Upcoming events.
Darkroom Contemporary: e.ID: A Fugue (Berlin premiere)
Darkroom Contemporary Dance Theatre, in partnership with the South African State Theatre, DOCK ART and Future Storytelling Lab, presents a new interdisciplinary performance by South African choreographer Louise Coetzer.
„e.ID: A Fugue“ inhabits a suspended reality.
This hybrid performance unfolds as a choreographic meditation on identity, mortality and existence within an increasingly digitised world.
We are living between worlds: between the physical and the digital, the inherited and the constructed, the human and something not yet fully defined. This tension between the tangible - flesh, bone, DNA, memory, instinct - and an endlessly reproducible self is echoed through the work's physical performance, score, live and interactive structures.
Structured as a fugue, e.ID: traces a way of being that is simultaneously flesh and data, instinct and algorithm, contained, suspended and continuously circling within systems it cannot fully perceive. e.ID: dwells within the invisible currents that increasingly shape the world we inhabit, lingering on impermanence.
On 4 September, following the performance, we invite you to an artist talk.
Artistic concept, choreography: Louise Coetzer
Original music: Njabulo Phungula, Inge Beckmann, Heidrun Schramm, Nicolas Wiese
Musical direction: Brydon Bolton
Set design: Methodlab
Technical direction: Oscar O’Ryan
Dance: Gemma Trehearn, Rian Jansen, Tamsyn Pretorius, Gala Winkler, Aphiwe Sodlamba
Duration: 75 min
e.ID: A Fugue is presented in collaboration with the South African State Theatre, DOCK ART and the Future Storytelling Lab, and is supported by the National Lotteries Commission of South Africa, the National Arts Council of South Africa, the Christian Ludolph Marais Trust, the Goethe-Institut, DOCK ART (DE) and the Future Storytelling Lab (NL).
Darkroom Contemporary: e.ID: A Fugue (Arnheim/Dutch premiere)
[The Arnhem season is presented at ArtEZ on 8 September at 17:00 (closed performance for students and faculty) and on 9 September at 20:00.]
Darkroom Contemporary Dance Theatre, in partnership with the South African State Theatre, DOCK ART and Future Storytelling Lab, presents a new interdisciplinary performance by South African choreographer Louise Coetzer.
„e.ID: A Fugue“ inhabits a suspended reality.
This hybrid performance unfolds as a choreographic meditation on identity, mortality and existence within an increasingly digitised world.
We are living between worlds: between the physical and the digital, the inherited and the constructed, the human and something not yet fully defined. This tension between the tangible - flesh, bone, DNA, memory, instinct - and an endlessly reproducible self is echoed through the work's physical performance, score, live and interactive structures.
Structured as a fugue, e.ID: traces a way of being that is simultaneously flesh and data, instinct and algorithm, contained, suspended and continuously circling within systems it cannot fully perceive. e.ID: dwells within the invisible currents that increasingly shape the world we inhabit, lingering on impermanence.
Artistic concept, choreography: Louise Coetzer
Original music: Njabulo Phungula, Inge Beckmann, Heidrun Schramm, Nicolas Wiese
Musical direction: Brydon Bolton
Set design: Methodlab
Technical direction: Oscar O’Ryan
Dance: Gemma Trehearn, Rian Jansen, Tamsyn Pretorius, Gala Winkler, Aphiwe Sodlamba
Duration: 75 min
e.ID: A Fugue is presented in collaboration with the South African State Theatre, DOCK ART and the Future Storytelling Lab, and is supported by the National Lotteries Commission of South Africa, the National Arts Council of South Africa, the Christian Ludolph Marais Trust, the Goethe-Institut, DOCK ART (DE) and the Future Storytelling Lab (NL).
Further links/tickets TBC
Always, Already There: Journey into the Unknown
Performers:
Chiron Choir
Aaron Azunda Akugbo trumpet
Laura M. B. Kumwenda viola
Programme:
Lijadu Sisters lives gone down
Alvin Singleton Agoru
Michael Frazier Time is an impatient thing
Marcos Balter Memories
Ben Patterson Penny for your thoughts
Talib Rasul Hakim Sound Gone
Hannah Kendall Tuxedo Dust Bowl
Njabulo Phungula Playground Postcard
Spiritual I’m troubled in mind
Tyson Davis Tableau No. X
Marcos Balter Ut
Nneka Cummins Ode to Bussa
Regina Harris Baiocchi Miles per Hour
Always, Already There: Black Art Notes
This ground-breaking line-up includes scores by Corey Mwamba, Nyokabi Kariũki (Kenya), Njabulo Phungula (South Africa), veteran composer Wadada Leo Smith, Fay Victor with an ensemble led by London legends Neil Charles, Mark Sanders and Xhosa Cole, joined by special guests including cult group Nurse With Wound collaborator Aurélie Nyirabikali Lierman.
Performers:
Neil Charles bass
Mark Sanders drums
Aurélie Nyirabikali Lierman voice
Xhosa Cole saxophone
Programme:
Corey Mwamba Orrery
Fay Victor Overlap/Seam
Njabulo Phungula Playground Postcard
And works by Pat Thomas, Wadada Leo Smith and Nyokabi Kariuki to be announced
Visions: New European Ensemble + Elaine Mitchener
Performers:
New European Ensemble
Elaine Mitchener mezzo-soprano
Programme:
Njabulo Phungula Playground Postcard
Sofia Gubaidulina Aus der Visionen der Hildegard von Bingen
Canela Palacios Taaaa tata
Julius Eastman Buddha
Younghi Pagh-Paan NOCH... / ma-am
Raven Chacon (Bury Me) Where The Lightning [Will] Never Find Me
Salvatore Sciarrino Infinito Nero
Mavericks 3: Visions: New European Ensemble + Elaine Mitchener
mezzo‑soprano Elaine Mitchener
programme
Njabulo Phungula – Playground Postcard
Sofia Gubaidulina – Aus den Visionen Hildegard von Bingen
Canela Palacion – Taaaa tata
Julius Eastman – Buddha
Younghi Pagh‑Paan – Noch… Ma’am
Raven Chacon – Where the Lightning Will Never Find Me
Salvatore Sciarrino – Infinito Nero
At the centre is Infinito Nero by Salvatore Sciarrino, a powerful solo work based on the visions of the 17th-century mystic Maria Maddalena de’Pazzi. Through whispered voices, audible breathing, sudden cries and extremely fragile sounds, Sciarrino gives voice to an inner struggle: a soul swept away by religious ecstasy. The music constantly shifts between silence and overwhelming intensity, and feels at once powerful, unsettling and physical.
In contrast stand the radiant, spiritually charged sound worlds of Sofia Gubaidulina, inspired by the visions of Hildegard von Bingen. Her music radiates calm and spirituality, evoking a sense of light and inner spaciousness.
In works by, among others, Raven Chacon, Julius Eastman, Njabulo Phungula and Younghi Pagh-Paan, spirituality acquires a political and historical meaning. These works also address ancestry, identity and resistance, and the connection to ancestors and communities, across time and cultural boundaries.
Visions invites attentive and open listening. It is a programme in which every sound matters, in which breath and silence gain a power of their own, and in which music is not only heard, but experienced physically.
Visions: New European Ensemble & Elaine Mitchener
Performers:
New European Ensemble
Elaine Mitchener mezzo-soprano
Programme:
Njabulo Phungula Playground Postcard
Sofia Gubaidulina Aus der Visionen der Hildegard von Bingen
Canela Palacios Taaaa tata
Julius Eastman Buddha
Younghi Pagh-Paan NOCH...
Younghi Pagh-Paan Ma-am
Raven Chacon (Bury Me) Where The Lightning [Will] Never Find Me
Salvatore Sciarrino Infinito Nero
Darkroom Contemporary: e.ID: A Fugue
Darkroom Contemporary Dance Theatre, in partnership with the South African State Theatre, DOCK ART and Future Storytelling Lab, presents e.ID: A Fugue, a new interdisciplinary performance by South African choreographer Louise Coetzer.
e.ID: A Fugue inhabits a suspended reality.
This hybrid performance unfolds as a choreographic meditation on identity, mortality and existence within an increasingly digitised world.
We are living between worlds: between the physical and the digital, the inherited and the constructed, the human and something not yet fully defined. This tension between the tangible - flesh, bone, DNA, memory, instinct - and an endlessly reproducible self is echoed through the work's physical performance, score, live and interactive structures.
Structured as a fugue, e.ID: traces a way of being that is simultaneously flesh and data, instinct and algorithm, contained, suspended and continuously circling within systems it cannot fully perceive. e.ID: dwells within the invisible currents that increasingly shape the world we inhabit, lingering on impermanence.
Created and directed by Louise Coetzer, the production features an original score by South African composers Njabulo Phungula and Inge Beckmann, alongside German composers Heidrun Schramm and Nicolas Wiese, under the musical direction of Brydon Bolton. The production integrates responsive scenography developed in collaboration with Methodlab, with technical direction by Oscar O’Ryan.
Presented in partnership with the South African State Theatre, DOCK ART and Future Storytelling Lab, and performed by the award-winning South African company Darkroom Contemporary Dance Theatre.
e.ID: A Fugue is supported by the National Lotteries Commission of South Africa, the National Arts Council of South Africa, The Christian Ludolph Marais Trust, the Goethe-Institut, DOCK ART (DE), and Future Storytelling Lab (NL).
Performance Schedule:
* 19 August: 19H00 (Opening Night)
* 20 August: 11H00 followed by an Artist Talk
* 21 August: 19H00
* 22 August: 15H00 & 19H00
* 23 August: 15H00
TIME:SPANS Festival: International Contemporary Ensemble
International Contemporary Ensemble
Rebekah Heller, conductor
Imsu Choi Pop** (2023) for flute, clarinet, trombone, percussion, and electronics
Njabulo Phungula ochre song* (2024/25), for flute clarinet, saxophone horn, trombone, percussion, harp, piano, violin, viola, cello, double bass
Farzia Fallah I did not paint the war. I lived the war. - une Aubade** (2025)
for flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, trumpet, trombone, tuba, piano, percussion, violin, viola, cello, and double bass,
Commissioned by Ensemble Musikfabrik, Christine Schug-Mewes and Joachim Mewes, and Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ with the support of Ammodo.
Márton Illés Forajzok** (2021) for flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, trumpet, trombone, percussion, piano, 2 violins, viola, cello, and double bass,
*NY Premiere
**US Premiere
The National Arts Festival: Darkroom Contemporary: autoplay
autoplay is an AI Opera - an immersive, surreal encounter between human and machine. This hybrid performance confronts traditional notions of identity and autonomy in an era shaped by digital systems. A charged game of musical chairs driven by Artificial Intelligence, it exposes questions of agency, influence, and control.
autoplay uses combined generative processes to create a unique, live score and structure for each performance. Viewers become part of this generative process, by impacting which conclusion the work draws.
Blending absurdity and satire with striking physicality and haunting soundscapes, autoplay reflects on our quiet acceptance of a dystopian present. Through its critical engagement with machine learning, and nods to archaic symbols of learning, Autoplay imagines us learning to navigate a brave new world.
PRODUCTION CREDITS
Concept, Direction, Choreography: Louise Coetzer
Music by Brydon Bolton, Njabulo Phungula, Inge Beckmann
Presented by: Darkroom Contemporary
Performers: Gemma Trehearn, Rian Jansen, Tamsyn Pretorius, Anna van den Bergh, Inge Beckmann, Wayne Simpson, Gala Winkler
Technical Design: Oscar O’Ryan
Rehearsal Directors: Darion Adams, Natalie Fisher, Yarisha Singh
This production is made possible through support from the National Lotteries Commission, the National Arts Council of South Africa, The Christian Ludolph Marais Trust and The Western Cape Government Department of Cultural Affairs & Sport.
CoLab SA Presents: Mizar Trio
Louisa Theart (flutes), Dylan Tabisher (percussion) and Rosamund Roth (cello) featuring works by:
Kathleen Tagg (world premiere),
Allan X. Chen (world premiere)
Mokale Koapeng (world premiere)
Conrad Asman (world premiere)
Matthijs Van Dijk
Ingrid Stölzel
Njabulo Phungula parallel flows
contraBAND: Pure Bliss
The contraBAND new music ensemble performs works by Janulytė, Phungula, Glojnaric, Schoenberg, and Anderson.
Njabulo Phungula ochre song
Juste Janulytė Clessidra
Sara Glojnaric Pure Bliss
Arnold Schoenberg Pierrot Lunaire
Arnold Schoenberg Der Kranke Mond
Arnold Schoenberg Nacht
Julian Anderson Thus
Conductor: Vimbayi Kaziboni
Lineages of the non- and anti-racial: the London Universal Race congress of 1911 and its contemporary relevance
Prof. Ari Sitas has invited five exceptional composers to workshop responses to the above from 24 to 30 November 2025 at the South African College of Music, University of Cape Town.
The five composers are:
Prof. George E. Lewis, Columbia University
Prof. Wang Lu, Brown University/Chinese Conservatory Beijing
Prof. Sumangala Damodaran, IDEAS Network, Mumbai and Institute of Human Development, Delhi
Dr Sazi Dlamini, Musicology, University of KwaZulu-Natal
Njabulo Phungula
The final day's events will be streamed from Milestone Studios
Wien Modern - ICE X MDW: Composing While Black, Vienna Edition
Program
Nyokabi Kariuki: The Colour of Home (2021) - 9'
Jalalu-Kalvert Nelson: Rotations III (2017) - 7'
George Lewis: Melodies for Miles (2022) - 9'
Andile Khumalo: Schaufe[r]nster II (2024) - 7'
Njabulo Phungula: Playground Postcard (2020) - 8'
Anthony Braxton: Ghost Trance Music (1995–2006l) - 15'
Performers
International Contemporary Ensemble
Joshua Rubin, clarinet
Jonathan Finlayson, trumpet
Horn: Nicolee Kuester, horn
Modney. violin
Kyle Armbrust, viola
Katinka Kleijn, cello
Jacob Greenberg, piano
Nathan Davis, percussion
Webern Ensemble Neue Musik
2025 Yarn/Wire International Institute: Workshop Performance
The 2025 Yarn/Wire International Institute: Creative Studio will bring together participants from all over the world for a week of workshops, rehearsals, talks August 7-13, 2025 with Yarn/Wire members and Ashkan Behzadi, composition faculty.
The final workshop performance will take place on Weds, August 13 at the Yarn/Wire Studio in Ridgewood, Queens and feature new works for Yarn/Wire written by 2025 YWI Participants:
Ela Brown
Jesus Flores
Thomas Palmer
Njabulo Phungula
Yixie Shen
Jianing Song
Xiaofan Wang
Parsa Zandi
In Person at the YW Studio* and Live-Streamed. 7PM EST
Admission is FREE but an RSVP is required; confirmation of attendance 24 hours before the event is necessary to hold your spot.
Ö1 (ORF) Broadcast: Supernova - Preisträgerkonzert von impuls-Festival Graz
Klangforum Wien spielt Uraufführungen junger Komponierender
Im Rahmen der neunten Ausgabe des impuls Festivals in Graz wurden auch heuer wieder neue Werke junger Komponist:innen bei einem Preisträgerkonzert zur Uraufführung gebracht.
Diese neuen Stücke für Ensemble waren am Dienstag, 25. Februar 2025 erstmals in Graz zu hören, interpretiert vom Klangforum Wien unter seinem Conductor in residence Vimbayi Kaziboni.
Darkroom Contemporary: autoplay
autoplay is a surreal encounter between human and machine. In this immersive AI Opera, choreographer director Louise Coetzer confronts traditional notions of identity and autonomy, in an era where our lives have become intricately woven into the fabric of a digital landscape.
This hybrid performance is a convergence of dance theatre, live art, generative soundscapes, opera, polyrhythms and Artificial Intelligence; and an exploration of the intersection between humanity and technology. Through its interaction with Artificial Intelligence and machine learning, this charged game of musical chairs confronts questions of agency, autonomy, influence and the blurred boundaries between free will and manipulation in a digital age.
The performance reimagines itself for every audience, using combined generative processes resulting in unique musical outcomes, and audience choice to impact its conclusion. With live, original music by Brydon Bolton, Inge Beckmann & Njabulo Phungula.
Darkroom Contemporary’s autoplay uses absurdity and satire to challenge the acceptance of our dystopian present. By blending traditional and contemporary symbols of learning, autoplay imagines us learning to navigate a brave new world.
Meet the Composers
Meet the Composers
Damián Gorandi | Jieun Jeong | Piyawat Louilarppasert | Njabulo Phungula | Kelley Sheehan
Vimbayi Kaziboni moderation
Presentations and discussion with the composers of the impuls commissions after the premieres of their new works on February 25th.
impuls Festival: Composers' talk + Laureate Concert
8.45-19.15
Composers' Talk
Damián Gorandi | Jieun Jeong | Piyawat Louilarppasert | Njabulo Phungula | Kelley Sheehan
Vimbayi Kaziboni moderation
19.30
Klangforum Wien
Vimbayi Kaziboni, conductor.
Damian Gorandi Digital suicide (2024, impuls commission, world premiere)
Jieun Jeong volatile (2024, impuls commission, world premiere)
Piyawat Louilarpprasert Parasite (2024, impuls commission, world premiere)
Njabulo Phungula ochre song (2024, impuls commission, world premiere)
Kelley Sheehan strainer (2024, impuls commission, world premiere)
The Wide-Open Mouth: Concert
Com Chor Berlin, directed by Shelly Phillips, and International Contemporary Ensemble
Concert
Music of: Jessica Ekomane, Elaine Mitchener, Njabulo Phungula, Fay Victor, Anthony R. Green, Monthati Masebe, Shelly Phillips
Composing While Black I: Panel Discussion
Composing While Black I
Panel Discussion: Jessica Ekomane, Anthony R. Green, Hannah Kendall, Monthati Masebe, Njabulo Phungula, moderated by Jessie Cox
In English
Free entry
African Art Music Today: Panel Discussion
African Art Music Today
Panel Discussion: Nyokabi Kariũki, Monthati Masebe, Njabulo Phungula, moderated by Andile Khumalo
In English
Free Entry
“Always, Already There: An Incubator for Afrodiasporic New Music” - Concerts, Talks, Panel Discussions, Workshops
The Haus der Kulturen der Welt in Berlin, Germany (HKW, House of World Cultures) is sponsoring the residency “Always, Already There: An Incubator for Afrodiasporic New Music,” from November 4-10, 2024. The project includes public rehearsals and concerts, workshops, lectures and panel discussions, with the goal of collectively nurturing and developing new modes of expertise on contemporary Afrodiasporic sonic experimentalism, as well as presenting perspectives that have been largely ignored in academic research, concert programs, and journalistic coverage, especially in Europe. The residency offers professionals, students and the interested public an insight into the work of a new generation of Afrodiasporic composers, and is intended to demonstrate the important role that new music from the African diaspora can play as an intercultural and cross-generational incubator for new themes, stories and identities.
George Lewis, Professor of American music at Columbia University and artistic director of the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) from New York, will serve as guest curator for this project. Eight musicians from ICE and twenty composers and sound artists from around the Afrodiasporic world of new music will be participating.
Participants:
Leila Adu-Gilmore, Jessie Cox, Daniele Daude, Jessica Ekomane, Douglas R. Ewart, Cedrik Fermont, Anthony R. Green, Satch Hoyt, Nyokabi Kariũki, Hannah Kendall, Andile Khumalo, Harald Kisiedu, George Lewis, Monthati Masebe, Elaine Mitchener, Jalalu-Kalvert Nelson, Shelly Phillips, Njabulo Phungula, Alyssa Regent, Corie Rose Soumah, Charles Uzor, Christina Wheeler, International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE), Com Chor Berlin
Supported by the Capital Cultural Fund
With the friendly support of Ernst von Siemens Musikstiftung
Darkroom Contemporary: autoplay
autoplay is a surreal encounter between human and machine. The performance conjures a moving landscape that ebbs, shifts and transforms as it frames the experience. autoplay is an immersive multi-discipline production, with the calibre for which Darkroom Contemporary have become renowned.
This hybrid work by Louise Coetzer blends dance, Live Art performance, sound installation and digital processing to bring dance theatre to a range of alternate dimensions. The performance features a new original score by renowned music artists Brydon Bolton (Benguela) and Njabulo Phungula, performed by vocalist Inge Beckmann(Lark, Beast).
Staged in a secret location in Kloof Street, Cape Town, viewers are invited into a multi-faceted arena where the performance reimagines itself for every audience.
The initial meeting point for the performance will be the fountain on Longkloof Square, at Longkloof Studios.
autoplay is produced by multiple award-winning Darkroom Contemporary Dance Theatre and will be performed from 10 - 28 September at a uniquely transformed site within Longkloof Studios in Cape Town.
Performances: September 10, 11, 12, 13, 20, 21, 22, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28.
Mizar Trio: Symposium of South African Composers
Mizar Trio
Louisa Theart flutes
Rosamund Ender cello
Dylan Tabisher marimba/vibraphone
Conrad Asman Sea for Swimming for solo alto flute
Matthijs van Dijk The Rain Next Door
Njabulo Phungula Parallel Flows
additional works TBC
2024 Henri Lazarof Chamber Concert
Henri Lazarof: String Quartet No. 8 “Hommage to Paul Klee”
Bohuslav Martinu: Three Madrigals for violin and viola
Njabulo Phungula: Trio for French horn, violin and piano (*world premiere, winner of 2023 Henri Lazarof International Commission Prize)
Henri Lazarof: Trio for French horn, violin and piano
Performed by the Lydian String Quartet, hornist Clark Matthews, violinist Markus Placci, and pianist Heng-Jin Park
PULSE#9
PULSE (string quartet)
In PULSE#9, the progressive string quartet PULSE presents music by the producer JLIN, the New York saxophonist John Zorn, the South African Njabulo Phungula and the composer Béla Bartok, who was inspired by his travels in Eastern Europe. A colorful program with influences from electro, jazz, free jazz and folk.
Béla Bartók: String Quartet No.4
JLIN: Little Black Book
John Zorn: The Dead Man
Njabulo Phungula: like knotted strings
Quartett x Zwei: PULSE und Hanse-Quartett
Programm:
Hanse Quartett: Tsukushi Sasaki, Violine Ladina Casutt, Violine Kirill Volkov, Viola Elias Wagner, Violoncello
Witold Lutoslawski (1913-1994): Streichquartett (1964)
_______
PULSE: Johannes Haase, Violine Lola Rubio, Violine Yuko Hara, Viola Jakob Nierenz, Cello
Béla Bártok (1881-1945): Streichquartett Nr. 4 (1928)
Njabulo Phungula (*1993): like knotted strings (2022) Europäische Erstaufführung
JLIN (*1987): Little Black Book (2018, arr. Jacok Garchik)
SACM Staff Showcase Concert
The Director of the South African College of Music, Prof Andrew Lilley, invites you to the 2024 SACM Staff Showcase Concert. This will be the opening concert in the SACM’s Tuesday evening concert series. The concert will feature performances by lecturers in Opera, Classical, Jazz and African /Pan African music sections including François du Toit (piano), Farida Bacharova (violin), Brandon Phillips (bassoon), Liesl Stoltz (flute), Annelize de Villiers (clarinet), Violina Anguelov-Hobbs (mezzo soprano), Patrick Tikolo (baritone), Paulina Malefane (soprano), Sipho Fubesi (tenor), Lisa Engelbrecht (vocals & piano), Rick Deja, Bronwen Clacherty, Thabisa Dinga and Keketso Bolofo (traditional African instruments), Nomfundo Xaluva-Dyantyis (jazz vocals), Abigail Petersen (jazz vocals), Justin Bellairs (saxophones), Blake Hellaby (piano), Stephen De Souza (Bass), Joshua Klein (drums), and more.
Bound objects is featured on this concert programme.
ISCM World New Music Days 2023: ISCM UJ Concert 4
Experience the magic of ensemble and chamber music at ISCM UJ Concert 4, a captivating event held at the Keorapetse William Kgositsile Theatre. Join us for an enchanting evening featuring a curated selection of pieces from the ISCM Call for Works, showcasing the exceptional talents of the Odeion String Quartet and the dynamic duo Khanyisile Mthetwa & Peter Cartwright, both from South Africa.
Delve into a diverse repertoire that includes African and centennial pieces by acclaimed composers such as Conrad Asman, Musa Nkuna, Alexander Johnson, Hendrik Hofmeyr, and more.
The program also presents ISCM pieces, including:
Njabulo Phungula's "like knotted strings" from South Africa (African premiere)
Nguyen Ngoc Tu's "String Quartet No.3" from Vietnam (South African premiere), and
Michaela (Mika) Cornelius's "The Sounding Sea" from New Zealand (South African premiere)
Don't miss this exceptional musical journey that bridges cultures and celebrates the universal language of music. Join us for an evening of artistic brilliance and cultural exploration.
Venue: Keorapetse William Kgositsile Theatre, University of Johannesburg (Kingsway Campus), Corner of Kingsway Ave and University Rd, Auckland Park, Johannesburg, 2092
Ticket Price: Free
Deep Time: A festival of new music - Yshani Perinpanayagam and Katherine Tinker: Provocation vs Play
Programme
George Crumb Celestial Mechanics [Makrokosmos IV] Cosmic Dances for Amplified Piano, 1979
Claudia Molitor Polymer Hauntings, 2022
Max Syedtollan Electric Organ Duo, 2023 (world premiere)
Njabulo Phungula Playground Postcard, 2020
Gillian Walker Title tbc, 2023 (world premiere)
Uri Agnon Put Your Hands Together [for late capitalism], 2022
With society’s ever-increasing political polarisation, the temptation to shout louder in order to reach those who feel ideologically far from us is immense. However, as the battles over the climate crisis continue to rage on, it is clear that this combative communication structure often results in those in opposition feeling more defensive of their existing view.
In this concert, Yshani Perinpanayagam and Katherine Tinker will explore an alternative way forward, turning to art for one of its strongest powers: bringing people together, through cooperation, collaboration and play. It is no mistake that we play games and play music; the idea of play can make concepts too-messy for words far more accessible. Play is connection. Play demands concentration, imagination and innovation, the very qualities that can lead us towards solutions to the challenges that face us today.
The programme will start with George Crumb’s epic Celestial Mechanics [Makrokosmos IV] Cosmic Dances for Amplified Piano in which a rich and expansive kaleidoscope of sound is created, exploring the timelessness of the universe.The programme then moves to the urgency of the present moment: Claudia Molitor’s Polymer Hauntings is a requiem to fossil fuel, using one of its most day-to-day, visible manifestations: plastic. Ideas of activism, cooperation and play are then investigated in pieces by Max Syedtollan, Gillian Walker, and finally in Uri Agnon’s Put Your Hands Together [for late capitalism]: light-hearted and mischievous in its use of a simple gesture from both performer and audience member – a clap – to affect change.
Presentation/Discussion for Dalhousie University composition students
I will give a online lecture/presentation on my music to composition students at Dalhousie House, where I discuss my works “a tap releases the new harmony”, “like knotted strings”, and “Bound objects”.
ERSO FACTORY
In October, ERSO’s ensembles will perform at Paavli Cultural Factory, which opened its doors this spring. In a concert venue located in the territory of a former fishing industry in Northern Tallinn, we immerse ourselves in the industrial soundscapes.
Concert organiser ERSO
Elis Hallik
Tuning the Iron
Steve Reich
New York Counterpoint
TAAVI ORRO klarnet
Jacob TV
String Quartet No. 2 - Postnuclear Winterscenario
KRISTEL KIIK violin, MAAREN VIHERMÄE violin, MAIRIT MITT-BRONIKOWSKA viola, VILLU VIHERMÄE cello
Missy Mazzioli
A Thousand Tongues
THEODOR SINK cello
Mokale Koapeng
Komeng
KRISTEL KIIK violin, MAAREN VIHERMÄE violin, MAIRIT MITT-BRONIKOWSKA viola, VILLU VIHERMÄE cello
Njabulo Phungula
Abyss (Estonian premiere)
South African Strings Foundation Composition Competition/South African Composers' Symposium: Workshops + Finals Concert
The final round of the South African Strings Foundation Composers' Competition will be presented at 16h30 on 22 September in the Endler hall at the University of Stellenbosch as part of the South African Composers Symposium. This is a unique opportunity to experience and listen to five newly composed works for uhadi and string quintet by talented and emerging South African composers. The finalists for this competition are Natali Frenz, Njabulo Phungula, Chesney Palmer, Owen Dalton and Reece Rivalland. Each composer will receive the opportunity to workshop their composition with the ensemble before the concert. The adjudicators are Prof Hans Roosenschoon, Dr Ncebakazi Mnukwana and Matthijs van Dijk. After the concert there will be a short break followed by the award ceremony.
Performers: Dizu Plaatjies (uhadi), Thandeka Mfinyongo (uhadi), Bronwen Clacherty (uhadi), Annien Shaw (violin), David Bester (violin), Remi Ludick (viola), Babette Roosenschoon (violoncello) and Mariechen Meyer (double bass).
Ensemble Recherche - Spotted: Subsahara
Ensemble Recherche performs contemporary music from South Africa, Nigeria, and Ghana. Works by Njabulo Phungula, Monthati Masebe, Ayò Olúránti, Bongani Ndodana-Breen, Tebogo Monnakgotla.
Bongani Ndodana-Breen, curator
Steloolive, Sound-Artist, DJ
In cooperation with the Goethe-Institut. The concert will be recorded by Deutschlandfunk.
Pekko Aakko: Student Recital
Pekko Aakko performs Bassoon repertoire
Bassoon, Pekko Aakko
Piano, Timo Latonen
Free admission to the concert.
Henri Duttileux - Sarabande et cortége for bassoon and piano
Njabulo Phungula - Circles (Finnish Premiere)
Libby Larsen - Jazz variations on a solo bassinet
Alexandre Tansman - Sonatine for bassoon and piano
Prelude | Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía
Program
BEETHOVEN, Ludwig van
Sonata for violin and piano in C minor op 30 no. 2
PHUNGULA, Njabulo
Circles for solo bassoon
(Javier Sanz Pascual, bassoon)
LARSEN, Libby
Jazz Variations for solo bassoon
MOZART, Wolfgang Amadeus
Concerto for bassoon and orchestra in B flat major K 191 (bassoon and piano reduction)
SHOSTAKOVICH, Dmitry
Sonata for viola and piano in C major op 147