate the vital recovery of cinema domestically and internationally.

R150 a ticket. Food available at the Rhumbelow Theatre. Bar Available (no alcohol may be brought on to the premises)

Limited secure parking available.

Booking is essential on email: roland@stansell.co.za or Computicket http://events.durbantheatre.com/

Rhumbelow Theatre is situated at 42 Cunningham Road off Bartle Road in Umbilo, Durban. For more information contact 0824998636.

WORLD SYMPHONY SERIES 2024 WINTER SEASON

 

"Greetings, my dear friends!"

Bongani Tembe, Chief Executive and Artistic Director of the KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestra takes delight in welcoming patrons back into the fold for the World Symphony Series 2024 Winter Season.

He says: “Spreading some mid-year warmth among us, our four-concert season’s artist and repertoire line-up is as enticing as ever. Luminaries returning to grace our podium include the accomplished Cape Town conductor Brandon Phillips; our much-loved associate guest conductor Daniel Boico; and longstanding favourites Yasuo Shinozaki from Japan, and the renowned Russian-born maestro Daniel Raiskin.

“The season’s guest roster of soloists includes the renowned Czech pianist Jan Bartoš; the US-based, Durban-born soprano Bronwyn Forbay; the celebrated American oboist James Austin Smith; and Ben Schoeman, one of our country’s most in-demand concert pianists.

“We have leavened our richly curated programme of concert staples with Beethoven, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Bizet, Gounod, Richard Strauss, and others, with some enticing rarities that are sure to delight. Not the least of these is the mesmerising Symphony in c minor by Edvard Grieg, a thrilling work whose neglect will confound you on discovery, as it brings our season to a resounding close. There is nothing like a fresh uncovering of a hidden masterpiece to push the “wow” factor.

Who says Classical Music isn’t exciting?”

 

The full details of the Winter Season are laid out in our digital brochure, accessible here. chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://mcusercontent.com/a9401b52c844e85fe6ffcacc0/files/f8048847-8e4f-6342-a372-dfb4b3a37423/eBrochure_KZN_Phil_Winter_Season_2024.01.pdf

 

Audiences are encouraged to secure their Season Ticket bookings by contacting info@kznphil.org.za or 031 369 9438. Subscriptions will close on May 22, 2024. Single tickets are available for purchase through the KZNPO office and through Quicket.

Bongani Tembe adds: “Your participation as our audience is the very lifeblood that sustains our musicians. Each one of you adds something special to our work in the service of music, and you have our sincere appreciation.”

 

CONCERT LINE-UP

 

June 6, 2024,19h00. Playhouse Opera Theatre

Brandon Phillips, conductor

Jan Bartoš, piano

Haydn: Symphony No. 59 in A Major, “Fire”

Mendelssohn: Piano Concerto No. 2, Op. 40 in d minor

Beethoven: Symphony No. 5, Op. 67 in c minor

 

June 13, 2024, 19h00. Playhouse Opera Theatre

Yasuo Shinozaki, conductor

Bronwen Forbay, soprano

Bizet: Suite No. 1 from Carmen

Bizet: “Je dis que rien m’epouvante” from Carmen

Fauré: Pavanne, Op. 50

Cilea: “Ecco: respiro appena” from Adriana Lecouvreur

Gounod: Overture from Romeo et Juliette, CG9

Gounod: “Je veux vivre dans ce reve” (Romeo et Juliette)

Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 3, Op. 29 in D Major, “Polish”

 

June 20, 2024, 19h00. Playhouse Opera Theatre

Daniel Boico, conductor

James Austin Smith, oboe

Elgar: Serenade, Op. 20 in e minor

Strauss: Oboe Concerto, TrV 292 in D Major

Mozart: Symphony No. 41, K. 551 in C Major, “Jupiter”

 

June 27, 2024, 19h00. Playhouse Opera Theatre

Daniel Raiskin, conductor

Ben Schoeman, piano

Andrėe: Concert Overture in D Major 

Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4, Op. 58 in G Major

Grieg: Symphony in c minor

 

DON'T MISS OUT! SECURE YOUR TICKETS ASAP

SEASON TICKET HOLDERS SAVE UP TO 20% ON THE PRICE OF INDIVIDUALLY BOUGHT TICKETS FOR ALL 4 CONCERTS

Season tickets are now available through KZNPO offices on: info@kznphil.org.za or 031 369 9438. Single tickets are also available through us or via Quicket.

Don't delay! Secure your seats and enjoy up to 20% off when you subscribe.

Note that gallery seating is available during the Winter 2024 Season, but in the Gold category only

The KZN Philharmonic Orchestra is a not-for-profit company and a public benefit organisation with a committed board of directors consisting of prominent business people and community leaders.

The Orchestra is chaired by business luminary, Mr Saki Macozoma, and ably led for the past 25 years by Mr Bongani Tembe, an accomplished Juilliard School trained singer and distinguished arts manager. Mr Tembe’s strong vision fosters high artistic values and a commitment to engaging with the diverse communities of South Africa.

A comprehensive education, development and community engagement programme exposes more than 30,000 urban and township learners per year to music educational concerts, whilst the Orchestra also spends part of the year in the rural areas working with local schools and communities. In addition, the Orchestra presents its flagship World Symphony Series (WSS), which features four seasons of symphony concerts at the Durban City Hall and the Playhouse Opera Theatre.

To link directly to the KZNPO's website, click on the advert at the top right-hand side of this  page or visit www.kznphil.org.za