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Pianist and orchestra promise a night of brilliance
Acclaimed pianist and composer Leo Gevisser will grace Cape Town City Hall’s stage with the Mzansi National Philharmonic Orchestra on 4 December as part of the orchestra’s Rhythms of Hope national tour.
Conducted by Ukrainian maestro Kirill Karabits, it promises to be a night of musical excellence.
Gevisser will perform Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, celebrating its centennial. The programme also features the world premiere of Philip Miller’s uShaka iLembe Suite with vocalists Mbuso Khoza and Ann Masina, and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade.
A Juilliard School graduate, Gevisser, 22, has garnered multiple international accolades and last month won a prize at the Concours International de Piano d’Orléans.
Deeply connected to South Africa, he performed with all of the country’s major orchestras over the past three years.
His career is flourishing and he has played at many festivals across Europe and the US.
Umnikelo brings mesmerising dance to Durban
Renowned choreographer Luyanda Sidiya’s Umnikelo (Offering) will captivate audiences at The Playhouse Theatre in Durban with two performances on 6 and 7 December.
First premiered in Johannesburg in 2011, Umnikelo has earned international acclaim, including a standout performance at Finland’s Kuopio Dance Festival in 2013.
The 40-minute production delves into the concept of offering as a voluntary act of submission to higher powers, with organised chaos mirroring internal struggles. Performed by the talented Luthando Arts Academy dancers, Umnikelo blends evocative choreography with original music by Sidiya, Xolisile Bongwana, Isaac Molelekoa, Nompumelelo Nhlapo and Anele Ndebele.
Kalashnikovv Gallery wraps with international and local showcases
Kalashnikovv Gallery in Cape Town is putting on 33.55°S, a group show opening on 4 December. Featuring 20 artists, it explores themes of domesticity, queerness, bodily autonomy, and memory through painting and textile works.
The title references the latitude of Cape Town, symbolising freedom and creative scope.
It features works by Boytchie, Cinthia Sifa Mulanga, Boemo Diale, Tinyiko Makwakwa, Bastiaan van Stenis, Chris Denovan, Alexandra Ross, Kilmany-Jo Liversage, JP Meyer, Dominique Cheminais, Ayanda Mabulu, Good Good Boy, Charity Vilakazi, Maja Maljevic, Dion Cupido, Wim Legrand, Alka Dass, Nathaniel Sheppard III, Io Makandal and Seth Pimentel.
Dominique Cheminais and Muofhe Manavhela’s exhibitions at the Kalashnikovv will be open until 30 November.