NewMusicSA to host first Digital Indaba concert series

The concerts will be held at the Trevor Huddleston CR Memorial Centre (Johannesburg), the Kalashnikovv Gallery (Johannesburg) and the Young Blood Gallery (Cape Town), respectively.

Due to lockdown restrictions, only invited guests will be allowed inside the venues. The rest of the public can stream the concerts for free via NewMusicSA’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.

The first Johannesburg concert on 7 March will begin at 3pm. View the Facebook event here.

The series will celebrate the anniversaries of composers Todd Matshikiza, Dimitri Vouroudis and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. A selected programme of their works will be played by local artists Yonela Mnana (piano), Waldo Alexander (violin and electronics) and Tiisetso Mashishi (viola).

“Since its early days in 2003, NewMusicSA has been consistently hosting the annual Indaba and Unyazi festivals,” NewMusicSA projects manager Ignacio Priego told Music In Africa. “Changing location every year, a regular NewMusicSA Indaba would include concerts, workshops and other activities.

“Due to the unpredictability of the pandemic, we opted to programme separate events in different locations spread through a longer period of time, and in a hybrid mode. Combining physical and online events, we can reach more people, and if an event has to be postponed due to a lockdown, other events are not necessarily affected.”

He added: ”Highlighting our artistic commitments to South African composers, three major South African composers from a diversity of styles and backgrounds have been commissioned to compose a new work.”

Visit the NewMusicSA official website for more information about the Digital Indaba concert series.