Following a spectacular inaugural national tour by the Mzansi National Philharmonic Orchestra in 2022, the stage is set to celebrate the orchestra’s highly anticipated second tour, which will see internationally renowned performers gracing Gqeberha’s shores for the first time.
The tour, scheduled to take place from August 10 to 14, will be led by Marin Alsop, who is the first woman conductor to serve as the head of a major orchestra in the US, UK, South America and Austria.
Alsop will be accompanied by multi-award-winning Limpopo-born soprano and current BBC Radio 3 New Generation soloist Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha.
This year’s itinerary will see the Mzansi Philharmonic performing in Johannesburg on Thursday August 10 at the Linder Auditorium, in Cape Town on Saturday August 12 at the Cape Town City Hall — and then rounding off the tour in Gqeberha on Monday August 14, at the Feather Market Centre.
Chief executive and artistic director of the Mzansi National Philharmonic Orchestra, Bongani Tembe, said audiences could expect to be enthralled by the performances, and anticipated sold out shows throughout the tour.
“Our audiences will be delighted to hear that Marin Alsop will return for this year’s tour, following her sensational appearances last year.
“We are thrilled that the highly accomplished South African dramatic soprano, Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha, will be our soloist for 2023.
“Cecilia has a special talent coupled with a warm heart and personality.”
Alsop said the repertoire to be performed in all three centres included an operatic first half, featuring beautiful and dramatic arias followed, after the intermission, by Mahler’s monumental Symphony No 5.
“Following our successful tour last year, I’m very excited to return to SA, a country rich in culture and heritage,” she said.
“It is a joy to work with musicians who are committed to excellence and to perform for enthusiastic audiences from diverse backgrounds.
“This is a country which demonstrates music’s unique power to bring people together, and I love the way Mzansi Philharmonic embodies this quality.”
The Mzansi Philharmonic was launched in 2022, as part of an initiative of the department of sport, arts and culture to broaden SA’s orchestral experience.
Mzansi Philharmonic’s chair, justice Leona Theron, said the orchestra consisted of up to 110 non-permanent musicians who were drawn from regional orchestras, universities, and freelance musicians.
“We are excited to celebrate Women’s Month in SA with this national tour.
“The Mzansi Philharmonic is rapidly earning a reputation for its diversity on every level.
“Our programmes feature artists and musicians who are representative of our rainbow nation, showing music’s unique ability to bring people together across gender, age, race and class.
“I am particularly pleased that Mzansi National Philharmonic Orchestra is achieving its mission of broadening the orchestral experience of SA, supporting established and emerging orchestras in many parts of the country, including the Eastern Cape, Free State, Northern Cape, Mpumalanga and North West.”
Tickets for the Mzansi National Philharmonic Orchestra’s 2023 National Tour are now on sale from Quicket.
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