The UCT Opera School and the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra will present the world premiere of Hendrik Homeyr’s new work, Sara Baartman – the Opera. Sharing the title role will be two rising stars, Bongiwe Nakani and Molly Dzangare.
The Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra will be conducted by Jeremy Silver, head of the UCT Opera School. The performances will take at the Pam Golding Theatre at the Baxter Theatre Centre on 7, 9 and 10 September 2022.
For Hendrik Hofmeyr, whose first opera won the SA Opera Competition and the Nederburg Prize for Opera when he was still a student in Italy, this new opera was a long time in the making.
“When I wrote the single act based on the end of this remarkable woman’s life for a series of five operas of 20 minutes in 2009, I knew that wasn’t the end of my commitment to her,” says Hendrik. “I added three more scenes – in Cape Town, London and Paris – to cover her life’s journey, ending with that original scene.”
Female icon
Sara Baartman was a Khoi-Khoi woman, exhibited as a show attraction in Europe during the 19th century. Two centuries after her death, she is finally regarded as a female icon and a symbol of the struggle for human rights in debates on race, gender and otherness. “I have been so happy seeing the fascinating woman’s story come to life with a wonderful cast of singers, a superb conductor and of course Janice Honeyman and Zenobia Kloppers’s exciting vision as directors,” says Hendrik.
Set design for Sara Baartman – the Opera is by Michael Mitchell with lighting by Mannie Manim. The opera is sung in English but incorporates two French songs, a Nguni lullaby, an Afrikaans folk song and a Khoe-Khoen prayer.
What: Sara Baartman – the Opera
Where and when: Pam Golding Theatre at the Baxter Theatre Centre on 7, 9 and 10 September 2022
Tickets: Webtickets
Photographs: DarkStudios
WS
