Gabi Motuba

Gabi Motuba is a South African award-winning jazz vocalist and composer. She studied at a South African University known as Tshwane University of Technology where she majored in jazz studies. In 2015, Gabi was commissioned to co-composed music for vocals, cello, piano and drums, during a Swiss Artist Residency program. The compositions became part of her debut duo album, Sanctum Sanctorium featuring Swiss pianist Malcolm Braff.

In 2017, Gabi composed 10 string quartet compositions. These compositions formed part of her debut solo album, Tefiti-Goddess of Creation. The Tefiti album was nominated for a 2019 South African Music Award for Best Alternative Album.

2019, Gabi, was commissioned by the South African Music Rights Organisation (SAMRO) to compose and arrange a composition (Those Lost in Time) which has been published on their website. In 2021, Gabi was commissioned by Concerts SA and Kaya FM to produce 5 string quartet compositions, under the project The Sabbath, which were then published as part of the Kaya fm Artist Residency Program. The podcast is available on the Kaya fm website.

Gabi has also been selected as part of the 2022 cohort of the Mutual Mentorship for Musicians program which is a platform created to empower female musicians all over the world through a radical model of mentorship and musical collaborative commissions.

Gabi is currently on a residency at Soweto Theatre as music facilitator and educator. The residency affords Gabi space, support and resources to cultivate concepts that will also assist in developing the Soweto Theatre Music Tutorial Programme.