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BY BILLY SUTER
THE Clermont Community Choir will open the concert of the acclaimed American Minnesota Orchestra, for the Durban leg of the orchestra’s five-city tour of South Africa at the Durban City Hall at 5pm on Sunday. August 12.
And good news is that SoSuterBill has two double tickets to give away to attend this eagerly awaited concert. Details on how to enter appear at the end of this story.
Conducted by Minnesota Orchestra music mirector Osmo Vänskä, the tour marks the first visit to South Africa by a professional US orchestra.
A highlight of the tour will be a piece specially commissioned as a tribute to Nelson Mandela by Classical Movements. World-acclaimed composer Bongani Ndodana-Breen was commissioned to write a new work featuring soprano Goitsemang Lehobye. which premiered in Minneapolis a few days ago and was a great success.
The orchestra is about to travel to South Africa to perform in Cape Town, Durban, Pretoria and Johannesburg, as well as at the historic Regina Mundi Roman Catholic Church in Soweto.
To open the concert in Durban, the Clermont Community Choir will be performing a specially curated programme of local indigenous works as a counter-point to the pieces to be performed by the Minnesota Orchestra, and to continue the theme of celebrating Madiba during the centenary year commemorations.
The programme to be performed by the Minnesota Orchestra includes Beethoven’s 5th Symphony, Bernstein’s Candide Overture and Sibelius’s En Saga.
Classical Movements President Neeta Helms said: “After working in South Africa since 1994, Classical Movements is very grateful that one of the top orchestras in the United States will make this historic tour to South Africa.
“It is an enormous undertaking and a statement of the importance of Africa and the growth of orchestral music in this most choral of countries. This dynamic and visionary orchestra is exactly the right musical ambassador to pave the way for others to follow.”
The Minnesota Orchestra will participate in a variety of additional education projects with young musicians as part of their tour. While in Durban, the orchestra will be working closely with the KZN Youth Wind Band whose members come from all of the province – from Empangeni to Pietermaritzburg.
Just over half of the KZN Youth Wind Ban n members come from disadvantaged communities and have their transport, tuition and touring fees covered through bursaries from the Durban Music School and Department of Arts and Culture. Some musicians in the wind band also come from a number of schools around Durban.
On the morning of Sunday, August 12, the entire wind band will play for Osmo Vänskä, the celebrated conductor of The Minnesota Orchestra, as well as several Minnesota musicians. They will play a selection of pieces from their repertoire.
After that the wind band will split up by sections, with a representative from The Minnesota Orchestra taking a section. The Minnesota musicians will share their years of professional experience with tips and master classes. Later that day, the entire wind band will attend the Durban concert as guests of The Minnesota Orchestra.
There are still tickets available for The Minnesota Orchestra concert. Prices range from R100 to R600 and booking is at Computicket.
The orchestra will also perform at the Cape Town City Hall (8pm on August 10), the Aula Theatre, University of Pretoria, Pretoria (7.30pm on August 16), the Regina Mundi Roman Catholic Church, Soweto (7pm on August 17) and the Johannesburg City Hall (3pm on August 18).
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WIN ONE OF TWO SETS OF DOUBLE TICKETS TO SEE THE MINNESOTA ORCHESTRA IN DURBAN
To put yourself in line to win one of two sets of double tickets to see the Clermont Community Choir and the acclaimed, touring Minnesota Orchestra – at the Durban City Hall at 5pm on Sunday, August 12 – you simply have to be a follower of my site. At no cost.
If you are not already a follower, simply leave your email address in the space provided towards the end of the cover page of this site, sosuterbill.com
You will then be a follower, and receive email notification whenever I file a new story.
Once you have subscribed (there is no cost), send your NAME and PHONE NUMBER via email (NOT THIS SITE’S CONTACT FORM) to sosuterbill@gmail.com and place the words ‘MINNESOTA ORCHESTRA’ in the subject field.
The two lucky winners of double tickets will be chosen and notified after 5pm on Tuesday, August 7. Good luck!
NOTE: PLEASE READ ENTRY DETAILS CAREFULLY AS SOME PEOPLE ARE ENTERING COMPETITIONS INCORRECTLY.
ALSO NOTE THAT ONLY ONE ENTRY PER SUBSCRIBER WILL BE CONSIDERED.
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.....SoSuterBill..... 