Grammy-nominated soprano Paulina Malefane, who resides in Somerset West and has performed abroad extensively, will present a captivating programme of Songs which mean much to me in Cape Town on Friday (10 May).
She will be joined by tenor Sipho Fubesi, who has performed at the Royal Opera House in London and Glyndebourne. Pianist José Duas will accompany the duo.
A very young Malefane burst onto the global scene when she appeared on film screens as a passionate Carmen in U-Carmen Khayelitsha, an isiXhosa adaptation of Bizet’s opera set in the Cape Town township, in 2005.
This extraordinary film received the Golden Bear Award at the 2005 Berlin International Film Festival.
The songbird has gone on to perform in theatres around the world as part of the renowned Isango Ensemble, a theatre company that draws its artists from townships.
She has enthralled audiences at London’s Albert Hall and in Sweden, where she made the role of Bess in Porgy and Bess her own. Malefane has also performed with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra under Sir Simon Rattle. With the ensemble she has appeared in productions at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London as well as the Young Vic.
Malefane has also performed with the London Symphony Orchestra in New York and Barcelona. In 2022, she was nominated for a Grammy Award for her performance in A Cunning Little Vixen, which was staged in Berlin and London.
Malefane continues to perform with the Isango Ensemble and has initiated a programme in which young musicians and singers from disadvantaged areas are given music lessons, including a theoretical background, which they have the option to take further.
The concert will be held at the Youngblood Gallery in Bree Street, Cape Town, at 19:00.
Parking is available at Heritage Square and in the vicinity of the gallery, where the food and bar area will be open for the night.
Tickets are available from R250 and can be booked via Quicket.
