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!
MYO & MYBB activities (more information as we go):
24 APRIL - 2 MAY
The MYO & MYBB course 2010 takes place on the beautiful riverside campus of HeronBridge College near Johannesburg between 24 April and 2 May.
The course culminates in a performance in the Linder Auditorium on the evening of May 1st.
23 SEPTEMBER - 25 SEPTEMBER
The MYO & MYBB gather in Cape Town for a three days refresher course.
The course culminates in a performance at Cape Town City Hall on September 25th.
This marks the beginning of a two year working plan for the orchestra during which we will keep the core membership stable with a view to a possible further international tour including a likely return visit to the Young Euro Classic Festival in Berlin.
MYO & MYBB 2010 PROGRAMME:
IGOR STRAVINSKY: Firebird
ALEXANDER MOSOLOV: Zavod
FRANZ SCHMIDT: Entracte (Intermezzo) from Notre Dame
STEVE DYER: Rebirth (premiere) an African concerto for soprano saxophone and full orchestra, including marimba, added saxophone section and African percussion.
South African born composer, performer, producer and saxophone and flute player Steve Dyer settled in Botswana in 1981. Here he came into contact with the exile sounds blowing through the horns of Hugh Masekela and Jonas Gwangwa. He helped form the band Shakawe, led by Jonas Gwangwa and immersed himself in the marabi/mbaqanga music traditions. In 1986 Steve left Botswana for Zimbabwe where he played with the late Jethro Shasha and the Jazz Survivors. A longer stay in the UK meant extended creative collaborations with South African exile musicians including Jonas Gwangwa and Philip Tabane. Steve, who returned to South Africa in 1992, conceptualised, directed and performed in the 12 piece group Mahube - as the first collaboration of its kind (involving musicians from Southern African countries), Mahube toured internationally and received a Kora award for best African traditional music.
Among Steve's film projects: the 30 minute follow up film to Meerkats United, this documentary (for which he composed, arranged and produced the music), was voted the most popular BBC documentary in 1996, and the soundtrack for the Zimbabwe feature film Yellow Card, which received an award for best music at the Zimbabwe international film festival in 2000.
2010 Audtions schedule:
Dear Cape Town and Stellenbosch Applicants, information on the audition dates/times/venues now available on our education page! (information for the other audition centres will follow soon)
Join our MIAGI Youth Orchestra
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 Youth Orchestra & Youth Big Band back in South Africa - their performance at the Konzerthaus Berlin on August 14, at the Young Euro Classic festival, transcended and transformed in a way that only rare musical happenings do....all Members of the MYO & MYBB - you were incredible!
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
...and other events...
MIAGI has for the past nine 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.
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
THANK YOU TO OUR FUNDERS AND PARTNERS, TO ALL OUR FRIENDS, FOR YOUR GREAT SUPPORT - LOOKING FORWARD TO A FRUITFUL 2010!
News - Exciting JMI Competitions!
SEND YOUR MUSIC VIDEO TO JMI AND WIN A TOUR TO BRUSSELS, BELGIUM This competition is an initiative of the Global Anti-Corruption Youth Network, a network of civil society organizations with the specific agenda of creating awareness around the destructive impact of corruption and therefore, around the imperative importance of Fair Play! We ask you to join this movement - submit your awareness video before March 31, 2010!
In Partnership with the World Bank Institute and Jeunesses Musicales International
Download the info brochure and application form here
THE JMI YAMA AWARD - WE ARE LOOKING FOR AN ABUNDANCE OF CREATIVE MUSICAL PROJECTS FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH FROM 0 - 18 YEARS - Click on the logo below - for info on the JMI Young Audiences Music Award!
The YAMA honours creativity and innovation in the field of musical productions for young audiences by offering an opportunity for community groups, schools, NGOs, companies, bands and ensembles of all forms, solo artists and orchestras alike, from all over the world!
Young Audiences Productions are unique musical performances created to awaken imaginations, stir emotions, address current issues and motivate the further musical explorations of children and youth.
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.
All of JMI’s work with young audiences is based on the underlying principal that all children and youth should receive access to music/culture as a fundamental human right. Thus, although in many nations we now celebrate an improvement in the music programs of educational institutions, the YAMA serves as a beacon of hope to those still facing less than desirable circumstances, to continue their relentless work for this crucial sector of human development.
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
On the 25th of February 2010 MIAGI Kids’ Project launched our music programme at Sunnyside Primary School in Pretoria with a concert show at the school hall!
MIAGI Kids’ Project is an elementary/early music training programme.
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.
Pretty Yende of South Africa:
winner of all first prizes at the 28th International Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition in Vienna!
The competition ran from the 29th of June to the 11th of July 2009. MIAGI facilitated the qualifying round in South Africa 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.
This is the first time in the history of the competition that one singer has won all first prizes.
The MIAGI Youth Orchestra conducted by Kutlwano Masote, performing for President Zuma and other heads of state and dignitaries at the banquet held after the presidential inauguration.
MIAGI facilitated a scholarship for the young South African violinst Donné de Kock.Read more...
Bass-baritone Musawenkosi Ngqungwana, tenor Mlamli Lalapantsi and tenor Sunnyboy Dladla shine at the International Turandot Competition in Verona, Italy!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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