Mad for Love: and Opera Recital for Valentine’s Day 2014

Hlengiwe Mkwanazi – Soprano

Thesele Kemane – Baritone

Albert Combrink – Piano

Chisholm Recital Room (C7): UCT College Music

Friday 14 Feb, 8pm

 

Two young South African singers launching their international careers, perform a varied opera recital of arias and duets by Mozart, Bellini, Verdi and more. The programme includes Bel Canto Mad Scenes and extracts from roles which both singers have performed locally and internationally:  Le Nozze di Figaro, La Traviata, La Sonnambula, I Puritani, Roméo et Juliette and more. The programme is accompanied, presented and narrated by Albert Combrink

Hlengiwe Mkwanazi will be joining the Chicago Opera Company this year, and Thesele Kemane has been accepted as a post-graduate student in Opera Studies at New York’s Juilliard School. This was a great opportunity to hear these two artists before they leave for foreign shores.

Thesele Kemane (4) 1a Albert Combrink & Hlengiwe Mkhwanazi (1) Albert Combrink & Hlengiwe Mkhwanazi (2) Albert Combrink & Hlengiwe Mkhwanazi (3) Albert Combrink & Hlengiwe Mkhwanazi (4) Albert Combrink (1) Albert Combrink (2) Albert Combrink (3) Albert Combrink (Pianist) (1) Albert Combrink (Pianist) (2) Albert Combrink (Pianist) (3) Albert Combrink (Pianist) (4) Albert Combrink (Pianist) (5) Albert Combrink, Thesele Kemane & Hlengiwe Mkhwanazi Hlengiwe Mkhwanazi & Thesele Kemane (1) Hlengiwe Mkhwanazi & Thesele Kemane (2) Hlengiwe Mkhwanazi & Thesele Kemane (3) Hlengiwe Mkhwanazi & Thesele Kemane (4) Hlengiwe Mkhwanazi & Thesele Kemane (5) Hlengiwe Mkhwanazi & Thesele Kemane (6) Hlengiwe Mkhwanazi (1) Hlengiwe Mkhwanazi (2) Hlengiwe Mkhwanazi (3) Hlengiwe Mkhwanazi (4) Hlengiwe Mkhwanazi (5) Hlengiwe Mkhwanazi (6) Hlengiwe Mkhwanazi (7) Hlengiwe Mkhwanazi (8) Thesele Kemane (1) Thesele Kemane (2) Thesele Kemane (3)

Hlengiwe Mkwanazi – CV

Hlengiwe is a post-graduate student at the University of Cape Town under the direction of Kamal Kahn. Hanna van Niekerk is her singing teacher. She has been on the Deans’ Merit list every year since she started her studies. She comes from a very musical family where both her parents are involved in choral music.

In 2009 Hlengiwe sang her first major role as Adina in Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’amore under the direction of Kamal Kahn. In May 2010 she sang the role of Madama Cortese in Rossini’s Il Viaggio a Reims as well as the role of Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro in College of Music production under the direction of Angelo Gobato.

In 2011 she sang Anne in The Rake’s Progress and Constanze in Die Entführung aus dem Serail. Hlengiwe won the 2nd price overall in the Belvedere International singing competition and several other prices. She attended master classes with Fiorenza Cossoto and Giacomo Aragall in Vienna this year. She has sung the role of Fiordigligi in Cosi fan Tutte and was seen as Antonia in Les Contes d’Hoffmann in November 2012 as well as winning the ATKV Muziqanto Competition.

A VOICE OF GREAT EASE, AGILITY AND BEAUTY.

Thesele Kemane – CV

Thesele Kemane (Baritone) & Albert Combrink (Keyboard)
Deh, vieni alla finestra – Don Giovanni (Act 2), by W.A Mozart

LIVE AMATEUR CELLPHONE FOOTAGE of a Concert held at the Cape Town Central Library:

Born in Kimberley, Thesele sang in his first solo in Std.2, ending school as the winner of the Northern Cape Provincial region of the Tirisano National Choir Competition in 2004. As member of the National Youth Choir, he took part in the World Choir Olympics in Bremen. In 2006 he joined the UCT Opera School where he is a student of Prof. Virginia Davids. He has taken part in productions by Cape Town Opera and the UCT Opera School.

Operatic roles include: the Forester in Janacek’s “Cunning Little Vixen” directed by Joshua Major, Don Prudenzio in Rossini’s “Il Viaggio a Reims” directed by Matthew Wild, Figaro in UCT Opera School’s production of Mozart’s “Le Nozze di Figaro”, Colline in Puccini’s “La Boheme”, directed by Prof Angelo Gobbato and the role of Nick Shadow from Stravinski’s “The Rakes Progress.” Recitals include the Songmaker’s Guild and the South African Wagner Society and Oratorios such as John Stainer’s Crucifiction.

He also made a tremendous impact when he sang — for the second year — the very demanding music for the Jewish High Holidays Yom Kipur and Kol Nidrei at Temple Israel Synagogue in Greenpoint, where his musicality and superb handling of Hebrew was complimented by all. He was also part of the Oude Libertas cast of Jaco Bouwer’s award-winning stage-production ” ‘n Ander Tongval”, with music by Braam du Toit, based on the book by Antjie Krog.

In 2012 Thesele traveled to the USA to take part in the Glimmerglass festival as a young artist, doing the cover roles of Hidraot in “Armide”, the King in “Aida” and Johannes Phafuri in Weil’s “Lost in the stars” and later in the year in the Opera “Tales of Hoffman” he played Lindorf and Dr Miracle.

A BEAUTIFUL BARITONE VOICE WITH A SPARKLING PERSONALITY.