CALLUM’S WILL: REVIEW

(Left: Darren King as Callum. Pic supplied)

“Callum’s Will” is a touching story told through fine performances and thoughtful direction. (Review by Shannon Kenny)

 

Darren King and Tafara Nyatsanza take the title roles in Blessing Xaba's adaptation of Jana Ramos-Violante’s original play about the relationship between Callum, a disabled former ballet dancer and Will, the young man who is hired to run errands for him. The original play was set in London while this iteration is set in a present-day Johannesburg.

The audience meets a wheelchair-bound Callum in his apartment, with his back towards us, as the record player fills the space with meditative music. 

When the music ends, Callum turns to reveal framed photographs of his former life as a dancer and changes the LP. After performing a series of ballet movements with his arms, he breaks down into anguished sobs.

The entire scene unfolds without a spoken word.

Darren King is excellent as the pent-up Callum. King does a fine job of holding the tension of a character ‘keeping it together’ - who channels the control he would have exercised as a ballet dancer into managing a disability and maintaining a life marked by isolation, frustration and loneliness.

Callum’s frustration with his fate is never far from the surface, whether exhibited in King’s strained jaw, the effort in lifting himself - paralysed legs and all - from wheelchair to armchair or the generous helpings of gin he pours himself before settling down for the night.

Tafara Nyatsanza's Will is spirited, unabashed and provides a spark, colour (did I not envy those costumes!) and levity that contrasts so well with King’s Callum. Will’s entry marks an initially uncomfortable - though certainly welcome - addition to Callum’s world. Callum upbraids Will in their first meeting for arriving early and refuses to speak to him until the appointed time. Will then casually goes about the flat inspecting Callum’s photographs, pills and record collection. Will notices a Chambers Brothers album in the collection and remarks how it was a favourite of his father and uncles in Zimbabwe. A classic.

The actors’ and their characters’ energy is wonderfully matched. Over the course of their relationship - through chess games, jibes about Will’s sartorial choice and a shared reefer - Callum's demeanour softens as he warms to his new friend whose blithe spirit is unfazed by his acerbic comments and who is more curious than troubled by his disability. We learn that Will is originally from Zimbabwe, has lost his father, follows his horoscope and aspires to be a writer. In a poignantly-delivered spoken-word poem, Will reveals just the kind of writer he is.

Writers are often urged to ‘show, don’t tell’ and this piece of theatre is very much a work that does just that. Much about the pair’s growing relationship is revealed in what is not spoken. And there is much that is not revealed that challenges the audience to ask questions of the story: How long has Will been in the country and what is his immigrant experience? Where does he live? What kind of life does he have outside of his work and relationship with Callum and his literary aspirations? Does he see so easily beyond Callum’s disability because he knows what it means to be judged for who people think you are, rather than who you really are? So many questions.

The simple set with its well-placed furniture and accoutrements makes for a believable apartment interior - and allows for King to move with ease in his wheelchair, as though this space were his own. Will’s costumes are befitting of a spritely, creative who does not care for fitting in.

Blessing Xaba's use of silence simultaneously drew my attention to Callum’s isolation and loneliness and at times nudged me to the edge of discomfort, challenging me to consider what loneliness, disability and isolation might mean - and ultimately what I would do with the time I have.

Will is a catalyst and Callum gets to live again, care again and be the cheerleader for someone else's dreams.

The story for me is a story of acceptance and the kind of love where you truly desire the best for the other person - and of letting go because they need to grow without you.

The Chambers Brothers' “Time” underscores the pair’s histories, relationship and uncertainty about their future so well.

Callum’s Will is a touching story told through fine performances and thoughtful direction.

Thank-you and Bravo! – Shannon Kenny

The two final performances take place tomorrow (Sunday November 2) at 15h00 and 18h30.

Ticket price R150 (R100 students and OAP). Booking direct through Darren King on 0823241709.

 

 

SOUND OF MUSIC FUNDRAISER

 

The Denis Hurley Centre will be hosting an afternoon screening of the iconic Rogers and Hammerstein musical, The Sound of Music, at the Rhumbelow Umbilo on Sunday, November 16 at 14h30, to which audience members are invited to dress up and sing along! “What is the first thing you associate with nuns, refugees and great music - the Denis Hurley Centre!  What is the second?  The Sound of Music!” says DHC Director, Dr Raymond Perrier. The Sound of Music turns 60 this year, having been launched in 1965; and Dame Julie Andrews turns 90 years old this month – so plenty to celebrate. It is best known for its astonishing multi-hit soundtrack – including Maria, My Favourite Things, Do Re Mi, Sixteen Going on Seventeen, Sound of Music, So Long Farewell, Climb Ev’ry Mountain and Edelweiss.  Suggested donation R220 per person / R1500 for a table of eight. For information or booking, contact admin@denishurleycentre.org

FOUR FAIR FESTIVAL

A Four Fair Festival is a Berea destination for lovers of markets on Saturday, November 1, 2025.

Glenwood Village Centre, upper level. 09h00 to 13h00

Musgrave Methodist Church. 08h30 to 11h30

Glenwood Presbyterian Church. 08h00 to 12 noon

St Olav Church. 08h00 to 11h00

Durban’s Musgrave / Glenwood is the destination for bargain hunters, browsers and shopaholics on Saturday November 1 with literally four morning fairs being held within a few kilometers from each other. 

Glenwood’s favourite everyday shopping centre, Glenwood Village, and three of Berea’s most loved churches - Glenwood Presbyterian, Musgrave Methodist and St Olav, have elected to hold their markets / church fetes on the same day to entice visitors to come to the Berea to enjoy all events.  Two of the churches are adjoining neighbours in St Thomas Road, and Glenwood Village and Glenwood Presby are close by in neighbouring Glenwood. 

The intention is that by working together, visitors from both Berea and further afield can curate their own “Festival of Fetes” by visiting all four in the course of a morning. Come hungry and with spending money. There is guarded street parking and limited off road parking at all venues.

RICHARD HASLOP FOR ST CLEMENTS

 

(Right: Richard Haslop. Pic supplied)

 

Friends of the late Pieter Scholtz who invented the Mondays @ 6 at St Clements programme, invite audiences to a Bob Dylan evening, with a difference. Come and be entertained, intrigued, enlightened by multi-talented musician, music guru, raconteur, former president of the SA Society for Labour Law, blues and roots music aficionado, Richard Haslop.

Bob Dylan uses tunes, lyrics, ideas, stories, characters, song titles and so forth from all over the place, yet seldom gives direct credit, says Richard Haslop. “This has led to his being accused of plagiarism but, as Oscar Wilde may have said, ‘Talent borrows, genius steals’ and, as T S Eliot definitely said, ‘Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal’…”

Dylan, says Haslop, has been borrowing, lifting and appropriating from both traditional and composed sources ever since he started out, and the folk and blues traditions have been fertile hunting grounds. Song To Woody, one of only two original songs on his 1962 debut album, took its entire melody from Woody Guthrie’s own 1913 Massacre. “It’s a melody that almost certainly has its roots in English traditional folk music.”

"That same debut album featured Bob’s versions of a number of blues songs, for one of which he pilfered the guitar figure from the 1957 Everly Brothers hit, Wake Up Little Susie, which is anything but a blues.

“And so Dylan has carried on, adopting and adapting the words and music of as disparate a group of sources as little-known Civil War poet Henry Timrod, a Japanese Yakuza crime syndicate boss, the great Latin language poet Ovid, and, more relevantly for our purposes, the obscure bluesman Hambone Willie Newborn and dozens of unknown sources of centuries-old traditional folk songs, presenting them as his own and coming up with songs like Blowin’ In The Wind, A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall, Masters Of War and many more across a more than six-decade career.”

Bob Dylan and the folk and blues traditions might sound more like a doctoral thesis than a listening session where really nothing more than the surface can be lightly scratched as we spend about an hour-and-a-half comparing those often-ancient sources with what Dylan ended up doing with them. “But let’s scratch that surface, anyway,” says Haslop, “and hope that we don’t end up with something too superficial.”

Richard Haslop, a practicing attorney with a focus on human rights, labour law, arbitration and industrial relations, is a multi-instrumentalist, music reviewer, radio personality and one of South Africa's leading experts on blues and roots music. He is a former president of the South African Society for Labour Law (SASLAW) and has acted as a judge in the Labour Court of South Africa on a number of occasions.

Richard Haslop has:

-written about music for national and international publications for more than 30 years;

-presented a number of seriously eclectic music shows on SAfm;

-lectured courses on the history of popular music at UKZN Music Department;

-given talks, lectures and presentations at a number of festivals and conferences in SA and overseas;

-played an incredible number of weird and wonderful musical instruments, solo and in a variety of aggregations (for more than 40 years).

 

Link through to this article, which lists some of his favourite artists and music. http://www.rock.co.za/files/cs_richard_haslop.html

 

When the donation box is passed around, a minimum of R50 per person is suggested.

NB: For Monday at Six, feel welcome to book for one (single) person (and join Val’s table, or another).

Weather permitting, the show will be outdoors.

Bookings limited to diners in support of St Clements restaurant and staff. (They stay open specially for this project.)Table Bookings Essential: RSVP ST Clements +27 62 582 0980

Be there in time to open your tab, order at the counter, find your table and settle in before the scheduled 18h00 start. If you wish to dine after the presentation, place your order before 18h00.

Please cancel if you book then can’t make it. (They are often at capacity.)

St Clements is situated at 191 Musgrave Road in Durban

 

2025 INSTRUMENTAL SHOWCASE

The Centre for Jazz and Popular Music proudly presents the 2025 Instrumental showcase featuring UKZN featuring school of Arts Music Students on Wednesday October 29, 2025, at 17h30.

Witness the talents of second-year student Zolile Mgqatsa on bass. He will be performing Message of Hope by Derrick Hodge. Also in the bill is first-year student saxophone Jude Miller student playing Winelight by Grover Washington JR. Trumpeter Phakamile Mtshali who is a first-year student will be delivering Ode to Nganekhaya by Sphelelo Mazibuko.

Guitarists Sphephelo Mbhele and Thabani Magcaba (Mr 5 minutes) will perform a duet, The things we did last summer made famous by Jo Stafford. Drummer, Buhle Mthiyane who is also a first-year student will be performing Spain by Chick Corea.

A thrilling line-up of UKZN School of Arts (Music) students for Instrumental Showcase

The concert takes place on October 29, 2025. Doors open at 17h00; Music starts at 17h30

Tickets will be available for cash at the door for R120 for General Admission (R90 Pensioners and R60 Students).

UKZN Centre for Jazz and Popular Music is located in the Dennis Shepstone Building, Level 2, Howard College Campus

For enquiries email: zamat1@ukzn.ac.za.

FRIENDS OF MUSIC PRESENTS GREAT ROMANTIC SONATAS

(Right: Zanta Hofmeyer and Elna Van Der Merwe. Pic supplied)

Friends of Music will present a programme of Great Romantic Sonatas featuring Zanta Hofmeyer (Violin) and Elna Van Der Merwe (Piano) on November 9 at 14h30 at the Durban Jewish Centre, North Beach.

Zanta Hofmeyr is recognised as one of South Africa’s foremost violinists. She is a graduate of the Juilliard School of Music in New York. After her New York debut in Carnegie Recital Hall, she returned to South Africa in 1985. She performs regularly as soloist with symphony orchestras in South Africa and was lauded for her performances of the Britten, Beethoven, Brahms, Mendelssohn and Bruch concerti. She is also an active chamber music aficionado. She has several recordings with different artists of which the latest are French sonatas with pianist Elna van der Merwe and three Beethoven sonatas.

Elna van der Merwe is an exceptionally talented and versatile pianist and accompanist with an impressive musical career. With formal training in piano and organ from the University of Stellenbosch, she has established herself as a sought-after artist, seamlessly navigating between genres such as classical music, jazz and cabaret. Elna has performed as a soloist with national orchestras and has performed at all the prominent art festivals in South Africa.  Her dedication and passion for music make her one of South Africa’s most esteemed and musical artists.

 

Programme

Tomaso Vitali (1663 – 1745) - Chaconne in g minor

Richard Strauss (1864 – 1949) Sonata for violin and piano in E-flat Major, Opus. 18

Gabriel Fauré (1845 - 1924) Sonata for violin and piano no.1 in A Major, Opus 13

Fritz Kreisler  (1875 – 1962) A selection of concert pieces

 

Tickets R140 (Available at the door)

For more information check millark.millar@gmail.com or phone 0715051021 (Keith)

35TH ANNUAL UKZN JAZZ JOL

The Centre for Jazz and Popular Music (CJPM) is proud to present the 35th annual UKZN Jazz Jol on Saturday, November 1, 2025, at 18h00. Proceeds from the event accrue to the Ronnie Madonsela scholarship that supports jazz students at the University and the jazz and jazz education outreach activities of the CJPM.

Headlining the bill this year is the 17-piece Big band, Horn Horizon which is directed by stellar trumpeter, vocalist, composer and arranger, Siyanda Zulu. The personnel comprises a roll-call of Durban’s leading jazz, pop and gospel musicians, many of whom who contribute music arrangements to the group. The band made its debut at The Chairman in February this year and featured a wide-ranging repertoire that was dedicated to the month of love.

The UKZN Large Ensemble features a cast of talented student vocalists and instrumentalists. The group is excited to welcome jazz maestro, Linda Sikhakane to their helm and we look forward to seeing what they have conjured up in their relatively short time together.

The evening will also feature a set of vocal jazz by final-year jazz recital candidates, BuyieGold and Thembalethu Bhengu. They will pay homage to the magnificent vocal talents of Gloria Bosman and Sibongile Khumalo respectively, and will perform selections from their much-loved catalogues.

The concert takes place on November 1 at 18h00 in the UKZN, Centre for Jazz and Popular Music.

Tickets available for cash at the door: R200 (R150 pensioners, R100 students)

The Centre for Jazz is located at University of KwaZulu-Natal, Howard College Campus, Dennis Shepstone Building, Level 2

THE WOMEN’S ORCHESTRA OF AUSCHWITZ: A STORY OF SURVIVAL: REVIEW

 

Historian Anne Sebba has produced a magisterial and inevitably harrowing account of the orchestra and its members. (Review by Margaret von Klemperer, courtesy of The Witness)

 

From April 1943 until October 1944, an all-female orchestra which was made up of prisoners performed in the women’s section of the Auschwitz concentration camp. Its story has been told before – in film, fiction, documentary and memoirs, but here historian Anne Sebba has produced a magisterial and inevitably harrowing account of the orchestra and its members.

Formed by one of the most notorious camp guards, Maria Mandl (who was later hanged for war crimes), initially the orchestra had to consist of non-Jewish prisoners including Poles, Ukrainians and Russian prisoners-of- war, but as more and more Jews were sent to Auschwitz, many of whom had some musical training, it became a multi-ethnic group. For Mandl and other guards, its main function was to play rousing marches while the women who were being driven off for hard labour, were forced to keep in step. And as they played, the musicians’ instruments became coated with ash from the crematoria where the Nazis burned the bodies of their victims.

Inevitably, what they were doing made the orchestra unpopular with some other inmates. The musicians were given uniforms and extra food, which was obviously resented by those who were not so fortunate. They were also obliged to play for senior Nazis, including Adolf Eichmann, and this made them suspect in the wider camp. And, because their skills were at a premium, even the Jewish orchestra members were not selected for the gas chamber. This complexity and the emotions it aroused in the players is at the heart of Sebba’s narrative, and gives it one of its main strengths. Many of the survivors’ memoirs have reflected the guilt they felt, and Sebba explores this, and the resentment of other inmates, with great sensitivity.

The second conductor, and for much of its existence the glue that held the orchestra together, was Alma Rosé. She was Gustav Mahler’s niece and a professional violinist. Ironically, because Mahler was Jewish, his music could not be part of the orchestra’s repertoire. She drove her musicians hard, but she also protected them, including those whose musical abilities were very slight. And when she died, in somewhat mysterious circumstances but probably from food poisoning, the orchestra members were at serious risk.

After D-Day and as the Allied forces approached Auschwitz, the Jewish members of the orchestra were moved to Bergen-Belsen. They no longer made music, but managed to remain as a mutually supportive group until the camp was liberated in April 1945 and the full horror of what had gone on in the concentration camps was revealed to the world. However, tellingly, all the survivors whom Sebba quotes say that the camps cannot be described – only those who endured them could ever really know what it was like.

As Sebba puts it, there are many moral conundrums at the heart of this story. Orchestra members had a choice – play and survive or refuse and die. In this book we can hear the voices of those who made the former choice. - Margaret von Klemperer

The Women’s Orchestra Of Auschwitz is published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson: ISBN 978-1-3996-1074-2

KZNPO SPRING SEASON 2025

 

The KZN Philharmonic Orchestra continues its World Symphony Series with the KZNPO Spring Season offering two concerts. These will take place on November 6 and 13, 2025 at 19h00 in the Playhouse Opera Theatre.

 

CONCERT 1: NOVEMBER 6

Conductor: Daniel Boico

Soloist: Jack Liebeck – violin

 

Programme:

Mozart: Don Giovanni Overture

Vaughan Williams: The Lark Ascending

Saint-Saens: Introduction & Rondo Capriccioso, Op.28

Beethoven: Symphony No 3 ‘Eroica’

 

Daniel Boico opens the KZNPO Spring Season 2025 on November 6 with powerful drama from Mozart and Beethoven, bookending interludes of serenity and bravura from Vaughan Williams and Camille Saint-Saëns, respectively.

The tragi-comic tension of Mozart’s Don Giovanni, pivoting around a ghostly statue and an unrepentant libertine, is superbly captured in the opera’s powerful overture. As a concert curtain-raiser, its impact is riveting – in stark contrast to the sublime piece that follows in its wake.

Vaughan Williams' The Lark Ascending, with its glorious solo violin, depicting the lark's soaring song, while the orchestra portrays the English countryside and its people.

Gear change, and the programme conjures up a virtuosic showcase for the violin, written for the great Spanish violinist Pablo de Sarasate. Renowned for his dazzling prowess, the British-German violinist Jack Liebeck is sure to wow Durban concertgoers as he essays the formidable challenges of Saint-Saëns's Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso.

And so to the magnum opus of the evening, Ludwig van Beethoven’s mighty Eroica Symphony. Originally dedicated to Napoleon before being renamed to honour a "Great Man" after Napoleon's imperial ambitions emerged, the Symphony revolutionised Western music with its unprecedented length, depth, and heroic character. With those two thunderous E-flat chords that open the symphony, Beethoven becomes a new man - and the creator of a new music. Generations down the ages have been awe-stricken by the rugged grandeur of the work’s panoply of wonders. Those opening two cannon blast. the cellos intoning what seems to be the main theme ... the iconic second movement dirge, evoking ‘the emotions of someone watching the funeral procession from afar, passing by, and then fading in the distance.’ (Paul Bekker). And so to the incomparable finale – the giant work culminating in a stirring, relentless march melody. The symphony ends, fittingly, on a note of fiery triumph.

 

 

CONCERT 2: NOVEMBER 13

Conductor: Michael Repper

Soloist: Sandra Lied Haga - cello

 

Programme:

Elgar: Serenade for Strings in E minor

Haydn: Cello Concerto in D major

Mendelssohn: Symphony No.

American conductor Michael Repper, acclaimed on six continents, makes his KZN Philharmonic debut with a programme of English, Austrian and German classical gems. He opens with Elgar’s enchanting Serenade for Strings.

In the summer of 1933, just months before his death, Elgar conducted a recording session at London’s Kingsway Hall. The pieces he recorded were both works for strings – the Elegy written in 1909, and the composer’s beloved Serenade, composed in 1892. Its first movement, with its dance-like opening theme, gives way to a central adagio, swathed in nostalgia, before the audience succumbs to the third movement’s wistful conclusion, unexpectedly coming full circle in the finale to meet up with the spirit of the opening movement’s rhythmic dance fragment.

Haydn's joyous D major Cello Concerto, is one those works which makes the listener glad to be alive. The Norwegian cellist Sandra Lied Haga’s interpretation is eagerly awaited as she puts her stamp on its wealth of melodies and bravura passages.

The evening climaxes with Mendelssohn's youthful First Symphony, Its London première on May 25, 1829, with the composer conducting, was reviewed in The Harmonicon. KZNPO concert-goers will delight in the reviewer’s precise assessment of Mendelssohn's musical prowess:

The 19^th century music commentator George Hogarth remarked: “Though only about one or two-and-twenty years of age, he has already produced several works of magnitude, which, if at all to be compared with the present, ought, without such additional claim, to rank him among the first composers of the age.... Fertility of invention and novelty of effect, are what first strike the hearers of M. Mendelssohn's symphony; but at the same time, the melodiousness of its subjects, the vigour with which these are supported, the gracefulness of the slow movement, the playfulness of some parts, and the energy of others, are all felt.... The author conducted it in person, and it was received with acclamations.” A feat Maestro Rapper is sure to repeat. 

Both concerts take place at 19h00 in the Playhouse Opera Theatre. Tickets available at Webtickets.

 

NB: For more information on the KZN Philharmonic Orchestra, click on the advert to the top right of this page to visit its website.

KZN YOUNG PERFORMERS CONCERTO FESTIVAL: REVIEW

(The overall standard of performance was very high and one has to be impressed with the courage and confidence displayed by these young musicians, even though for some it was a first-time experience. Review by Barbara Trofimczyk)

The KZN Young Performers Concerto Festival was held in the Playhouse Drama Theatre on October 18, 2025.

This popular annual event in Durban is made possible by the collaboration of the Durban Centre of the South African Society of Music Teachers and the KZN Philharmonic Orchestra.

Teachers present their pupils for an audition, and this year 13 young artists were selected to perform with the professional orchestra. The programme featured a variety of instruments, strings (violin and viola), operatic voice, flute, trumpet, saxophone and piano, and the ages of the performers ranged from 12 to university-level students.

The overall standard of performance was very high and one has to be impressed with the courage and confidence displayed by these young musicians, even though for some it was a first-time experience. Technical control of the instrument was secure, and interpretation of the musical style was for the most part evident. Teachers and pupils alike must be congratulated for this achievement.

There was some very accomplished playing by all three string players, Zovandra von Rahden (Viola), Xizhi Aiden Luo (violin) and Weien Amy Luo (Violin), and Roxanne Neff made an impressive, projected sound in her fine performance of a flute concerto movement by Danzi.

Joshua Griffiths gave a good account of the ‘vivace’ from concerto by Neruda, while Rhys Hughes’s performance on the alto saxophone needed a somewhat more assertive expressiveness.

The young aspiring opera singers (Nonkanyiso Khumalo (tenor), Lindani France Mthimkhulu (baritone), and Lizzy Phisane (soprano) all demonstrated a passion and vocal ability for singing in the operatic genre that shows promise of a career in the future.

Impressive virtuosity is the usual trend in contemporary piano playing, as demonstrated by Nathan Judahvan der Meulen playing Haydn, Kaylin Reddy playing Kabalewsky and Lunga Zozi playing Grieg, but the most beautiful performance came from Yilling Lyu’s musical lyrical interpretation of Sognate from the concerto by Pascanov, a lovely choice for her!

Resident Conductor, Chad Hendricks, provided the youngsters with the necessary sympathetic support, never allowing the orchestra to dominate the performances.

It is indeed good to know that classical music is alive and well in our province. We do, however, need a good permanent orchestra to set a level for the young instrumentalists to aspire to, and provide more teachers of orchestral instruments. Clearly, there is plenty of talent to be nurtured. -  Barbara Trofimczyk

MiTH: OCTOBER 22, 2025

 

(Right: Suits of Armour: James Robertson & Melanie Nash. Pic supplied)

 

What an incredible line-up for MiTH (Music in the Hills) with Suits of Armour, Roly Struckmeyer & Barry Downard, and Bridgitt Leahy - all on one night!

Where can you meet with friends, and enjoy great music in a beautiful environment with roaring fires, hearty food, and a cash bar – all for just R50? Spring evenings in the hills are alive with music - and while the nights are warming, we’ll still have the fires lit and the welcome waiting. Come join for another night of heartfelt performances, local flavour, and the unique magic of MiTH on October 22, 2025, at The Knoll Historic Guest Farm.

 

20h45 – Suits of Armour

Formed in 2023 by singer-songwriters Melanie Nash and James Robertson, Suits of Armour is a powerful male-female duo whose music is both vulnerable and confident, intimate yet anthemic.

Melanie, a seasoned performer and teacher with a velvet-smooth voice, released her debut solo album in 2011 and has graced stages and festivals across South Africa. Inspired by her mother and artists like Cat Stevens and Fleetwood Mac, her heartfelt approach to songwriting forms the foundation of the duo’s sound.

James - also known for his solo work as James Edward - has enjoyed chart success since the early 2000s, including a No.1 hit on 5FM and a career highlight opening for Bryan Adams. His rock roots and instinctive storytelling perfectly complement Melanie’s folk-infused melodies.

Their name, Suits of Armour, reflects the paradox of being artists: exposed yet shielded. “Like a soldier going into battle, performing our own songs makes us feel both strong and vulnerable,” they explain. Formed during a time of personal upheaval for both artists, the name became symbolic of resilience, truth, and the power of music to heal.

 

19h35 – Roly Struckmeyer and Barry Downard

A fixture on the KZN music scene since the late ’80s, Pietermaritzburg-born guitarist and vocalist Roly Struckmeyer began playing at age seven and has performed with Wonderboom, Landscape Prayers, and Syd Kitchen, as well as bands like Perez, No Fly Zone, and Rustic Spring. His rich experience and soulful acoustic style make him a Midlands favourite.

Barry Downard, once a professional drummer who gigged and held hotel residencies, took time away to pursue a career in photography, art direction, and metalwork sculpture. Recently, he’s returned to music, building his own percussion setup and teaming up with Roly to rekindle his rhythm roots. His motto? “It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing.” Together, Roly and Barry bring an infectious energy and creative spark to every MiTH stage.

 

19h00 – Bridgitt Leahy

An acoustic artist with a passion for indie, folk, alternative, and country, Bridgitt Leahy draws inspiration from the storytelling heart of these genres. Growing up in the small town of Creighton, she was surrounded by her father’s singing, which sparked her musical journey at 15. Whether performing original songs or stripped-back covers, Bridgitt connects with her audience through emotion, authenticity, and the simple magic of a voice and a guitar.

 

Entrance: R50 (Cash or Zapper at the door)

Info: 082 331 7271

 

ABOUT MiTH

KZN Midlands’ favourite music venue! MiTH is a platform for beginners, pros, and music lovers to celebrate the joy of music. Every second Wednesday at The Knoll Historic Guest Farm, Hilton. Food and soft drinks for sale. Cash bar available. Info: 082 331 7271. Visit www.mith.co.za for more info or email mithbookings@gmail.com to perform.

 

DIRECTIONS TO MiTH

Take the N3 to Hilton. Turn into Hilton Village and drive 5.2km along Hilton Avenue, which becomes Dennis Shepstone Drive. Look for Knoll Drive on your right; the entrance to MiTH is the second left into The Knoll Historic Guest Farm.

SIP & PAINT WITH KALAI

Sip & Paint at a gallery! What better way to inspire your creativity? In collaboration with Kalai, the KZNSA Gallery is hosting a fun Sip & Paint session in their gallery on Saturday, November 1! Kalai is providing pre-drawn canvases, which means all levels are welcome - bring a friend or family member to yap with while you paint a piece to take home with you!

R300 a ticket – includes a canvas, all art materials & a complimentary drink from the KZNSA Arts Café. Booking in advance essential – purchase tickets below.

https://shop.kznsagallery.co.za/products/sip-paint-kznsa-kalai-1-november-2025

The session takes place on November 1, 2025, from 11h00 to 13h00 in the KZNSA Gallery, 166 Bulwer Road, Glenwood, Durban.