GRACE NOTES in Germany, Austria, Hungary and Luxembourg

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Cape Town Opera chorus members and CTO Chorus Master Marvin Kernelle arrived in Germany today where the company will perform Grace Notes in the Hohe Domkirche in Trier, Germany, on 26 September 2019 at 21:00 as part of the Mosel Musikfestival; in the Katolische Pfarrkirche St. Sebastian in Nettetal-Lobberich on 27 September 2019 at 20:00; as part of the Festival Musica Sacra in the Dom zu St. Pölten, Austria, at 18:00 on 29 September 2019; on 2 October 2019 at the Catholic Church of Szent Anna in Budapest, Hungary; and, ending the tour on 4 October 2019 at 20:00 in Le Conservatoire de Musique Esch-sur-Alzette in Luxembourg, before heading home.

Drawing on South Africa’s strong choral tradition, one of the CTO’s most memorable productions is Grace Notes, a programme of a capella sacred music that made its European debut in 2016 at the Silvacane Abbey in La Roque d’Antheron, France. Owing to the popularity of the programme, the CTO Chorus will again present compositions by Byrd, Palestrina, Duruflé and Pärt, together with religious music from the Xhosa, Venda, Zulu and Swahili traditions in its return to Europe. “Powerful voices full of grace,” a critic noted after their numerous sold-out performances in Cape Town.

Curator Thuthuka Sibisi succinctly captured the essence of Grace Notes: “It is not about the location or the context,” he says, “but rather of the sense that you get from it. It encourages both singers and audience to find something in the music for themselves.”

On tour the Grace Notes company:

THE CAPE TOWN OPERA CHORUS
Sopranos Pumza Mxinwa, Jodie Khan, Ernestine Stuurman

Altos Babalwa Mdayi, Danielle Speckman, Christine Bam

Tenors Mlungiseleli Nqadini, Siphesihle Mdena, Thamsanqa Mtshamba

Basses / Baritones Garth Delport, Thando Mpushe, Luvo Rasemeni

Chorus Master Marvin Kernelle
Company Manager Elisabeth Manduell
Cape Town Opera Marketing Manager Lesley Liddle