The year 2011 marks 100 years since the death of Gustav Mahler

The year 2011 marks 100 years since the death of Gustav Mahler, and the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra will commemorate the great Austrian composer’s life by performing two of his symphonies this year.

These works will be played during the JPO’s first and second seasons of symphony concerts for the year. Season one kicks off on 9 February, with all concerts taking place on Wednesday and Thursday nights at the Linder Auditorium in Parktown. Selected programmes will be repeated at Unisa’s ZK Matthews Hall in Pretoria on Sunday afternoons.

Due to audience demand, from this season the JPO will perform three major works during each concert, instead of four shorter works.

The first three weeks of the season will see Emil Tabakov, the eminent Bulgarian conductor, composer and double-bass player, leading the JPO as well as a number of top international soloists. Maestro Tabakov is well-known around the world as a guest conductor and has an enormous repertoire featuring a variety of styles from classical and romantic to contemporary genres.

On Wednesday, 9 February 2011 and Thursday, 10 February 2011, the JPO will kick off its first season of concerts for 2011 with Rossini’s Semiramide: Overture and Mozart’s Symphony No.36, K.425, C major (Linz), and will be joined by pianist Michael Roll for Beethoven’s Piano Concerto, No.4, Op.58, G major.

Roll is one of Britain’s most distinguished pianists, who came to prominence at an early age and has since enjoyed a career that has taken him around the world, giving recitals and appearing with prominent orchestras. The programme will be repeated at Unisa’s ZK Matthews Hall at 3pm on Sunday, 13 February.

On 16 and 17 February, the orchestra will perform another Mozart composition, The Impresario Overture, K486, as well as Beethoven’s Symphony No.4, Op.60, B-flat major. Also on the menu is Haydn’s Cello Concerto, Hob.V11b:2, D major, featuring talented 25-year-old Belorussian cellist Georgi Anichenko, now based in Paris, who has won several international music competitions – including first prize in the Unisa International String Competition.

The following week, on 23 and 24 February (as well as on 27 February at Unisa), it’s the turn of Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet Overture, Saint-Saëns’s Introduction & Rondo capriccioso, Op.28, and Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio Espagnol, Op. 34. Accomplished and highly decorated Bulgarian violinist Svetlin Roussev will make a special appearance, performing Ravel’s Tzigane, Rapsodie de concert for Violin & Orchestra.

The JPO’s principal guest conductor, Bernhard Gueller, will take over the reins for the remainder of the first symphony season. On 2 and 3 March, the JPO will be joined by young Russian pianist Natalia Lavrova, a highly-regarded and multi-faceted performer whose sincerity of interpretation and charm on the stage has won the hearts of audiences across the United States and Europe.

Lavrova will be playing Mozart’s Piano Concerto, No.9, K.271, E-flat major (Jeunehomme). The concerts will also feature Respighi’s Antiche danze ed arie (Ancient Airs and Dances):

Suite 1

, and Bizet’s Symphony No.1, C major.

Described by the Jerusalem Post as “musical, energetic and full of flair”, trailblazing Taiwanese pianist Ching-Yun Hu, winner of the 2009 Concert Artists Guild International Competition, will perform Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto, No.1, Op.23, B-flat minor with the JPO on 9 and 10 March in Joburg, and on 13 March in Pretoria. The remainder of the programme includes Liadov’s Eight Russian Folk Songs, Op.58, and Dvoøák’s Symphony No.6, Op.60, D major.

The season wraps up on 16 and 17 March with an operatic flourish, when exceptional young soprano Kelebogile Boikanyo, who recently appeared in Opera Africa’s La Bohème and La Traviata and will be performing in the upcoming production of Carmen, will join the JPO to sing Das himmlische Leben from Mahler’s Symphony No.4, G major. This work is considered Mahler’s most accessible symphony.

During the final concerts for the season, the JPO will also perform the Nachtgesang, Prelude and Liebestod from Wagner’s opera Tristan und Isolde.

Join the JPO for some choice musical encounters of the classical kind in 2011! The Wednesday and Thursday night concerts at the Linder Auditorium start at 8pm, and the Unisa Sunday concerts start at 3pm. Tickets are available at Computicket or at the door. For more information, call 011 789 2733, e-mail info@jpo.co.za or visit www.jpo.co.za.

Afrikaans comedy promises ‘massive’ take-off at Promusica

15 December 2010


Joburg Promusica in Roodepoort promises to start the new year with a ‘massive’ take-off by staging the Afrikaans comedy Vettie! Vettie! Promusica audiences can expect much more than just a smile when this hit show kicks off the theatre’s 2011 programme.

Vettie! Vettie!, produced by Kosie House of Theatre, will debut from 27 January to 20 February 2011 in Roodepoort, whereafter the show will embark on a nationwide tour.
Originally written by Charles Laurence and then translated into Afrikaans by Johan Bernard, Vettie! Vettie! (My Fat Friend) is a humorous look at women’s ongoing battle with the scale and that extra bit of weight. With the award-winning comic actor Tobie Cronjé as director, Vettie! Vettie! will inject the new year with a healthy dose of laughter.
Vicky (Karen Wessels) is a successful owner of a bookshop in Hatfield, Pretoria. She is single and obviously overweight. When she meets the man of her dreams, Tom Delport (Paul du Toit), she decides to get rid of the excess weight once and for all in order to secure her Prince Charming.

Easier said than done, especially if one of your house mates is a gourmet chef, while the other one keeps reminding you how many diets you’ve experimented with in the past... and failed!
Henri (Casper de Vries) knows Vicky too well and that all her good intentions ended in the garbage bin. The sharp-tongued Henri loves to be ‘truthful’ and make no excuses for his constant jokes about Vicky’s weight issues.
Gert (Johan Botha) is the gourmet chef who is allergic to cooking anything plaind and ordinary. During the day he also works as Vicky’s assistant in the bookshop and has a very soft spot for her.
Will Vicky be able to charm the man of her dreams and live with him happily ever after?
My Fat Friend was translated into Afrikaans by Johan Bernard and adapted as Vettie! Vettie! by Pierre van Pletzen.
Tobie Cronjé, known for his roles in the annual pantomime and the recent comedy Sing!, is the director.
Bookings through Computicket.
For more information about the play and tour schedule visit the web site http://www.vettievettie.co.za/

SAB partners with Gauteng Economic Development department to promote responsible trading in the liquor industry

Johannesburg, 14 December 2010:

 The South African Breweries (SAB) and the Gauteng Department of Economic Development today announced a landmark partnership to promote responsible trading in the liquor industry throughout Gauteng, which includes facilitating interventions to encourage traders to operate formalised businesses.

Vincent Maphai, SAB director of Corporate Affairs and Transformation, says SAB has a responsibility to encourage responsible trading. “SAB firmly believes that alcohol producers can and must make a positive contribution to reducing harmful drinking. Alcohol producers are ready and willing to partner with like-minded stakeholders to develop initiatives to halt the abuse of alcohol, including promoting responsible trading by liquor retailers. SAB believes that in order for these initiatives to be truly successful, it is essential that the company plays a key support role. We wholeheartedly welcome the partnership with the Gauteng department of economic development and look forward to it being a long and fruitful one.”

Last year, SAB announced an alcohol strategy (background details included), an integral part of which was increasing resources to build partnerships with government and the industry. There is also a strong focus on driving real advances in the normalisation of the industry through supporting and incentivising shebeens to become part of the formally regulated industry. SAB is committed to collaboration and self-regulation in the industry. The company assists the relevant stakeholders with licensing and supports regulators in building capacity and capability.

As part of this strategy, SAB will be launching a pilot project in February next year which seeks to promote responsible trading amongst taverns and shebeens. The project will run amongst 500 traders in four of SAB’s regions across the country, and will inform the way in which the company moves forward on promoting responsible trading. The pilot project is part of a review of SAB’s Mahlasedi programme - a specially designed taverner training programme to incentivise shebeens to obtain licenses – which the company is undertaking in light of the increased complexity of the regulatory environment. Over the last few years, the Mahlasedi programme has trained approximately 19 000 taverners. The programme includes a social responsibility module and a mentoring component.

Dr Maphai says SAB has long promoted the normalisation of the liquor industry. There are an estimated 120 000 people who run unlicensed outlets and who struggle to become part of the formal liquor market due mainly to the complexity of the licensing regime. These are people who are pursing an honest living but who fall outside the law by administrative fiat and as a result, struggle to grow their businesses, develop their entrepreneurial skills and who have a limited incentive to trade responsibly. SAB is therefore working hard to support government to normalise the industry.

“One of the most effective ways of ensuring that industry promotes the responsible use of alcohol is to be able to influence the behaviour of retailers and how they interact with consumers. This can only be achieved when all retailers are legal and a structured relationship with them can be formed. For this reason, the normalisation of the industry is a key tenet of SAB’s alcohol policy – it will allow us to work with retailers legitimately to ensure responsible trading.

“Ultimately, we believe that all stakeholder interests will be served by a properly regulated industry that is equitable, focuses on compliance, responsible retailing and the minimisation of abuse,” says Dr Maphai.

Jozi will bid farewell to a landmark year with a vibrant celebration of music and art on New Year’s Eve, when the Joburg Carnival once again brings the city’s streets to life.

Joburg Carnival to ring in 2011 in style

Now in its seventh year, the City of Joburg’s annual carnival has become a favourite fixture among residents – providing them with a constructive creative outlet to express their festive spirit on 31 December.

This year, the Joburg Carnival’s theme is “Jozi My Jozi, My City”. The colourful parade will start in Kotze Street in downtown Jozi at 12 noon on New Year’s Eve, and will proceed through the city, over the Nelson Mandela Bridge and end at Newtown Park during the afternoon.

Expect an exuberant assortment of troupes, choirs, bands and floats making their merry way through the city – and residents are encouraged to line the route to check out the spectacle, or even join in the fun.

“Carnival is the most exciting project in the city for many reasons,” says Steven Sack, the City of Joburg’s Director of Arts, Culture and Heritage.

“Most importantly, it provides opportunities for young artists to participate in a wonderful spectacle: to design, paint, dance and construct a performance that moves through the streets in celebration of the end of one year and the beginning of a new year.”

Residents are currently hard at work in recreation centres across the city, with locals and foreign nationals coming together in the spirit of unity and tolerance to create costumes, floats and other carnival paraphernalia. During these carnival camps, they learn valuable carnival arts skills that could ultimately earn them a living.

Hosted by the City of Joburg, in partnership with the municipal-owned entities (MOEs) and the South African Police Service, the Joburg Carnival celebrates the creativity and diversity of Jozi, and provides a safe New Year’s Eve activity for inner-city residents and the youth. Police statistics indicate that the carnival has directly resulted in lower crime levels in the inner city over New Year since it was initiated seven years ago.

“This year’s carnival will be time to say goodbye to 2010 and to welcome in 2011,” adds Sack – so come and join with other Jozi families in the fun and jollity on 31 December, and see in the New Year in grand, celebratory style.

blackdogg Media: whis is the Heart Boy?

blackdogg Media: whis is the Heart Boy?: "All is Revealed After Vuka! Awards Ceremony It would be difficult for anyone who owns a TV set, listens to the radio or reads a newspaper,..."

whis is the Heart Boy?

All is Revealed After Vuka! Awards Ceremony

It would be difficult for anyone who owns a TV set, listens to the radio or reads a newspaper, not to be aware of the enigmatic “Heart Boy”; the sweet young kid who’s been interrupting reporters and presenters by appearing out of the blue, giving them a little red heart, and then melting into the distance as quickly as he’d arrived.

Of course, by now, some people may have twigged that he is linked to M-Net’s Vuka! Campaign; the annual competition which encourages the Advertising and Film industry to make pro bono adverts for important social causes and charities.

This year, the theme for the creatives was “art with a heart” – and the entire advertising industry got behind the Vuka! Awards. Newcomers and Professionals all working to find creative and inspiring ways to create awareness about pressing social issues and encouraging South Africans to get involved.

The 2010 M-Net Vuka! Award winners were announced and crowned at a glittering ceremony in Kyalami on Tuesday night, November 30th. But what of the young sprite himself? Who is the boy that’s been winning hearts - in addition to handing them out?

The 12 year-old charmer, it turns out, is Katlego Dlamini, a Grade Six pupil at Theo Wassenar Laerskool in . He loves attending school and his favourite subject is science, although he’s also very involved in his school’s extracurricular activities, such as cricket, soccer, chess and swimming.

Katlego is also an aspiring actor who learned to get over his initial nerves after his first audition at the age of six - and has never looked back. Acting, he says, gives him a break from playing with his friends, and he also gets a kick from seeing himself on TV. Despite his passion for soccer and acting, however, he seems to have other plans for his future, and insists that his goal is to become a heart surgeon. What is it with Katlego and hearts?

Said M-Net’s Director of Corporate Marketing and Communications, Koo Govender: “Katlego was the perfect ambassador for M-Net’s Vuka! Campaign. He showed us all that a small gesture with a good heart can have a huge impact.”

Perhaps most revealing of all was a comment that Katlego made when his identity was revealed yesterday: “I just like to make people smile!”

Masakhane Festival celebrates 21st birthday with colourful variety

 

The Masakhane Arts and Culture Youth Festival celebrates its 21st birthday from 10 tot 18 December 2010 with a colourful variety of theatre, dance, music, poetry and workshops. The festival is hosted in the Emndeni Youth Centre in Soweto, Gauteng, but hosts young people from across South Africa as well as neighbouring countries.

Besides workshops ranging from contemporary dance and acting to drumming, this year’s festival programme includes theatre productions by theatre legend Gibson Kente, Bongani Linda, Julian Seleke Mokoto and Ntshieng Mokgoro (2009 Winner of the Standard Bank Young Artist Award for Drama).

Also on the programme is the Imbube Music Programme and competition, which will be held in the Emndeni Senior Secondary School Hall on 4 and 5 December. The programme and competition aim to popularise imbube and isicathamiya music.

Hostel dwellers, the bigger Soweto community and music lovers are invited to join in a celebration of indigenous folk music and movement. Participants not only make music, but also compete as the best dressed. It is not so much about the outer beauty, but rather a display of movement and colour.

The Imbube Music programme is a developmental initiative and caters specifically for organisations based in the Soweto hostels. Besides finding new talent, it is also a celebration of the diverse cultural richness in Gauteng.

The competition will start on 4 December at 18:00 and end on 5 December at 06:00. Entrance is free.

The Masakhane Arts and Culture Youth Development Project was created just over two decades ago by the youth of Emndeni in Soweto and is funded by the NATIONAL LOTTERY DISTRIBUTION TRUST FUND (NLDTF). The aim is to empower and develop young people who are artistically inclined. The annual event offers an opportunity to these talented young people to showcase their skills and also exchange cultural activities.

The Masakhane (‘togetherness’) Festival nurtures love and respect for each other’s background, language and culture. At the same time the youth development project encourages women to play the leading role in various organisations in the South African arts industry.

This year’s festival opens with a musical festival on Firday 10 December, featuring artists like Chomee, GP Gangsters, Pro Kid and Deep Soweto.

The mainstream theatre productions that will be performed in the Emndeni Youth Centre daily at 19:00, include the following:

10 December – Thursday’s Child by Ntshieng Mokgoro
11 December – Sins of a Man, directed by Thapelo Motloung
12 December – Marry the Unfaithful Woman, directed by Julian Seleke Mokoto
13 December – Carrot Sisters, directed by Bongani Linda
14 December – Garden Boy, directed by Kunene Nyembezi
14 December – Torn Apart, directed by Darlington Michaels (starting time 19:20)
15 December – Mfowethu, written by Gibson Kente
16 December – Remorse, directed by Duma Mnembe
17 December – Pot of Fire, directed by Charles Sello Mphana

Entrance to all the shows and workshops is free and open to the public.

Some of the workshops offered feature Thulani Didi & Kere Nyawo (Zone 14 Popeye & Spinach)guiding the various youth groups through a presentation about musical theatre, Duma Mnembe tackling theatre and Thuli Mazibuko (lead singer of the award-winning Soweto Gospel Choir) sharing secrets about music and music-making. Young people from KwaZulu-Natal, Free State, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, Northern Cape, Eastern Cape and other areas in and around Gauteng are transported by bus to attend the various activities that are offered free of charge.