SHOW 3 AT LOADING BAY GALLERY

(“entwined series – i” - oil on canvas by Jeannie Kinsler)

Show 3 at the new Loading Bay Gallery in Station Drive opens on April 1.

Among the large line up of artists for the April show are Jeannie Kinsler, Vulindlela Nyoni, Fran Saunders, Melody French, Pascale Chandler, Grace Kotze, Lesley Ireland Mathew, Deidre Maree, Louise Jennings, Nikhil Tricam, Ashley Viljoen, Celeste Bredin, Cameron de Bruyn, Jane Oliver, Lara Mellon, Shauna Southam, Sharon Erichsen, Roz Cryer and Mike Maxwell.

“The group includes a very diverse mix of materials from wood, pen and ink, oil paint, mixed medium, acrylic paint, works on paper, and ceramics. Likewise, the subject varies greatly from the seductive material of paint holding the content to the naturalistic depiction of an object carrying the main value of the work,” says Grace Kotze who runs the gallery.

The official opening takes place on April 1 from 18h.00 to 20h00. All welcome. Fortune coffee will provide a cash bar

The exhibition runs until May 1 at the Loading Bay Gallery at 15 Station Drive, Durban (housed in Con Amore Home). For more information contact 082 560 5045.

TRIBUTE TO DIRE STRAITS

(Barry Thomson, Dawn Selby, Shaun Dragt, Mali Sewell & Jason Andrew)

Back by popular demand at Rhumbelow Theatre is Tribute to Dire Straits. Paying tribute to the music of Mark Knopfler and his band Dire Straits will be The Reals featuring Barry Thomson, Dawn Selby, Mali Sewell and Jason Andrew with guest guitarist Shaun Dragt.

Dire Straits was a British rock band formed in 1977 by Mark Knopfler (lead vocals and lead guitar) and his younger brother David Knopfler. Their sound was influenced by a variety of musical styles including jazz, folk and blues, and contrasted with the prominence of punk rock during their early years. Their more conventional sound appealed to modern audiences weary of the overproduced stadium rock of the 1970s.

Dire Straits' fifth album Brothers in Arms, released in May 1985 was their highest selling studio album with sales of over 30 million. It was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the first compact disc to sell a million copies, helping to popularise the CD format. It was one of the first albums recorded on digital equipment and the title track is reported to be the world's first CD single. In August 1986, the song which launched MTV Europe was another Knopfler hit Money for Nothing and featured Sting in a cameo vocal role.

To date, Dire Straits have sold in excess of 120 million albums and this show features a selection of their hit songs including Brothers in Arms, Walk of Life, So Far Away, Sultans of Swing, Romeo and Juliet, Tunnel of Love, Private Investigations and Money for Nothing.

Shows take place from April 8 to 10 and again from April 15 to 17. Friday and Saturday performances at 20h00 with Sunday shows starting at 14h00. There will be an extra performance on April 17 at 18h30. The venue opens 90 minutes before show for picnic dinner.

Tickets R140 (R120 pensioners and tables of eight or more).

Take along food picnic baskets. Braais will be available. There is limited secure parking and booking is essential. A cash bar is available (no alcohol may be brought on to the premises). Rhumbelow Durban is situated at 42 Cunningham Road off Bartle Road in Umbilo.

Booking is through Computicket or contact Roland on 082 499 8636, email roland@stansell.za.net or visit http://events.durbantheatre.com

CALL OUT: MUSIC MOBILITY FUND 2016

Deadline: April 3, 2016

Planning a music tour but unsure how to fund it? There are a few days left to apply to Concerts SA’s Music Mobility Fund, which will select new projects to support in April.

This tour funding mechanism offers opportunities for professional South African musicians to undertake live music tours in South Africa as well as other Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries. The fund provides support to live music performances, collaborations and performance-based workshops.

Following the success of the 2014 and 2015 rounds of funding, applications are now open for the first iteration of Music Mobility Fund disbursements this year. The deadline for submissions is April 3, 2016, and tours should take place between late April 2016 and October 30, 2016.

Since it was initiated in 2013, the Music Mobility Fund has supported more than 70 tours and has featured artists like Wendy Oldfield and Paul Hanmer, Ihashi Elimhlophe, Pops Mohamed and Dave Reynolds, Carlo Mombelli, Morayks, and Thandi Ntuli. In addition to South Africa, these performances and projects have fanned out to Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Tanzania and Zimbabwe, spanning genres from jazz to indigenous music, from folk to hip-hop and kwaito.

The Fund is administered by Concerts SA, a joint South African/Norwegian project housed within The SAMRO Foundation.

Among the projects that may be financed are tours and concerts, including regional, national or provincial tours, as well as performances at festivals and showcases. The Music Mobility Fund also funds artistic collaborations with merit among musicians based in different provinces of South Africa or SADC countries. Each project must be between four days and six months in duration.

Applicants should first read the Call for Proposals and then complete the Application Form in English, and submit it by April 3, 2016, including the following mandatory documents: legal documentation of the applicant (ID/passport copy for individuals and organisation representatives; company registration documents); track record (media coverage, website links, evidence of recognition awards, public appearances or residencies, CV, biography, etc.); budget of the project (including projected income and expenditure); and a calendar of activities with tour schedule. SADC regional projects must include a letter from the local host confirming their support and involvement.

Enquiries and applications should be submitted by email to concertssa@samro.org.za, by fax to 086 500 7028 or by post to Concerts SA, c/o The SAMRO Foundation, 20 De Korte Street, 4th Floor SAMRO Place, Braamfontein, Johannesburg, 2001.

For more information, visit the Mobility Fund page at www.concertssa.co.za/call-out-music-mobility-fund-2016-april, follow @ConcertsSA on Twitter or like Concerts SA on Facebook

(This information is published in full on the Arts & Culture Trust’s blog – see http://www.act.org.za)

2016 SAMRO OVERSEAS SCHOLARSHIPS COMPETITION

Deadline: May 16, 2016

The Southern African Music Rights Organisation (SAMRO) invites applications for the 2016 SAMRO Overseas Scholarships Competition for Instrumentalists. Musically gifted Southern Africans are encouraged to take this opportunity to compete for a scholarship to further their postgraduate studies or attend master classes overseas.

The SAMRO Foundation is an independently registered non-profit company that manages the Corporate Social Investment (CSI) programmes on behalf of SAMRO, including this competition which rotates between instrumentalists, composers, keyboard players and singers.

Over the past 54 years, the SAMRO Overseas Scholarships Competition has produced a gallery of illustrious alumni including internationally acclaimed performers and composers such as Abel Moeng, Magda de Vries, Kesivan Naidoo, Tutu Puoane, Ben Schoeman, Kesivan Naidoo, Vuyo Sotashe and Bokani Dyer. The previous scholarships for instrumentalists (2012) were won by trumpeter Darren English (Jazz) and violinist Avigail Bushakevitz (Western Art Music).

The competition has two main awards, one for Jazz and one for Western Art Music (classical). These two awards are currently valued at R200,000 each, and there are a number of subsidiary prizes also available for exceptional candidates. The combined prizes amount to just under R600,000.

To participate in the 2016 competition, you must be a music student or professional instrumentalist (excluding keyboards), between the ages of 20 and 32 (born after May 15, 1983), and a citizen of South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho or Swaziland.

To enter, aspiring candidates must download the regulations and the application form from the SAMRO Foundation website (www.samrofoundation.org.za). Applications should be emailed to anriette.chorn@samro.org.za on or before May 16, 2016.

The competition takes the format of three rounds which will culminate in a final round in the form of a public concert at the Linder Auditorium on August, 20.

(This information is published in full on the Arts & Culture Trust’s blog – see http://www.act.org.za)

SCOUT LOCATION DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME

Deadline: April 15, 2016

The Durban Film Office (DFO), the film industry development arm of the eThekwini Municipality, is making a call-out to aspiring location scouts, to apply for its second SCOUT Location Development Programme.

“Location scouting and management plays a pivotal role in the film and commercial production value chain, and the location scout is one of the most critical members of a modern day film making crew.” explains Toni Monty, Head of the DFO. “The location scout is responsible for acquiring the right kind of information about the sites/locations that are necessary to shoot a film or television commercial and therefore also play a key role in attracting productions to the City.

The DFO’s SCOUT location development programme aims to develop and nurture young talent in the field of location scouting, and increase the number of location scout practitioners in Durban with a view of developing skills in the local service industry.

The DFO is looking for eight suitable candidates to participate in the SCOUT Location development Programme. Selected participants will be paired with an experienced location manager for a training period of two weeks in the field.

Anyone who is between the ages of 18 and 35 years of age, a resident of EThekwini Municipality and interested in further developing their skills in location scouting can fill out the application form on the DFO website at www.durbanfilmoffice.co.za or email Nosipho Hlophe at Nosipho.Hlophe@durban.gov.za and request the SCOUT Location development application form.

The application form together with a one page motivation are to be submitted to Nosipho by 12h00 on April 15, 2016, at Nosipho.Hlophe@durban.gov.za or delivered to 11th Floor Rennies House, 41 Margaret Mncadi Street, Durban 4000. For further information call 031 311 4243.