Minnesota Orchestra honours Madiba
THE Grammy Award-winning Minnesota Orchestra will hit five South African cities by storm, when it undertakes a national tour for its “Music for Mandela” concerts.
These events honouring the legacy of President Nelson Mandela take place in Cape Town, Durban, Pretoria, Johannesburg and Soweto from August 10 to 18.
Organisers say the concerts will showcase music deriving from South African, American and European musical traditions. Music ranges from Beethoven’s Fifth Symphonies to a world premiere of a special tribute, by South African composer Bongani Ndodana-Breen, titled Harmonia Ubuntu.
American concert touring company Classical Movements planned the tour with the Minnesota Orchestra and commissioned the tribute, which Ndodana-Breen wrote to honour Mandela.
The tour draws together South African and American performers and music, and offers musical exchanges with student groups and large-scale performances in colleges, city halls and churches, according to Minnesota Orchestra music director and conductor, Osmo Vänskä.
“Music plays a central role in South African culture, both choral music and a growing orchestral tradition, and we are excited to experience and be part of this movement,” he said.
Before its South African tour, the orchestra will host its “Music for Mandela” concerts at the Sommerfest music festival in Minneapolis, from July 13 to August 1.
Orchestra president and chief executive officer Kevin Smith said: “This is our chance to musically honour a great leader and to share music and goodwill across international borders, and right here in Minnesota.
“It is a unique opportunity to bring cultures together through music, and we are honoured to play a role in the Nelson Mandela centenary celebration.”
The orchestra’s tour to South Africa will launch in Cape Town on August 10, where Vänskä and the orchestra will perform in the historic City Hall.
The ensemble will next travel to Durban for a performance in its City Hall, on August 12.
The first of the final three tour stops will be at the University of Pretoria on August 16, followed by a performance at Soweto’s Regina Mundi Roman Catholic Church on August 17. The orchestra will round off its performances at the Johannesburg City Hall, on August 18.
Tickets are available at Computicket. For more information, visit www.classicalmovements.com/2018/01/18/ minnesota-orchestra-classical-movements-south-africa-tour/