Bonelela Mavuso

Bonelela Mavuso is an award-winning jazz pianist and composer who searches for an honest expression in music. With harmonic curiosity and critical awareness, he develops musical narratives that unfold as a result of both deliberate searching and chance discovery.

He was born in the Kingdom of Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), in a town called Manzini. Born into a pastoral family his first contact with music was through the church, particularly hymns (emahubo). He started playing the piano from the age of 6 and throughout his upbringing he played primarily in church (as per his dues as a son of a minister) and performing at various school events. In 2016, he went to Central Johannesburg College to study jazz performance but later transferred to Rhodes University and obtained his Bachelor of Music (Cum Laude) in 2021. He holds a Masters in jazz performance and composition - a short-composition portfolio that was based on the rhythmic and musical elements derived from various types of dances from and looked to include indigenous knowledge and performance practice into the compositions (Rhodes University). Building on his Masters, Mavuso is currently pursuing his PhD with the University of Witwatersrand.

To date, he has been involved in several projects covering multiple musical genres such as Jazz, Gospel, Maskandi, Afro Pop, and Choral music. He has worked and performed with the late Sibongile Khumalo, legendary Maskandi artist Nkunz’ Emdaka, Vusi Mahlasela, Dumza Maswana, Mbuso Khoza, Nomfundo Xaluva, Sibongile Mngoma, Mabongi Mabaso, Sicelo Moya, The Soil, Zoe Modiga, Praise Smo, Trinity Tenors, Nombasa Maqoko (National Arts Festival – bronze Standard Bank Ovation award), Asakhe Cuntsulana, to name a few. His also been an accompanist for plays such as the Rhodes Drama Department Play: Pitso ea Linonyana.

In addition to his summarised musical career and studies, he was also a Music Teacher at Access Music Project for 2 years (2019-2020), a music academy in Joza, a township in Makhanda/Grahamstown. This is where he got to teach and mentor young aspiring musicians with the dream to pursue music professionally. Since 2021, he’s been tutoring and lecturing at Rhodes University and most recently he was the lecturer in Jazz Studies at the University of Fort Hare (East London).