Audition for ‘Ubuntu’ opera
Durban auditions will be held at the Durban Music School, 14 Diakonia Avenue (St Andrews Street) this Saturday, 20 June between 10am and 2pm.
CALLING all singers to audition for the world premiere production of Ubuntu, a ground-breaking new opera that centres around the life and mission of Nelson Mandela, and other struggle icons such as Winnie Madikizela Mandela, Nkosi Albert Luthuli, Walter Sisulu, Govan Mbeki, Bram Fisher, Alan Paton and more.
Nation-wide auditions will be held over the next three weeks. Ubuntu has been composed and set to a libretto by the multi-talented, Durban-based musician, Juan Burgers, who for many years has been a key role-player in South Africa’s cultural landscape.
Supported by the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund, Ubuntu will be presented by Esayidi TVET College in collaboration with Bravo Africa Entertainment. With Burgers at the helm as its artistic director, the two-act opera will premiere at The Playhouse in Durban in November.
Designed, directed and choreographed by the gifted Netherlands-based, South African-born dancer, David Krugel (‘Spartacus of Africa’), Ubuntu will feature a hand-picked cast of leading South African operatic soloists and choristers, accompanied by the KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Lykele Temmingh.
Durban auditions will be held at the Durban Music School, 14 Diakonia Avenue (St Andrews Street) this Saturday, 20 June between 10am and 2pm. It is essential to secure an audition slot in advance by calling 083 799 0045 between 8pm and 10pm. Those wishing to audition for a place in the chorus must prepare an aria of their choice by Verdi or Puccini.
Further auditions will be held at the State Theatre in Pretoria on 29 June, and at the University of Cape Town’s College of Music in Rondebosch on 9 July.
Singers who are selected for the production must available for rehearsals in Durban from the end of August, through to Ubuntu’s run of performances in The Playhouse Opera Theatre in November.
