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 Eisteddfod, a key initiative of the Department of Basic Education, plays a vital role in promoting unity, positive values, and social cohesion among school-going youth in South Africa.

The Foundation Studio, which launched in 2021, nurtures young vocal talent from communities including Khayelitsha, Gugulethu, and Mannenberg. The Studio aims to give high school students access to music literacy courses that their schools cannot offer. On a weekly basis, the program provides vocal lessons, theory lessons, lessons in keyboard studies, aural training, meals, transport between school, home, and Cape Town Opera’s rehearsal spaces, as well as all materials needed, including stationery. Making sure learners have the necessary skills to enter tertiary education institutions is the primary goal of the Foundation Studio.

The Foundation Studio program is supported by the Judith Neilson Foundation, the City of Cape Town, the Western Cape Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport, and the Rotary E-club Hamburg Connect.

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