South African Cellist And Composer Dr Thokozani Mhlambi is Coming To Rondebosch This October

Fresh off his North American tour, Dr Thokozani Mhlambi kicks off the summer with a concert at the South African College of Music in Rondebosch, Cape Town this October.

The 36-year-old KwaZulu-Natal composer is known for incorporating art with music, having held an artistic residency at the prestigious Cite International des Arts in Paris France, and having his music used as a soundtrack for an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

In the intimate performance, Thokozani Mhlambi in Concert, which will take place on October 8, Mhlambi presents a set of Zulu songs, performed on cello and voice.

"I've put together a multidisciplinary program, involving music, song and storytelling," says Mhlambi who will be joined on stage by special guests including Philippa Namutebi Kabali-Kagwa, who is an Uganda Storyteller, based in Cape Town.

Mhlambi aims to bring about a collaboration styled around intimacy as well as the art of storytelling as an ancient African art form.

"To have this kind of exploration with me on the cello brings a new level of connection for audiences. Philippa's stories, although based on Ugandan myths, are told in English. This will allow those who speak that language to get a better understanding of the stage interaction." said Mhlambi who last performed in Cape Town at the Baxter Theatre in September last year.

Mhlambi has recently completed a 10-week cultural tour, where he was involved in a series of performances, panel discussions, and museum visits across North America.

"There was a lot of excitement about my music. Especially in Vancouver, which is so far away from South Africa, audiences there were really hungry for a South African sound. We had a lovely outdoor concert in the park. A lot of people were dancing on their feet," said Mhlambi, reminiscing about teaching volunteers from his audience the words for "Tribute to Ntsikana," which they then sang with him on stage.

GET YOUR TICKETS

Tickets for the concert can be purchased via www.webtickets.co.za, and are R60 -R120. Direct booking link for tickets: https://www.webtickets.co.za/v2/Event.aspx?itemid=1518604151

For more details about Thokozani, visit his website: http://thokozanimhlambi.com or on Facebook: @thokozani.music, Instagram: @thokozani_mhlambi

ABOUT DR THOKOZANI MHLAMBI

● Dr Thokozani Mhlambi is not your usual musician. Not only does he play the cello, sing and compose his own songs, but Mhlambi uses his art and exhibitions in order to convey African stories/philosophies.

● Born in Madadeni, KwaZulu-Natal, after fulfilling music studies in South Africa & Sweden, Mhlambi received his PhD in Music at the University of Cape Town. In South Africa, he has showcased work at leading platforms such as the Linder Auditorium, National Arts Festival, Baxter Theatre and Soweto Theatre-where he drew audiences from all walks of life. He has also been a visiting lecturer at universities in Finland (Jyvaskyla), and Brazil, to mention a few. And has had opportunities to perform and speak in places such as Chicago, Minneapolis, New Orleans (Tulane), São Paulo, Maputo (Mozambique) and New York.

● Recently, Mhlambi's rendition of Lizalise Idinga Lakho by Tiyo Soga (from his debut album Zulu Song Cycle), was featured in an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Mhlambi was an invited contributor to the roaming academy of the Dutch Art Institute, an itinerant program fostering various creative practices at the intersection of art & theory. In 2019, he collaborated with revered Chinese visual artist Dachan, in a live performance/installation at the Zeitz Mocca Museum in Cape Town.

● In 2020, Mhlambi was selected as an Artist-in-Residence at Cite International Des Arts in Paris, supported by the Institut Français. He used the time to connect with artists from different parts of the world, specifically the African continent, and to develop new creative work.

● Currently Mhlambi is working on building a digital repository of early African composers such as Enoch Sontonga, John & Nokutela Dube, Reuben Caluza, to mention a few. This is a project which is a collaboration between the Killie Campbell Africana Library (at UKZN), the Five Hundered Year Archive Project (at UCT) and Afropolitan Explosiv.