37th International Viola Congress Stellenbosch, 27 July -1 August 09 - Photo Potpourri - visit 'Viola'!
Since 2001, MIAGI has hosted an international, intercultural festival ‘uniting the power of classical indigenous and jazz’ in collaborations with dazzling soloists and ensembles from South Africa and abroad. Among them, Maxim Vengerov, Thikundwi kha Sialala, Bruce Cassidy, Fazil Say, Miriam Makeba, the MIAGI Youth Orchestra & Youth BigBand, Sibongile Khumalo, Soweto String Quartet, Louis Moholo, Irene Schweizer, Madosini, the Ngqoko Women, Sergei Nakariakov, Ladysmith Black Mambazo and the English Chamber Orchestra to mention just a few.
Photos from MIAGI 2001 until today at our 'Album' page...
News
ABOUT THE SIMPHIWE DANA SYMPHONY EXPERIENCE - AN UP-COMING MIAGI PRODUCTION
Simphiwe in her own words:
"South Africa has gone through a lot of changes coloured with different emotions and experiences in the past three decades. It has been a period of going through different phases of awareness, some of them sometimes overlapping. The music industry as well has undergone similar transitions. From bubblegum in the 80's to kwaito of the 90's and now the difficult transition to a more sophisticated sound, what some choose to call afrojazz or afrosoul. This is not to say jazz did not exist in the 80's and 90's, but never has it been taken up by the young people like it has been in this decade. We have seen an explosion of the sound which has brought a lot of attention from the international world. The distinct African identity and sophistication with which these young people have carried this legacy, hopefully makes the mothers and fathers of South African jazz proud. There came Thandiswa, Zamajobe, Siphokazi, I, and a new young lady called Camagwini, to mention some.
I strongly believe that this is the kind of music that authenticates us, because pop exists in all different communities of the world…but it is usually this more sophisticated music that informs it, maps out and defines the sounds of the future also.
We have entered an age where we personally engage our environment. A meditative state, if you will allow me. We now understand that we are the change that must happen in our existence and for our existence to thrive. This requires an internal dialogue that then translates to visible individual attempts to shape our immediate future environment I believe that no one should underestimate the power of the arts when it comes to this regard. I wrote my music with this vision in mind, it has taken time to grow it, like any good brew.
Yours in the art of music, Simphiwe Dana".
IN MEMORIAM MIRIAM MAKEBA
In 2004 and 2005, MIAGI had the honour and joy of working with Mama Africa, and to experience her exemplary artistry, paired with an immaculate professionalism and righteousness - the three corner stones that make a truly great artist and human.
Realising the MIAGI idea would not have been possible without generous and compassionate support from our international star-guests - Thank you!
THE CAPEGATE MIAGI CENTRE FOR
MUSIC IN SOWETO OPENING SOON!
Article about the Capegate MIAGI Centre for Music in the August issue in the magazine 'The Strad' - more information will follow...
CANCELLED: THE MYO & MYBB 25 SEPTEMBER CONCERT AT CAPE TOWN CITY HALL
With regret we have to inform, that the MIAGI Youth Orchestra concert that we had looked forward to so much on the 25 September 2010 unfortunately has been cancelled.
The current strike in South Africa has played its part in the cancellation, making it difficult for all players to be freed from their school obligations to travel to Cape Town for all rehearsals during this period of time. Considering the difficulty of the programme, we decided not to risk the musical quality of the performance.
The MIAGI Youth Orchestra and Youth BigBand conducted by Sasha Mäkilä, Assistant Conductor of the Cleveland Orchestra, celebrated MIAGI's 10th Anniversary with a 'Rebirth' concert in the Linder Auditorium on 1 May.
Programme: the MIAGI-commissioned South African piece by Steve Dyer called ‘Rebirth' - ‘an African concerto for soprano saxophone and full orchestra, including marimba, added saxophone section and African percussion', Igor Stravinsky's Firebird Suite, Alexander Mosolov's Zavod, also known as ‘Machine Music' and one of the most beautiful romantic miniatures ever written Franz Schmidt's famous Entr'acte.
"When the audience begins to dance in a packed hall one thinks one MUST be dreaming!: The MiagiYouth Orchestra sings, swings, dances and brought, not only with Dvorak's famous symphony, ‘New Worlds' to the Berlin."Der Tagesspiegel
"For this event, the Berlin Konzerthaus hall seating 1 700 could easily have been sold out twice, such was the demand for tickets."Ulrich Deppendorf - director of the ARD television station.
"Congrats to all members of the Orchestra for the Berlin concert! It was one of the best performances I have ever experienced in my life! If I ever needed inspiration for my work I got it from the first to the last minute of your concert!"Blasko Smilevski - Secretary General of Jeunesses Musicales International
MIAGI 'composer in residence' 2010, Steve Dyer
Hailing from Pietermaritzburg, Dyer’s influences range from Mahler, Brahms and Mozart to Soul Brothers, Hugh Masekela and Jonas Gwangwa. Leaving South Africa behind for Botswana in 1981, he met Gwangwa and became a member of his band Shakawe. During this time he studied and mastered marabi/mbaqanga music traditions. In 1988, he moved on to Zimbabwe and formed a new band called Southern Freeway. Dyer is a strong believer that the southern African region, with its vibrant and varied musical heritage, has enormous potential to revitalize contemporary music.
by following the link with a click on the above logo!
ABOUT THE MYO & MYBB
Apart from a small registration fee, there is no cost to individual participants who have been selected as MIAGIdoes not exclude anyone on the basis of them not being in a position to contribute towards costs. Aspiring young musicians from all walks of life and from across South Africa are provided with the chance to develop their musical skills and to perform in a professional setting.
LISTEN TO MUSIC BY THE MIAGICIANS:
The MIAGI Youth Orchestra at the Young Euro Classic Festival playing Dvorak's Symphony #9 at the Konzerthaus in Berlin, 14 August 2009:
here a link to a short film by Deutsche Welle World about our youth orchestra tour to Germany...
... visit our ‘Education’ page for more information.
MIAGI Youth Orchestra & Youth Big Band at the stairs of the Konzerthaus Berlin during the press conference
MIAGI YO & BB and the paparazzi in Berlin
Excerpt from the media:
"22 500 music enthusiasts attended the Young Euro Classic festival in Berlin! The festival celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, came to an end on Sunday to the sounds of the National Youth Orchestra and the National Youth Jazz Orchestra of Germany.
A special 2009 high-light was the performance by the MIAGI Youth Orchestra and Youth Big Band from South Africa. The young players spell-bound the audience, inspiring 1700 listeners to over 15 minutes standing ovations!
'Hier spielt die Zukunft' - 'the future is playing here' - the concert with MIAGI YO & BB at the Young Euro Classic Festival was sold out over one month before the event
MIAGI has for the past ten years wowed fans across South Africa with its exciting Festival and events, celebrating the unity in diversity of our musical heritage by fusing distinctly African with Western classical sounds.
'No wonder Germany advanced to the World Cup quarterfinal!' Footprint Trio (Nhlanhla Mahlangu, Viwe Mkizwana and Bhekinkosi Hlatshwayo, all from the MIAGI Youth Orchestra & Youth BigBand) gave a World Cup performance on 22 June at the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Pretoria.
Thokozani Brothers, directed by Mhlangabezi Masizana, - tour of Switzerland, May/June 2010, facilitated by MIAGI. The Thokozani Brothers is community project based in a high rate crime area of Cape Town. The project, estblished in 1997, offers unemployed young men a meaningful occupation, and an alternative source of income, by giving them regular training in the traditional Isicathamiya music and dance style. The project is further committed to improving the mostly severely adverse living conditions of the youth in the area.
LOOKING BACK - SOME OF THE NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL MIAGI HIGH-LIGHTS IN 2009
12 TO 18 MARCH – CAPE TOWN MIAGI, in collaboration with Alpha Affairs presented the 'YES! - to new horizons' evening events for the Western Union Financial Services congress. An array of approximately 80 South African artists delighted 1200 international guests.
25 APRIL 02 MAY - JOHANNESBURG MIAGI Youth Orchestra and Youth BigBand course at HeronBridge college with the Linder Auditorium Concert.
07 TO 13 MAY – CAPE TOWN, PRETORIA, BLOEMFONTEIN MIAGI celebrating Haydn together with the Haydn Festival Eisenstadt and South African composer Bongani Ndodana-Breen.
29 JUNE TO 11 JULY 2009 - CAPE TOWN, AUSTRIA (VIENNA) MIAGI facilitated the South African qualifying round for the 28th International Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition and then went on to fund and organise the trip for the four most successful, Pretty Yende and three other South African young singers, enabling them to travel to Vienna for the competition.
17 JULY TO 01 AUGUST – STELLENBOSCH MIAGI and the South African Viola Society hosted the 37th International Viola Congress at the University of Stellenbosch.The congress attracted 150 viola community delegates from all continents and 14 different nations. It offered an assortment of events and concerts presented by some of the finest violists in the world today such as Jerzy Kosmala, Roger Chase and Csaba Erdélyi.
05 AUGUST TO 15 AUGUST – GERMANY (KASSEL, BERLIN) MIAGI Youth Orchestra and Youth BigBand, 110 young South African musicians, at the Kultursommer Norhessen Festival in Kassel and Young Euro Classic Festival at the Konzertahaus in Berlin.
27 AUGUST TO 09 SEPTEMBER – PRETORIA, BLOEMFONTEIN, PORT ELIZABETH, CAPE TOWN MIAGI hosted the National Youth Orchestra and National Youth BigBand of Germany during their tour of South Africa
THE JMI YAMA AWARD - AN INITIATIVE OF JEUNESSES MUSICALES INTERNATIONAL
The top 5 productions are now presented online and subject to public vote. You can vote until the 2nd of October. The YAMA 2010 winners will be announced on the 3rd of October in Skanderborg, Denmark.
Among the finalists, the Jazz for Juniors project from South Africa 'Crazy for Jazz...' - nominated for the competition by Mmino!
(click on the logo below for link to the YAMA website).
The YAMA aims to identify and support cutting-edge productions that impact young people both socially and artistically, with a focus on targeting and engaging vulnerable/at-risk groups of youth from marginalized communities and deprived areas, addressing issues of vital concern (eg. violence, poverty, discrimination, abuse, HIV/AIDS) and that use music as a tool to promote inter-cultural dialogue and understanding.
MIAGI Youth Orchestra and Bundesjugendorchester Germany - Rare music uncovered!
The Goethe-Institut funded the arrangement of a work by one of South Africa´s greatest unsung musical heroes - the Jazz Fantasia by Gideon Nxumalo. MIAGI commissioned Denzil Weale to arrange the work for full symphony orchestra and big band. MIAGI´s Youth Orchestra and Youth Big Band as well as Germany´s Youth Orchestra (Bundesjugendorchester) have included the work in their reprtoires.
One of MIAGI’s primary objectives is to offer South African artists the opportunity to perform internationally and thus make audiences abroad aware of their exceptional quality and standing. It is not always easy for South African musicians, especially for those that do not perform in the pop or jazz arena, to find their way to the most competitive and prestigious stages and Festivals in the world.
We are grateful to the NLDTF's Arts and Culture Distribution Agency for allocating a multi year funding grant to MIAGI - thank you!
MIAGI has throughout the years frequently received generous funding through the NLDTF. Without your support, a large number of all the initiatives, projects and events documented on this website would not have been possible.
News
The 29th International Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition 2010 - the results!
Inga Lehr, finalist in the category operetta and Musa Ngqungwana, finalist in the category opera
The results are out now - not first, but many extra prizes in form of professional opera engagements, including other engagements in the pipe line for the young singers from South Africa, soprano Nozuko Teto and bass-baritone Musa Ngqungwana. Musa was one of 15 singers selected from a total of 134 singers from 39 countries who qualified for the final round in the category opera. In the final also baritone Luthando Qave from South Africa who lately has studied in Stockholm and now will be continuing his studies within the Metropolitan Opera Young Singers' programme in New York.
On July 9, Musa will be singing in the Belvedere competition prize winners' Gala Concert. To mention just a few of the amazing singers that also will be singing in this concert: the fabulous sopranos Yitian Luan from China (first prize in the category operetta), Nazanin Ezazi from Iran (the prize of the international media) and tenor Antonio Poli from Italy (first prize in the category opera).
As in 2009, MIAGI facilitated the qualifying round for the competition in South Africa and funded and organised the trip for two of the most successful candidates this year, Nozuko Teto and Musawenkosi Ngqungwana. Congratulations to Musa and to Nozuko for their successful parttaking in this prestigous competition, one of the most renowned and biggest singing competitions world-wide.
Pretty Yende at the Belvedere Competition award ceremony in 2009
In 2009, Pretty Yende won all first prizes in the final. Pretty is now singing at the La Scala in Milano within the Teatro alla Scala Academy programme .
MIAGI celebrating the 2010 FIFA World Cup together with the Italian soccer team!
Italian percussionist and composer, Principl Percussionist of the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, Maestro Nando Russo was accompanied by the acclaimed South African percussionists, Magda De Vries, David Gooding, Maritsa Barlow and MIAGI’s Tsonga Xincayincayi Dancers – Caravan Dance Group who captivated the audience with their astonishing virtuosity and musical choreographies.
A collaboration between the Embassy of Italy, the Italian Institute of Culture in Pretoria and MIAGI
Congratulations David!
The MIAGI supported singer/composer/song writer David Imani from the DRC has recently signed his first recording contract
In August 2008 David became more known to the South African public through his success performance during the Free To Be concert at the WITS University Great Hall.
The concert, expressing solidarity in the context of the brutal attacks on immigrants in South Africa was produced by MIAGI and hosted by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Secretariat, the Southern Africa Trust and MTN.
MIAGI facilitated a scholarship for the young South African violinst Donné de Kock.Read more...
A generous donation enabled us to purchase a high-quality cello for the MIAGI instrument library.The cello will be played by the exceptionally talented young cellist Selaocoe in the coming years.
JMI is a global members' network, but not a funder of members. The JMI network, currently covering over 52 countries, has been active and expanding, for over 63 years.
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