Having been bitten by the orchestral bug and then trying to break into the opera scene, the question that perennially haunted 18-year-old Bongani Tembe was Can you read music?
He was asked this question at every turn, and it nearly put paid to his lifelong ambition. Here was a young man who undoubtedly had the voice, but could not read a musical score to save his life. However, acquiring this skill as a black person growing up under apartheid, surrounded by barriers at every turn, was near impossible.
Nevertheless, today Tembe is the unlikely main proponent of South African orchestral music, and perhaps its most recognisable face. He leads the KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestra (KZNPO), the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra (JPO), and the Mzansi National Philharmonic Orchestra (MNPO), which performed at President Cyril Ramaphosas inauguration last month.
The high point of his quest to promote orchestral music not only in South Africa, but also on the continent will be the Africa United Youth Orchestra (AUYO), comprising young orchestral players from several African countries. The 65-strong ensemble, the first of its kind, will make its debut in Pretoria at Unisas ZK Matthews Hall on July 28, ahead of its appearance at New Yorks Carnegie Hall on August 3, where it will be a main feature at the World Orchestra Week festival. The event will bring together youth orchestras from Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America.
The AUYOs performance will highlight groundbreaking works by iconic South African composers such as Michael Mosoeu Moerane and Mzilikazi Khumalo.
