The Creation

Symphony Choir of Johannesburg  and the Free State Symphony Orchestra conducted by Alexander Fokkens

Soloists:          Magdalene Minnaar (soprano)

         Kgaugelo Mpyane (tenor)

         Aubrey Lodewyk (baritone)

Date:                Sunday 7 September 2014

Venue:             NG Kerk Heuwelsig

Time:               15:00

Haydn’s masterpiece, The Creation will be performed at the NG Kerk Heuwelsig on Sunday 7 September by the Symphony Choir of Johannesburg and the Free State Symphony Orchestra conducted by Alexander Fokkens. The soloists are Magadalene Minnaar (soprano), Kgaugelo Mpyane (tenor) and Aubrey Lodewyk (baritone).

Magdalene Minnaar has entertained audiences across the globe with her versatile voice and enigmatic stage presence, evident in her acclaimed performances of the female lead in the international touring production Show Boat and The Phantom of the Opera. Since completing her two years at the Cape Town Opera Studio, highlights include performing as soloist at the opening of the Cape Town Stadium with the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra, Richard Cock and the 20Tenors, as well as the annual RMB Starlight Classics, Last Night at the Proms, Sean Bovim’s spectacular tribute show Queen at the Ballet and Deon Opperman’s multi-media oratorio Die Skepping.

Kgaugelo Mpyane is a final year BMus student at the Odeion School of Music at the University of the Free State majoring in both viola performance and voice. He won the Musicon Solo singing competition in 2010 and 2011 and the UNISA festival, this time in the advanced category, where he won both the classical and non-classical categories, and won the overall prize for the festival. Since 2010 Kgaugelo has sung as a soloist with various leading choirs in South Africa. In 2011 he sang in Handel’s Messiah with Bel Canto Voices. In 2012 he sang as a soloist in Nabucco and Wagner’s Lohengrin as Lohengrin  with The Voices of the Nation Choir (Pretoria).

Aubrey Lodewyk was a huge favourite with the audience at the Rodgers & Hammerstein tribute concert at the Vryfees in July. In 2011 he performed the role of Mandela in the world premiere of Mandela Trilogy and again in its European debut in Cardiff. Aubrey made his debut as Silvio in I Pagliacci at the New Israeli Opera in Tel Aviv, sang the role of William in Jan Meyerowitz opera Il Mulatto in Marseille for the Festival Musique Interdites and was a soloist at the Mandela Day celebration concert in Paris. In 2014 Aubrey performed the role of Guglielmo in Cosi fan Tutte and made his debut in Munich in the title role in Mandela Trilogy (June 2014).

The Symphony Choir of Johannesburg was established in 1947 by Edgar Cree as the SABC Choral Society.  Since 1980, the choir has grown and evolved under the leadership of Richard Cock, and has become the leading choir of its type in South Africa.  Its concerts are regularly broadcast nationwide on SAFM.  The choir has gone from strength to strength under the creative and disciplined directorship of Richard Cock.  Their repertoire is varied and wide: they have sung most of the major well-known oratorios, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Haydn’s Creation and Nelson Mass, Vivaldi’s Gloria and the Requiems of Brahms, Mozart, Verdi, Fauré and Duruflé – to name a few. 

Admission:

R120 (adults)

R80 (pensioners)

R50 (students/learners/group bookings of 10+)

Tickets are available from Computicket outlets or book online at www.computicket.com

Enquiries:

Ella Kotze (FSSO), tel. (051) 401-2342 (office hours)