Maxolo and her class of golden voices put SA on map
The choir will be backing renowned pianist Figarova
It looks like the idea by jazz vocalist Lindiwe Maxolo to revive music culture in township schools is finally yielding the results.
It was seven years ago when Maxolo decided to teach music at Thaba Jabula Secondary School in Klipspruit, Soweto.
Her school choir is set to feature in the big international stage of Standard Bank Joy of Jazz Festival for the first time.
The choir will be backing jazz pianist Amina Figarova from Azerbaijan, a country situated at the crossroads of eastern Europe and western Asia.
The annual event takes place on
September
27-29, at the
Sandton Convention
Centre in Joburg.
Maxolo tells
Time Out that this is the biggest moment for her and the choir.
“We are excited and looking forward to perform on such a big stage at the Joy of Jazz. It is intimidating and exciting at the same time. It is a big stage for my kids to back one of the most talented jazz musicians.” It’s been a hectic few days for Maxolo as she gets the choir to learn Figarova’s music. “Amina is a trained classical musician who moved to jazz later on. Her composing is a bit too advanced for the kids. But we are honoured for the opportunity to back her. “There might be challenges but eventually we will get it all right. I have told them that this is a big opportunity and we need to give it our all.” Maxolo says they will rehearse with Figarova on September 26.
Born and bred in the Vaal, Maxolo defines her sound as an acoustic experience that incorporates both African and traditional jazz influences. She says after completing her degree in music she thought she would have a chance to tour the world performing, however, the teaching opportunity came earlier.
She started by conducting music workshops at Oprah Winfrey School in Henley-on-Klip near Vereeniging. “Instead of moaning about opportunities passing by, I decided to start teaching. I have to be honest, I thought this would happened at a later stage of my music career. But I am enjoying it and it is fulfilling,” she said. Maxolo dropped her debut album, Time, in 2012 and it received a Mbokodo Award in 2014 . She has an honours degree in jazz music from the University of Cape Town.