Interview: Levy Sekgapane talks about returning to SA and singing in THE PEARL FISHERS at Artscape

Opera fans in Cape Town are in for a very exciting treat this May. Winner of the 2017 Operalia Award, Levy Sekgapane, has returned home to lead Cape Town Opera in their latest production - THE PEARL FISHER.

BWW: Firstly, I'd like to say welcome back to South Africa! How does it feel to be back and singing with Cape Town Opera?

Levy: I'm obviously very excited as this is my first return to Cape Town since 2019; it's been a while and I know that everybody is just as excited as I am.

BWW: You are making your debut playing the character of Nadir in THE PEARL FISHERS. Can you tell us a bit more about the role and the opera, please?

Levy: This is a role for which I've been waiting almost all of my career. It's a different repertoire to what I normally sing as I am a Bel Canto tenor who sings mostly operas written by Rossini, Donizetti and Bellini. THE PEARL FISHERS is one of the most well-known French romantic operas in which the orchestration is very big and the vocal lines are extreme with high tessitura going from low all the way up. There are amazing duets, arias, and trios and I'm looking very forward to it all.

BWW: Your biography is very impressive! You've won the International Belvedere singing competition and the Monserrat Caballé singing competition, as well as Placido Domingo's Operalia. How has that shaped your career?

Levy: Competitions have had a huge impact with regards to the start of my singing career. As a young singer coming from South Africa, I was trying to make my way into the business which is never an easy thing to do. I knew that if I presented myself at competitions and did well, I would get the chance to meet very important people in the opera world. So, it happened exactly that way until I did my last competition which was *Operalia - The World Opera Competition in 2017. At that point, I was starting to make debuts in very important theatres such as Paris opera, the Liceu in Barcelona, etc. As a tenor who sings a specialised repertoire, I was very lucky to have had success very early on.

BWW: What does the future look like for you? More travelling and performing abroad? Will we be seeing you back in Cape Town again soon?

Levy: So far, I'm just enjoying the ride and going with flow. The future holds many interesting things - I plan to sing more new roles and discover new opera houses too. I will definitely come back to Cape Town after THE PEARL FISHERS as I have my friends there. I try to come home at least once every 3 years.

Photo credit: Kartal Karagedik

The Pearl Fishers with Levy Sekgapane in his debut as Nadir, is at Artscape from 10-14 May with booking through Computicket and 0214217695.

*The 13th edition of Operalia will be held in Cape Town this year for the first time, at the Artscape Opera House from 30 October to 5 November 2023.