Winnie the Opera cast released
2011-03-29 15:20
Cape Town, March 10, 2011: The much-anticipated list of principal cast members performing in Winnie the Opera was released in Cape Town today. The show, which is a unique and proudly South African collaboration between composer Bongani Ndodana-Breen, award-winning film maker Warren Wilensky, and legendary local producer Mfundi Vundla, premieres at the State Theatre in Pretoria on 28 April, 2011. This spectacular show, a truly South African opera, focuses on the life story of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, as she is subpoenaed to appear before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC).
The principal players, who will be directed by Shirley-Jo Finney and accompanied by the KwaZulu Natal Philharmonic Orchestra, are:
Winnie Madikizela-Mandela
Playing the indomitable Madikizela-Mandela or “Mother of the Nation” is Tsakane Maswanganyi, an internationally-recognised classical soprano who was born in Soweto. She grew up in Giyani in Limpopo, where she started her career by singing in school choirs directed by her mother.
In her final year at the University of Pretoria she performed in the opera chorus at the State Theatre. She made her professional opera début with the Roodepoort City Opera appearing as the Gräfin and Manja in Kalman’s Gräfin Mariza, as Musetta in La Bohème. She sang as the Gräfin Mariza again at the Breytenbach Theatre in Pretoria where she also appeared as Arminda in La Finta Giardiniera, as Amelia in Amelia al Ballo, and as Valencienne in Die Lustige Witwe
From there her career blossomed, and she has given recitals for former presidents Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki. Tsakane sang the role of Maria in West Side Story for Spier Opera Company. She helped form the internationally-renowned UK-based “popera” group Amici Forever, and released two successful albums which went Gold in the UK, Australia and New Zealand. The group performed in the UK, Spain, France, Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Australia, New Zealand, America, Austria, Estonia, Latvia, UAE, Germany, Greece and Japan, appearing in venues including the Royal Albert Hall, Windsor Castle, Sydney Opera House and the National Opera House in Kiev. The group sang the theme song at the Champions League’s final in Manchester, and were invited to sing for Queen Elizabeth at the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall in 2005. Tsakane sang the role of Carmen Jones for the newly-reopened Royal Festival Hall in 2007.
She is also an active solo artist on the concert and opera stages and her roles include Musetta (La bohème), Valencienne (The Merry Widow), Amelia (Amelia al Ballo), Arminda (La finta giardiniera) and Contessa Ceprano (Rigoletto). Some highlights of her career include the title role in Carmen Jones with the London Philharmonic at the Royal Festival Hall and Bess in Porgy and Bess at the Cape Town Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin, and Norwegian National Opera. Her recent concerts have included the Operaeastate Festival Veneto with the Orchestra Filarmonia Veneta in Galliera Veneta, concerts at Borso del Grappa, Cittadella and Lugo di Romagna. Tsakane currently lives in Italy, where she is a student of Mezzo soprano Nadiya Petrenko.
Columbus (Winnie’s Father):
Freelance opera singer Otto Maidi has sung and performed Dr Dulcamara in Le'elisir d' more, Rev. Olin Blitch in the American opera Susannah and Peter in Hansel and Gretel. Otto sang and performed a highly acclaimed Joe in Show Boat in the Cape Town Opera, in Germany's Nuremberg State Theatre , with Den Norske Opera in Oslo,Norway and Theatre Du Chatelet in Paris.
He has a prolific international career, with roles including Vodnick in Rusalka at the Baxter Theatre in Cape Town and Norrlandsoperan in Sweden, General Banco in Verdi's Macbeth in Malmo Opera Theatre in Sweden and Crown in Porgy and Bess at the Deutschen Oper in Berlin. For Opera Africa Otto sang and performed Ramfis in Aida, King Dinizulu in Princess Magogo, Marquis in La Traviata and Colline in La Boheme.
Archbishop Tutu:
Linda Zitha who performs as the inimitable “Arch” Desmond Tutu and chair of the TRC, started his singing career in 1989 with a church choir that went on to tour Europe. In 1994 he joined the Opera School at Pretoria Technikon. As a member of the Ad Hoc chorus at the State Theatre he sang in various productions and performed the baritone solo in the State Theatre Dance Company's King Lear. Zitha is the founder member of the Black Tie Ensemble (BTE), a multi-cultural group of classically trained opera singers.
In 2001 Linda sang the title role in Verdi’s Rigoletto for the BTE’s first full-length opera production. He was the first opera singer ever to perform in Uganda for The Pearl of Africa Music Awards. He has performed extensively with the BTE, including concerts in Austria and Japan. In 2005, he performed a career highlight by singing the role of Enrico in the BTE's acclaimed production of Donizetti’s Lucia.
His impressive array of performances has won him critical acclaim, making him one of SA's most promising opera performers.
Swanepoel:
Pierre du Toit who stars as Winnie's torturer Swanepoel, started his career as a soloist and member of the Drakensberg Boys' Choir. He has sung a variety of repertoires, first as a Baritone and later as a Tenor, at prominent theatre venues.
He was the co-founder and artistic director of the Jo@ Opera Company for several years and has been an extremely successful voice teacher for more than a decade. His students have sung with artists such as Pavarotti and Renée Fleming.
As an expert in voice science technology, Du Toit was instrumental in the implementation of the Voce Vista computer-aided voice training system at the Opera School. This system is now used at the Julliard School of Music in New York and at eminent training centres internationally. Du Toit's vast skills in the theatre have brought him to opera direction. His endeavours in this area have been awarded considerable public and critical acclaim.
Jerry Richardson:
Queenstown-born Mlamli Lalapantsi, studied performance in music at the University of Cape Town. He has performed in numerous operatic roles including as Monostatos and The First Man in Amor, in Mozart’s Die Zauberflote, Lysander in Britten’s Midsummer Night’s Dream, Ruggero in Puccini’s La Rondine, Des Grieux in Massenet’s Manon, Robbins in Gershwin’s Porgy & Bess which toured to Berlin in Deutsche Opera Berlin and Oslo in Den Norske Opera house. He was The Messenger in Verdi’s Aida along with Johan Botha and Angela Brown, Arnalta in Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea, Nemorino in Donizetti’s L’Elisir damore, Andy in Treemonisha’s Scott Joplin along with Grace Bumbry and Willard White, a he took a lead role Pedro in Magdalena’s Villa Lobos.
He was recently was a guest soloist in South African College of Music centenary celebration where he sang the role of Gaartjie in the South African-composed opera Out of time by Peter Luois van Dijk.
The award-winning singer has performed internationally and was one of the lead singers in a film called Cape of Good Voices that was screened in Germany. His oratorio performances include: Handel’s Messiah; Mendelssohn’s Elijah; Mozart’s Requiem; Mozart Mass in C minor; Mozart’s Coronation Mass; Haydn Imperial Mass; Haydn’s Creation; Beethoven’s 9th Symphony; Mendelssohn’s Lobgesang and Psalm 95 and Mzilikazi Khumalo's Ushaka kaSenzangakhona.
Baroness:
Johannesburg-born Monika Voysey, who has a solo performance as the Baroness, graduated from the University of Cape Town with a Bachelor of Music in 2007. Voysey was awarded a scholarship to study at The Royal College of Music in Stockholm. In 2007, she was a finalist and prize winner in The South African Music Rights Organisation Singing Competition. She also won a prize from The National Arts Council.
She has sung as the alto soloist in the following Oratorios: Handel's Messiah, J.S Bach's Easter Oratorio and St John's Passion, Rossini's Stabat Mater and Saint Saens' Christmas Oratorio. Her operatic roles and performances include- The School Teacher in Susan Kander’s One False Move, Marchesa Melibea in Rossini’s Il Viaggio a Reims, Marcellina in Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro and Alisa in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor.
Monika has just completed a two year contract in the Cape Town Opera Voice of the Nation Studio as well as a two-year Post Graduate Diploma in Opera at UCT for which she received a scholarship. She is currently working as a free-lance opera singer
Zindzi:
Yollandi Nortjie was born in Kimberley. In 2002 she joined the Opera School at the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT), registering for the degree BTech Vocal Art. In 2003 she won a scholarship to attend master classes in Berlin and performed at a gala concert at the Opern Palais.
Yollandi in 2004 reached the semi-finals of the First Unisa National Voice Competition and won the Jury Discretionary Prize. In the same year she was one of four soloists to sing at the Antarctic Summit at the Cape Town International Conference Centre and she performed as a soloist at the Oliver Tambo Tribute held by the Steve Biko foundation.
She made her professional début as Musetta in Puccini’s La Bohème for Pro Musica (at the Pro Musica theatre) in Roodepoort. Yollandi joined The Black Tie Ensemble in January 2006 until January 2008. She kicked off 2009 on a new high, when she was asked to appear as guest artist in the musical revue Killer Queen with vocal boy band Overtone. This collaboration led to another highlight; with Academy Award winning director/actor, Clint Eastwood asking her to lend her voice on the Soundtrack of the Movie Invictus. This led to her appearance together with Overtone on the Ellen Degeneres talk show and George Lopez’ Lopez tonight in Los Angeles performing a medley from the movie Invictus. Yollandi is also part of a female Soprano Trio called Velvet.
The opera producers said they were extremely pleased with the cast, whom they described as strong and extremely talented performers. “They are going to bring the story of this incredible time in South Africa’s history alive in such an exciting way. Rehearsals are getting underway and we cannot wait to hear them on stage together for the first time.” Said Vundla.
Winnie The Opera runs from the 28th of April to the 3rd of May 2011 at the State Theatre in Pretoria. For more information, visit www.winnietheopera.com. Bookings available through Computicket.
For more information contact
Samantha Bartlett
Senior Account Director Irvine Bartlett
(+27) 21 424-5594
083 3177 062
sam@irvinebartlett.co.za