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By Enid Mathieson

Commercial Project Manager


WIN tickets to the Pratibha Singh Bagel Inner Circle Sessions concert at the Lyric Theatre

Two lucky readers stand a chance to WIN DOUBLE tickets, an intimate musical entertainment experience that will get 2023 off on the right note! Valued at R800!


Competition is NOW CLOSED.

Congratulations to our winners:

  1. Justin Margot
  2. Claudia Mclean

Musical’s details:

Inner Circle Sessions – Sunday, 29 January 2023, at The Lyric Theatre, Gold Reef City, Johannesburg at 5pm

World Premiere – Symphony of Love and an Intimate Musical Session

Inner Circle Entertainment announces two very special musical performances featuring legendary Indian songstress and actress Pratibha Singh Baghel, which are headed to South Africa in January 2023

Returning to staging its distinguished East West musical collaborations, Inner Circle Entertainment today announced two brand-new thrilling creations – Symphony of Love and Inner Circle Sessions – which will take place in Cape Town, on 27 January, and in Johannesburg, on 29 January 2023, respectively. Both concerts will feature the sensational songstress actress Pratibha Singh Baghel, one of India’s most versatile and popular singers today. 

Symphony of Love, which will be staged at the Artscape Opera House in Cape Town, features Pratibha, live in concert with Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra (CPO) and backed by a 10-member international band featuring some of India’s current leading musicians.  

This is a world premiere event, marking Pratibha’s first visit to South Africa, and is a confluence of the rich musical traditions of India with western classical music. The concert will present audiences with a curated collection of popular old film classics, current Bollywood hits, and ghazals, with music directed by Indian flautist Ashwin Srinivasan and the CPO conducted by Brandon Phillips.

Blessed with the ability to effortlessly sing a broad range of genres, including hits of the greats, such as Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, Jagjit Singh, Mehdi Hassan, and Ghulam Ali, Pratibha will appeal to all ages and anyone who appreciates exquisite, uplifting music.

“The Cape Town Philharmonic is ‘the orchestra for all’ and we pride ourselves that we are pioneers in adapting to different genres, crossing over effortlessly to accommodate all cultures and broadening our musical horizons. This is not our first venture into Indian music, and we are looking forward to adding the music of a superstar like Pratibha Singh Baghel to our oeuvre,” says Louis Heyneman, CEO of Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra.

Dr Marlene Le Roux, CEO of Artscape Theatre Centre, remarking on the upcoming performance, said: “Artscape has the pleasure of hosting Inner Circle Entertainment again – it stretches our boundaries and expands the experience of our audiences immensely.

“Inner Circle Entertainment is bringing another wonderful artist from India this time and we are excited to host them and be introduced and wowed by the quality and different productions which is synonymous with Inner Circle Entertainment. Artscape is home to everyone, and we are once again humbled and highly appreciative of the efforts made by Nisaar Pangarker and his team to host this production with us. We look forward to this experience and are excited at the prospect of embracing cultural collaborations.”

Up close and personal

In another unique creation, Pratibha and her musicians will wing their way to Johannesburg to the Lyric Theatre, for a once-off very special performance on Sunday, 29 January 2023. 

Unplugged and acoustic, this intimate and cathartic experience will bring fans closer to the star, as Pratibha’s spellbinding vocals embrace and offer them an escape from the rigours of everyday life. 

Nisaar Pangarker, whose creative vision is expressed in these two productions said: “From the very first moment I saw Pratibha perform, I was mesmerised and knew that one day I would bring her to South Africa so she could share her talent with appreciative audiences here.  Being such a multitalented and entertaining performer, her skills deserve to be showcased to their fullest extent, so we decided to craft two different shows. 

“Both performances, however, demonstrate how the universal language of music can truly connect us to our higher selves and to each other.  It is an absolute pleasure to produce these shows, which I look forward to sharing with South African audiences – those who are already fans of what we do, as well as those looking to explore new experiences.  I am confident that this will be the finest presentation of this genre of music that local audiences will experience. They will not be disappointed.”

The musicians accompanying Pratibha on this musical journey, are themselves, musical legends, and international stars.  The band comprises Akhlak Hussain – harmonium; Arshad Khan – esraj; Ashwin Srinivasan – bamboo flute; Darshan Doshi – drums; Manoj Kumar – dholak; Ojas Adhiya – tabla; Sangeet Haldipur – piano; Sanjoy Das – guitar and Sheldon D’Silva – bass. South African multi-percussionist, John Hassan will join the band for the Cape Town performance only.

Symphony of Love and the Inner Circle Sessions are conceptualised, produced, and presented by Inner Circle Entertainment who has established a successful track record of presenting musical giants such as Zakir Hussain, Shivkumar Sharma, Hariprasad Chaurasia, Jagjit Singh, Maher Zain, and many more in South Africa. Inner Circle Entertainment is a pioneer in East West musical collaborations and has produced many world-first productions featuring collaborations between Indian and Middle Eastern music, jazz, and western orchestral music.  

Event Details:

Symphony of Love – Friday, 27 January 2023, at Artscape Opera House, Cape Town at 8.30pm.

Inner Circle Sessions – Sunday, 29 January 2023, at The Lyric Theatre, Gold Reef City, Johannesburg at 5pm.

Tickets for Symphony of Love and Inner Circle Sessions featuring Pratibha range in cost from R150 to R1000 per person and are available at Ticketmaster on the following links:

Symphony of Love :

https://www.ticketmaster.co.za/artist/symphony-of-love-cape-town-tickets/1217914

Inner Circle Sessions :

https://www.ticketmaster.co.za/artist/the-inner-circle-sessions-pratibha-singh-baghel-tickets/1218454

Facebook:  InnerCircleEntertainment

Twitter:      @InnerCircleLive

Competition closes Sunday, 22 January 2023, at midnight.

Ts&Cs apply. Competition will run online only. By entering the competition, you accept The Citizen’s standard terms and conditionsPremium members get an automatic entry to all citizen.co.za competitions.