Opera is for everyone
A young singer from Brakpan is hoping to expose the community and those from neighbouring towns to an art form he is exceptionally passionate about - opera.
Andries Aldrich (23), a baritone opera singer, will be hosting The Art of Opera concert on Sunday, May 27, at the NG Kerk Brakpan Moedergemeente.
His love for opera started eight years ago while on holiday in KwaZulu-Natal.
“One evening I decided to switch on the radio and as I tuned in to an Afrikaans station, very dramatic music started playing,” said Andries.
“A woman started singing and it was the clearest voice I have ever heard.
“She started singing notes I thought humanly impossible.”
The singer was Mimi Coertse, a coloratura soprano (operatic soprano voice with an extremely high vocal range), performing Queen of the Night aria Der Hölle Rache from The Magic Flute by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
“As I listened to the music I knew I also wanted to be able to sing so clear and with such ease,” said Andries.
“That recording changed my entire life.”
Andries was born in Brakpan, but grew up in Hoedspruit, Limpopo.
“Music was always playing in our house, but not opera,” he said.
“I started piano lessons when I was seven and continued with the lessons for as long as I could.
“When we moved back to Brakpan in 2013, I saw this as my opportunity to further my music studies.”
Andries met Attie Kok, the organist at the NG Kerk Brakpan Moedergemeente, and started classical singing lessons.
“It is of great importance to have a good support system when you are in the arts industry and Attie helped me so much,” said Andries.
“Without him and the support of my parents, I could not have done it.
“To learn to sing opera is not something that happens overnight, it takes years and multiple long evenings of hard work.”
Andries would go on to meet the woman who changed his life, Mimi Coertse, for the first time in 2011.
“I was in awe of what this proudly South African opera singer has accomplished internationally,” he explained.
“It was the experience of a lifetime.”
The famous singer invited Andries to sing for her and has guided him over the years with helpful advice.
Andries attended her 85th birthday celebrations in Pretoria last year.
As far as his own accomplishments are concerned, he fondly remembers his first ‘big’ concert, a Christmas performance, as a success.
“I knew this is definitely what I wanted to do and since then I have performed and worked with some of South Africa’s best opera singers and piano accompanists,” he said.
Andries told the Herald he soon realised, however, there are not many opportunities for young opera singers in the country.
“I personally think South Africa has the most talent in the world, and it saddens me to think that if I really want to fully live my dream I have to go abroad because there is no support for the arts here,” he said.
“We have all these beautiful theatres and venues, but there are no funds to host these concerts.
“It saddens me to say that almost no opera concerts happen on the East Rand.”
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Andries saw this as an opportunity to showcase himself and other singers.
“I decided to make my own platform where I could perform and give others a chance to sing, and give some exposure of opera to the East Rand,” he said.
“The concert was held on March 31 in Brakpan and some of the friends I have made in the industry joined me for this special evening.
“The concert was a huge success and was followed by concert after concert.
“My goal with these concerts is to give opera and classical music exposure to everyone.
“Many people say that it is an art form for only a certain group of people, but I strongly disagree; opera is for everyone.”
Looking to the future, Andries aims to educate young people about opera and classical music.
He hopes to dispel the misconception that opera is “a woman screaming at the top of her voice”.
“There is so much more to it, you can hear the emotion the composer added to the music, the beautiful melodies and the singer’s interpretation of the aria (melody),” he added.
Andries is appealing to residents to give opera a chance and attend his next concert.
He will be joined on stage by soprano Khumbu Dlamini and accompanied by Marion Pillay on piano.
They will perform solo arias and duets from operas like La Wally, Macbeth, The Magic Flute, Norma and The Marriage of Figaro.
The concert starts at 3pm and the church is situated at 73 Victoria Avenue.
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