The Minnesota Orchestra is the first professional American orchestra to tour South Africa, and the tour forms part of the official Nelson Mandela Centenary celebrations.
Included in their performance will be a specially commissioned composition by South African composer Bongani Ndodana-Breen. Other locals performing with the orchestra will include soprano Goitsemang Oniccah Lehobye, mezzo Minette du Toit-Pearce, tenor Siyabonga Maqungo and bass-baritone Njabulo Madlala as well as the Cape Town Philharmonic Youth Orchestra. The Music Director for the Minnesota Orchestra is Osmo Vänskä.
Bongani Ndodana-Breen’s composition for Mandela, Harmonia Ubuntu was first performed in Minnesota on Mandela day 18 July 2018. It will next be performed at the Royal Albert Hall, from where the Orchestra will make their way to South Africa. Also on the programme in South Africa will be a section honouring Leonard Bernstein‘s own centennial, Minnesota’s Grammy-winning renditions of Beethoven and Sibelius, as well as a variety of popular African songs arranged for orchestra and choir in Xhosa, Zulu and Sotho.
Due to high demand for tickets, and the Cape Town concert being sold out, the Minnesota Orchestra will open their rehearsal to the public. Both the rehearsal and the final performance will take place on Friday, 10 August 2018 at the Cape Town City Hall. The two hour rehearsal will take place from 2pm, and the final performance will take place from 8pm.
What: Minnesota Orchestra South Africa
To book for the rehearsal: http://qkt.io/minnesotactrehearse.
Visit: www.minnesotaorchestra.org/satour
South African Concerts:
Friday, 10 August, 8pm/ City Hall, Cape Town
Sunday, 12 August , 5pm/ City Hall, Durban
Thursday, 16 August, 7.30pm/Aula Theatre, University of Pretoria, Pretoria
Friday, 17 August, 7pm / Regina Mundi Roman Catholic Church, Soweto
Saturday, 18 August, 3pm / City Hall, Johannesburg
Book: Quicket
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