Opera in a Convent Garden: 6 February 2010 – Zanne Stapelberg, Violina Angeulov, Aubrey Lodewyk, Albert Combrink & Jane Theron

Opera in a Convent Garden 2011

Zanne Stapelberg – Soprano
Violina Angeulov – Mezzo-Soprano
Aubrey Lodewyk – Baritone

Albert Combrink – Piano
Jane Theron – Harp

Where:
Springfield Convent School, St John’s Road, Wynberg, Cape Town

When:
Sunday 6 February 2010

Time:
17h30 – Gates open at 15h00

Price:
Adults – R100
Scholars –  R20
Children U10 – FREE

Bookings:
021 797 9637 (extension 200) During School Hours

The passionate and thrilling Soprano Zanne Stapelberg teams up with the mellifluous and dramatic Mezzo Soprano, Violina Anguelov and the feisty Baritone Aubrey Lodewyk on 6th February at Opera in a Convent Garden 2011, Springfield Convent, Wynberg. The venue is the beautiful Senior School garden surrounded by hydrangeas. Springfield Convent School together with the Rotary Club of Kromboom, and the Past Pupils’ Union invite you to enjoy famous extracts of opera interpreted by three of the finest young opera stars of the South African stage. Accomplished Albert Combrink, the essential pianist, will give of his indispensable skill and flair. Orchestral colour will come from the harp of Jane Theron.

More about the performers:

Zanne Stapelberg’s roots are in Stellenbosch. As a child she was a member of the prestigious Tygerberg Children’s Choir. She obtained all her degrees cum laude at the University of Stellenbosch and was invited to join the Vocal Ensemble of Cape Town Opera, going on to become a member of the Cape Town Opera Studio. She has won many Awards along the way, her favourite being the Standard Bank Young Artists for Music which is competed for nationally. She has thrilled opera audiences in her many roles amongst which are Nella in Gianni Schicchi , Angelica in Suor Angelica, Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, Ilia in Idomeneo, Marguerite in Faust , Alcina in Alcina , Rosalinda in Die Fledermaus and the First Lady in Die Zauberflöte.. She has a wide ranging Oratorio repertoire and is passionate about Lieder singing, performing and recording amongst others the complete (to date) song cycles written by Hendrik Hofmeyr (Uit Die Hart). Zanne has also ‘crossed over’ into the world of Jazz, making her debut at the Jazz Festival in Grahamstown. Zanne founded Long Tall Woman Productions in 2004 and has created numerous musical productions which she has taken to the many festivals of South Africa to great acclaim. ”Her passion for performance is the essential ingredient in her life” (Jeff Brukman in Cue, Grahamstown Nationla Arts festival, 8 July 2009)

Violina Anguelov thrilled audiences in 2010 with her outstanding performance as Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier. Her rich mezzo voice, brilliant mastery of the opera art form and her innate dramatic talent make her much in demand on the stages of South Africa. She began her studies in her native Bulgaria and honed her talents gaining a Performer’s Diploma with Distinction and an Honours Degree in Singing (First Class) at UCT. Many valued prizes and honours were awarded to her along the way. She made her European operatic début as Dorabella in Cosi fan Tutte in Hanover, Germany, in 2000. Her South African operatic début was as Cherubino in The Marriage of Figaro with Cape Town Opera in 1999. Since then she has sung, just to mention a few, roles such as Zerlina in Don Giovanni, Rosina in The Barber of Seville, Fenena in Nabucco, Marguerite in Berlioz’s La Damnation de Faust, Ruggiero in Alcina, Nerone in L’Incoronazione di Poppea, Hänsel in Hänsel and Gretel, Idamante in Idomeneo, Orlofski in Die Fledermaus, Mrs. Roland in the One Act One Woman opera Dark sonnet by Erik Chisholm in celebration of 100 years of the composers birth, Elisetta in Il Matrimonio Segreto at the Pretoria State Theatre. She has been invited twice to perform for Opera Africa in the roles of, Romeo in I Capuleti e I Montecchi by Bellini performed in Pretoria State Theatre and Amneris in Aida by Verdi performed both in the Pretoria State Theatre and Johanneburg Civic Theatre. She also sang the as Third Lady in Mozart’s Magic Flute a production directed by William Kentridge. This production was performed in Cape Town Opera House and Civic Theatre Johannesburg. Her latest appearances include the roles of Suzuki in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly and Mrs Patrick De Rocher in Jake Heggie’s opera Dead Man Walking both productions of Cape Town Opera. Most recently she sang the role of Octavian in Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier for Cape Town Opera. She has many of Oratorio and sacred Roles at her disposal and enjoys the ‘light’ repertoire as well. She performs to acclaim all over South Africa.

Aubrey Lodewyk currently singing the role of Escamilio (Carmen) in Gauteng for Opera Africa, grew up in Rustenburg. He achieved a vocal Art Diploma at TUT in Pretoria in 2003 under the guidance of Eric Muller, performing several roles during that period including the title role in Gianni Schicci. In 2006 he joined the Cape Town Opera Studio, studying at the same time with Dr Nellie du Toit and gaining a Post Graduate Diploma in Music Performance at UCT. His roles at this time include Gullielmo – Cosi fan Tutte – and Schaunard – La Boheme – both for Cape Town Opera. In 2008 he was appointed as junior soloist for CTO and sang the role of Balintulo in the world premier of Poet and Prophetess in Sweden and Cape Town. That same year he sang Albert in Werther. His several roles in Cape Town Opera touring productions include Jake – Porgy and Bess – at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Den Norske Operaen in Oslo, Welsh Millenium Centre, Cardiff, and at Royal Festival Hall, London and at the end of 2010 he sang Joe –Show Boat – in the Opera House of Telaviv in Israel. For the Wagnerian Society he sang Germano in La scala di seta. His several other roles include Rambaldo La Rondine, De Bretigny Manon, Dr Falke Die Fledermaus, Baron Douphol La Traviata, Yamadori Madama Butterfly and Belcore in The Elixir of Love. 2010 has been a busy year for him on the opera stages of South Africa, singing Herr von Faninal Der Rosenkavalier, Mandela in the world premier of African Songbook as well has Marcello in La Boheme for Opera Africa at the State Theatre and at the Joburg Theatre. Aubrey’s concert repertoire includes Lieder and the Oratorios Messiah, Theodora, Japhtha, Mass in C Minor, St Matthew Passion and The Creation.

What Kromboom Rotary Club does with the money raised by this event:

Over the last few years we have achieved many community projects with the proceeds of the event. Among those are

• Habitat for Humanity projects in Gugulethu and Mfuleni which the The Springfield Convent School’s outreach program has supported
• PPU bursaries which the Springfield Past Pupils have funded
• Goedegedacht Trust in Riebeek Kasteel, the Philani Nutritional Feeding Scheme in Khayelitsha, Etafeni Trust in Nyanga and JL Zwane in Gugulethu which the Rotary Club of Kromboom have supported.