(Leah Mari. Pic by Val
Adamson)
Singer-pianist Leah Mari (15) will launch her debut solo CD You've Got Time which features her
original compositions arranged for piano and voice at the Centre for Jazz &
Popular Music (UKZN Howard College Campus) on November 25.
Mari has been composing and performing for as long as she
can remember but most memorable will be her 2016 collection of original
compositions for this debut recording featuring herself as both pianist and
singer. Recorded at Sonic Studios, Durban, she invites music lovers to
experience a snapshot of her world through melodies and lyrics written from the
heart!
Mari has been playing the piano, singing and composing for
as long as she can remember. A Grade 9 learner at Durban Girls’ High School, she
is a member of the school choir and actively participates in the school’s arts
and culture events. In 2012, she was the winner of the inaugural song writing
competition South Africa Siyakhanya organized by Festival in The Hills – her winning composition, Siyakhanya was orchestrated by Ian
Holloway and performed by the KwaZulu-Natal Youth Orchestra, featuring Mari
singing with massed choir conducted by Richard Cock, at Makaranga Lodge.
A few months later she was invited to perform the same song
at two concerts at the Playhouse with the KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestra.
One of the youngest participants, she was placed third in the 2012 Gateway To
Fame Singing Competition and two years later won the same competition where she
performed another original composition entitled You’ve Got Time (2014). She has played keyboard and featured as the
singer for the youth band The Faze and in 2013 performed at the Hilton Arts
Festival with her sister Ella Mari (drums) and other young performers.
In 2014 Leah and Ella were the Prelude Performers for a Friends
of Music concert at the Durban Jewish Centre and Leah performed at the uShaka
Staff Awards ceremony at the Dolphin Stadium. She was approached by independent
local film maker Charlotte Mbali to write a piece of music for a short film (African Christmas Journey) submitted to
the Berlin Youth Film Academy. In 2015 & 2016 she was selected for the
Young Performers Programme directed by Themi Venturas at the Sneddon Theatre -
she played the female lead characters, Rose, in Soldiers In The City and Maria Elena Santiago (Budd Holly’s wife)
in Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story. She
also played Rosemary Pilkington in the Glenwood High School musical production How To Succeed in Business Without Really
Trying (2016) and was in the ensemble of the Durban Girls High School
annual school play Girls Like That. She
has recently been selected for the KZN Youth Choir (2017) under the direction
of Gerard du Toit.
Mari will perform selected tracks from You've Got Time at the launch which will take place on November 25
at 18h30 at the Centre for Jazz & Popular Music (UKZN Howard College
Campus). Entrance is free and there are a few give-aways to be won with EP
purchases (R50) Enquiries marigoldmusic@gmail.com
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