INDIGENOUS & MODERN

Indigenous Instruments & Modern Technologies Festival from May 16 to 18.

A three-day festival of music featuring indigenous instruments and modern technologies comes to Durban, opening on May 16. The festival celebrates “Latitude 350 South”, a space for musical heritage, creation and research, for both artists and scholars along this latitude. Following a successful New Zealand meeting, the Durban festival includes concerts, workshops and conference presentations, spread over three days.

May 16 at 15h00: Durban Botanic Gardens Amphitheatre. Alejandro Iglesias Rossi conducts the Orchestra of Indigenous Instruments and Modern Technologies from The National University at Tres De Febrero in Argentina in their African debut. This internationally acclaimed orchestra has been described as one that ‘rejects the concept of boundaries, no matter which...’ (Radio France Info) and ‘weds ancient spirituality and modern sensibility’ (The Jakarta Post). The orchestra consists of composer-players whose performances on indigenous instruments mixed with electronic and contemporary lutheries ‘invocate sound with ... conscious and profound attention and concentration’ (Latvian National Radio). Tickets R80 (R50 pensioners and R20 children and students)

May 17 at 19h00: UKZN Howard College Theatre. The Orchestra of Indigenous Instruments and Modern Technologies will be joined by the Richard Nunns and Phil Dadson Duo from New Zealand and KZN’s own Sazi Dlamini and Ndikho Xaba. Richard Nunns is an expert performer and knowledge source on taonga puoro, traditional Maori instruments. He will perform solo and in collaboration with Phil Dadson, an expert on experimental musical instruments. Sazi Dlamini makes traditional instruments for which he composes and plays music. He collaborates with Ndikho Xaba, a renowned Durban musician. Tickets R80 (R50 pensioners and R20 children and students)

May18 at 14h00: UKZN Howard College Theatre. This final session will be a post-workshops collaborative concert. Performers will collaborate in exploration and presentation of sound developed on their chosen instruments (indigenous or modern) as a culmination of the festival.
Admission is free.

For more information, contact the UKZN Music School on 031 260 3353.