The 2025 DUET Endowment Trust Gala was held on Oct. 4, the Artscape opera house. The annual DUET Endowment Trust Gala took place in celebration of South African operatic and musical excellence. Among performers were Golda Schultz and Jacques Imbrailo, as well as Cape Town Opera’s house soloists, Judith Neilson Young Artists, vocal ensemble, and Children’s Chorus. They were joined by {…}
(Image provided by Cape Town Opera) Cape Town Opera (CTO) has made history by releasing a filmed performance of Verdi’s “Aida” at Ster-Kinekor movie theaters nationwide. Released on Sept. 27, 2025, this is the first time a South African-produced opera has been released on the silver screen. The production was directed by Artistic Director Magdalene Minnaar and reimagined Verdi’s epic {…}
(Credit: Dario Acosta) Soprano Golda Schultz and baritone Jacques Imbrailo will headline Cape Town Opera’s Duet Endowment Trust Gala Concert. The concert, set for Oct. 4, 2025, will feature Brittany Smith, Nonhlanha Yende, Lukhanyo Moyake, Khayakazi Madlala, Lonwabo Mose, and Sisikelelwe Mngenela, the Cape Town Opera Vocal Ensemble and Children’s Chorus, and the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra under Gaetano Lo {…}
(Photo credit: Mark Dobson) Cape Town Opera will premiere a new production of Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” at the Joseph Stone Auditorium in Athlone from Sept. 16 to 20. Created especially for young audiences, this production features a playful blend of live performance and imaginative puppetry crafted by Frankie van Straten from recycled and found materials. “The Magic Flute” will {…}
(Photo credit: Mark Dobson) Cape Town Opera is set to present Rossini’s “The Barber of Seville” from August 5 – 17, 2025. Leading the cast is William Berger as Figaro, with Thando Zwane sharing the lead role. Innocent Masuku takes on the role of Count Almaviva and will share the part with Dumisa Masoka. Megan Kahts and Brittany Smith are {…}
Seventeen-year-old soprano Yongama Takane, a member of the Cape Town Opera Foundation Studio, has won first prize in the ABC Motsepe South African Schools Choral Eisteddfod. Takane is one of 13 high school students currently enrolled in the Foundation Studio. They competed in the Solo Soprano Category. The competition was held on July 3 in Johannesburg, Gauteng. The ABC Motsepe {…}
Cape Town Opera has released information about its upcoming library programming. “Opera Blocks,” is a series of short performances for children up to five-years-old. The concert, “Forest Friends” is an immersive 40-minute performance that invites children to wander and engage with props and set pieces. This new production is directed by Elizma Badenhorst. Cape Town Opera singers such as Danielle Speckman, {…}
Cape Town Opera has announced that soprano Khayakazi Madlala has joined the company as a Judith Neilson Young Artist. Earlier this year, Madlala made her debut as the High Priestess in Verdi’s “Aida” at the Royal Opera House in London. She will reprise the role in the upcoming Cape Town Opera production of “Aida,” which opens on May 23. The {…}
Cape Town Opera presents a bite-sized opera through the 40-minute film, “A Pocket Magic Flute.” The film geared towards children is an educational opera project by Pocket Opera that reimagines Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” in Africa. “A Pocket Magic Flute”combines acting, animation, and opera. Music for the project came from African-American performers at Pocket Opera, alongside orchestral tracks by young {…}
(Photo credit: Allegra Bernacchioni) Cape Town Opera, in collaboration with Opera UCT, has officially announced its second edition of “SHORTS: A Festival of Short Operas.” Audiences can expect four one-act operas to take place throughout the festival, as well as a Q & A, a workshop performance of a new opera, and opera film screenings. Allegra Bernacchioni leads production design {…}
Cape Town Opera’s Foundation Studio is off to an exciting start in the 2025 season. In early Jan., Cape Town Opera began the new year with its Bel Canto Boot Camp. Vocal coach Derrick Goff led the Boot Camp, which took online and in-person. Sessions covered a variety of essential topics designed to elevate vocal mastery. The company’s Foundation Studio {…}