CHORAL AND BRASS FESTIVAL AT THE V&A WATERFRONT

CHORAL AND BRASS FESTIVAL At the V&A Waterfront

Date: Daily – Saturday 15 to Sunday 23 December
Time: 15 Dec – 16h45 and 18h00, 16 Dec – 16h00 and 18h00, All other shows start at 18h00
Duration: Entertainment ends at 19h00
Venue: V&A Waterfront Amphitheatre
Cost: Free

Celebrate the joy of the season under a starlit African sky, as choir song rings out alongside the rich, warm resonance of brass bands. Continuing the V&A Waterfront’s summer celebration of music and dance, the property will host a Choral and Brass Festival at the outdoor Amphitheatre daily between Saturday, 15 to Sunday 23 December.

First up will be the celebrated South African National Youth Orchestra (SANYO) on Saturday 15 December between 16h45 and 18h00. The performers may be youthful but the Orchestra itself has been in existence for 47 years when the first conductor taught 65 children under trees.  Today the SANYO has collected multiple accolades and achievements and has grown into a nationwide initiative enabling 3 000 youngsters in 18 bands to enhance their lives through music.

Also on 15 December, between 18h00 and 19h00, the LG Factor will entertain audiences with contemporary music.  They will perform original compositions by their leader Lwanda Gogwana, as well as those of musical legends Moses Molelekwa, Miriam Makeba, Roy Hargrove, Hugh Masekela, Lira and Jill Scott.

South African band ISO will perform a combination of dance, rock, pop and indie genre’s on Sunday 16 December between 16h00 to 17h00.  The band released their new album ‘Piece by Piece’ in September 2012. From 18h00 to 19h00 Simba Saini and Afristorm will introduce the rhythm of Africa to the Day of Reconciliation.  The four brothers, who hail from KweKwe, Zimbabwe will perform original compositions and popular Zimbabwean tunes.

On Monday, 17 December the popular Gugulethu Tenors will entertain the crowd between 18h00 and 19h00.  Ten years ago, four young men from Gugulethu with a shared love of opera, big dreams and even bigger voices formed the Gugulethu Tenors.  Today they are feted and share stages with international greats.  The Tenors combine a contemporary African element to traditional opera.

On Tuesday, 18 December between 18h00 and 19h00 drummers and pipers from the Cape Town Highlanders regiment will prove why military tattoo’s the world over are so popular for the colour and ceremonial splendour they bring to an event. The Drum and Pipe band was first established in 1885 and belongs to their regiment, in which they serve as soldiers first and foremost. In peacetime, however, they support the regiment in its ceremonial parades.

The talented youngsters who comprise the Omega Brass Ensemble will delight visitors on Wednesday, 19 December between 18h00 and 19h00 with their skill with brass and percussion instruments. Established as a non-profit organisation in 2004 with the aim of uplifting and empowering disadvantaged youth, members are tutored in music and equipped with maths and other practical skills.

On Thursday, 20 December between 18h00 and 19h00 the Apostolic Faith Mission choir will get visitors in the spirit of the season with Gospel hymns and carols.  The choir aims to use music as a platform to create opportunities for their community members.

The Salvation Army has enjoyed a long and proud musical tradition and on Friday, 21 December between 18h00 to 19h00, the Salvation Army Band will get the crowd in the spirit of Christmas with traditional hymns and carols. Less well known is the fact that many local musical legends began their careers as members of the long-standing band, including Hugh Masekela and Professor Mzilikazi Khumalo. Music offers the charity organisation a platform from which to reach young South Africans and to help communities face challenges such as drug addiction and poverty.

On Saturday, 22 December between 18h00 and 19h00, the Cape Town Gospel Choir will lift the spirits of weary shoppers as they perform a range of traditional Gospel songs.  The choir was founded to promote unity in the city across racial, ethnic and economic boundaries. Directed by Colin Peckham, the choir regularly performs at the V&A Waterfront where it remains a firm favourite with visitors.

The talented Apostle Choristers bring the V&A Waterfront’s Choral and Brass Festival to a close on 23 Dec between 18h00 to 19h00. First established in 1995, the Apostle Choristers aim has been to enhance choral music within local communities, under the management of the Ithemba Cultural Society and under the musical direction of Camillo Lombard.  The choir is divided into three regions representing the Cape Metropole, the Boland and the Swartland.

Visiting the V&A Waterfront to experience the Choral and Brass Festival is now as easy as hopping onto a My Citi Bus.