2023 SEASON
Master Class
20 february - 11 march 2023
theatre on the bay
Cape Town Opera presents Terrence McNally’s award-winning 1995 play, Master Class. The fictional masterclass presented to the audience by legendary opera diva Maria Callas paints a portrait of the soprano’s life and career, as well as the fierce but moving world of opera. At times laugh-out-loud funny and poignant at others, Master Class highlights Callas’ larger than life personality and phenomenal success in celebration of the centenary of her birth (2 December 1923).
The cast includes celebrated South African actress Sandra Prinsloo as Maria Callas and singers from Cape Town Opera under the direction of Magdalene Minnaar.
Master Class
15 march - 2 april 2023
montecasino
Cape Town Opera presents Terrence McNally’s award-winning 1995 play, Master Class. The fictional masterclass presented to the audience by legendary opera diva Maria Callas paints a portrait of the soprano’s life and career, as well as the fierce but moving world of opera. At times laugh-out-loud funny and poignant at others, Master Class highlights Callas’ larger than life personality and phenomenal success in celebration of the centenary of her birth (2 December 1923).
The cast includes celebrated South African actress Sandra Prinsloo as Maria Callas and singers from Cape Town Opera under the direction of Magdalene Minnaar.
Opera Blocks
1 - 4 April 2023
Artscape Innovation Lounge
Cape Town Opera’s irresistibly appealing Opera Blocks is back by popular demand! Audience members – little ones and not-so-little ones alike – will be delighted and enthralled by this specially curated production, designed to engage and stimulate young minds with beautiful music, gentle choreography, and mesmerizing visual effects. Incorporating lighting and props that are both fun and visually engaging, the production is an immersive experience for babies and young children.
Exposing young children to classical music has tried and tested positive effects on their developing minds and creativity. Opera Blocks brings music, song and play together in an exciting and explorative way. Not to mention the fun and entertaining spectacle for their amusement!
Proudly sponsored by the City of Cape Town, this production is directed by Magdalene Minnaar, set and costume design by the Cape Town Opera production team and lighting design by the Artscape lighting department.
Each child must be accompanied by an adult (excluding babies in arms).
Stabat Mater
8 april 2023
toringkerk, paarl
Cape Town Opera & Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra bring Rossini’s Stabat Mater to the beautiful Toringkerk in Paarl. This masterpiece is one of the best known and beloved hymns to Mary, presenting her grief at the crucifixion of her son Jesus Christ. Rossini’s extraordinary capacity for composing arias – inspired by his exceptional operatic skills – is matched by hauntingly beautiful and triumphant choral sections. The fusion of operatic drama and tender, reverent moments marks this work as one of the finest contributions to classical sacred music.
Featuring Cape Town Opera soloists, the award-winning Chorus, the Cape Town Symphony Choir and the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Adam Szmidt, this performance of Rossini’s Stabat Mater is a highlight in the year’s classical music calendar.
the pearl fishers
10 - 14 may 2023
Artscape theatre
Cape Town Opera’s 2021 production of Bizet’s masterful opera, The Pearl Fishers (Les pêcheurs de perles), returns to the Artscape Theatre stage. During the height of lockdown, the limited audience capacity prevented opera lovers from attending the stunning first run of the semi-staged production. To celebrate our return to full houses and open theatres, the company is overjoyed to bring The Pearl Fishers back.
Bizet’s 1863 opera, composed to a French libretto by Eugène Cormon and Michel Carré, centres on two men’s rivalry in their love for the same woman. The fishermen Zurga and Nadir’s lifelong friendship is tested when they both fall in love with the beautiful priestess, Leïla, who in turn finds herself torn between her sacred oaths and secular love.
The stirring music and heart-wrenching story will be brought to life by Cape Town Opera soloists and Chorus with the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra, featuring celebrated South African tenor Levy Sekgapane and under the direction of Elisabeth Manduell, with concept by Matthew Wild and art work by Shakil Solanki.
Wednesday, 10 May 2023 – Levy Sekgapane
Friday, 12 May 2023 – Levy Sekgapane
Saturday, 13 May 2023 – Lukhanyo Moyake
Sunday, 14 May 2023 – Levy Sekgapane
Please Note: No late comers will be allowed entrance into the venue.
No children under 5 at evening performances.
Cinderella (Cendrillon)
4 - 8 july 2023
artscape opera house
Cape Town Opera in association with Abrahamse & Meyer presents the South African premiere of Pauline Viardot’s 1904 opera, Cendrillon (Cinderella). The beloved age-old fairytale tells the tale of the lovely but mistreated ‘Marie’ (Cinderella) who slaves away in her father’s household, subservient to him and to her mean sisters. With the help of her Fairy Godmother, Marie attends the Prince’s ball where they meet and fall in love, and she is saved from her wretched family to live happily ever after. Expect spectacular costumes, sets and lighting in this enchanting family-friendly production that comes with all the glamour and glitter that opera has to offer, starring sopranos Brittany Smith and Janelle Visagie, with a stellar supporting cast.
tosca
21 - 30 july 2023
nelson mandela theatre
Cape Town Opera presents Puccini’s powerful opera Tosca to audiences in Johannesburg at the Nelson Mandela Theatre and Cape Town at the Artscape Opera House. The tragedy follows two lovers, Floria Tosca and Mario Cavaradossi, and their ill-fated romance set amidst the political turmoil of Italy in 1800. A tale of love, jealousy, passion and deception, Tosca reveals Puccini’s compositional mastery and his exceptional skill in distilling humanity’s most profound emotions into music.
KLEIN KAROO KLASSIQUE
4 August 2023
Oudtshoorn Civic Centre
“’n Karoonag met die Suid-Kaap Kinderkoor en vriende”
With the South Cape Children’s Choir, under direction of Jan-Erik Swart and guests Coenie de Villiers and two sopranos from Cape Town Opera
5 August 2023
Oudtshoorn Civic Centre
ATKV-Galakonsert met Kaapstad Opera
Four mesmerising singers from Cape Town Opera bring to life arias and ensembles from some of the greatest operas, as well as hits from well-known musicals, under the direction of multi-talented pianist José Dias.
tosca
12 - 17 september 2023
artscape opera house
Step into the gripping world of Puccini’s Tosca, where love, passion, and political intrigue intertwine to create a spellbinding opera experience. Set in 19th-century Rome, Tosca tells the tragic tale of Floria Tosca, a celebrated singer, and her lover, the artist Mario Cavaradossi, who become entangled in a treacherous web spun by the corrupt chief of police, Baron Scarpia.
With its hauntingly beautiful melodies and heart-wrenching drama, Tosca is a true masterpiece of the operatic repertoire.
The production will be directed by Magdalene Minnaar, with musical direction by Adam Szmidt, set and costume design by Leopold Senekal and Maritha Visagie, lighting design by Oliver Hauser and movement direction by Fiona du Plooy. The Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra will be conducted by Bjorn Bantock.
Cast includes Cape Town Opera House Soloists Nobulumko Mngxekeza as Tosca, Lukhanyo Moyake as Cavaradossi, and the Fleur du Cap-winning Conroy Scott as Scarpia. They will be joined by the award-winning Cape Town Opera Chorus and a children’s chorus of 28.
Don’t miss the opportunity to witness this extraordinary brand-new Cape Town Opera production!
With thanks to the following sponsors for making this production possible:
The Judith Neilson Foundation
The City of Cape Town
The Rupert Music Foundation
MASTER CLASS
26 - 30 september 2023
Theatre on the Bay
Returns after overwhelming success! To celebrate the centenary of Maria Callas’ birthday, Pieter Toerien and Cape Town Opera present Terrence McNally’s Tony Award-winning play, Master Class. Starring award-winning actress Sandra Prinsloo as the glamorous and commanding opera diva, Maria Callas in her 1970’s swan song, in the closing act of her life. The play features incidental vocal music by Giuseppe Verdi, Giacomo Puccini, and Vincenzo Bellini.
Directed by Magdalene Minnaar
Duration: Approx’ 2-hours including a 20-minute interval.
Age restriction: No under 13s
WOORDFEES
7 - 10 october 2023
Adam small auditorium
Sandra Prinsloo is outstanding as the opera diva Maria Callas in her swan song in the 70’s, the closing act of her life. Terrence McNally’s Tony Award-winning play comes to the Woordfees after overwhelming success in Cape Town and Johannesburg. The play features vocal music by Giuseppe Verdi, Giacomo Puccini and Vincenzo Bellini, and the production coincides with the 100th anniversary of Callas’s birthday.
requiem
12 - 14 october 2023
Artscape theatre
Jazzart Dance Theatre in collaboration with Cape Town Opera, the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra and Phoenix Dance Theatre presents the new, critically acclaimed 5-star production of “Requiem: Journeys of the Soul” choreographed and directed by Dane Hurst with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Neo Muyanga.
The brand-new production premiered in the UK in collaboration with Opera North and Phoenix Dance Theatre and Cape Town Opera was hailed as a 5-star “knock-out double bill” and promises to be a thought-provoking and poignant expression of remembrance and rebirth in a post-pandemic society.
Neo Muyanga’s new work entitled “After Tears” was described as an “invocation of South African rituals of mourning and remembrance – ultimately celebrating the beauty of life – colourful, joyous, uplifting: food for the soul.”
This new work was specially commissioned by Opera North to be performed along and as a companion piece to Mozart’s iconic masterpiece entitled, ‘Requiem’. Muyanga writes – “My new work After Tears laments the palpable sense of loss after the dream of a utopia has been deferred. The piece is a rallying call for individual citizens to work collectively, with empathy, to rebuild after a period of distress and loss. It envisages this collective work as a vibrant ‘After Tears party’ where the blues of mourning are submerged and constrained by the reverie of a cleansing ceremony.”
With lighting design by Faheem Bardien, the music to this production will be brought to life by the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra, Cape Town Opera soloists featuring Setsoane Ntseki and Cape Town Opera’s award-winning chorus.
WOORDFEES
13 october 2023
endler hall
Songs of Shakespeare comprises excerpts from operas such as Macbeth (Verdi) and Romeo et Juliette (Gounod), and musicals like West Side Story (Bernstein) and Kiss Me Kate (Porter). These works demonstrate the full scope of the dramatic power and human truth associated with Shakespeare. José Dias directs a star studded cast of Cape Town Opera soloists, who are joined by the winners of the CTO Judith Neilson Young Artists award.
la traviata
26 - 29 October 2023
artscape theatre
Step into a world of passion, tragedy, and sumptuous melody as Cape Town Opera and Opera UCT present LaTraviata, Verdi’s timeless masterpiece.
Follow the ill-fated love story of Violetta, a glamorous courtesan, and Alfredo, the sincere young man who adores her, as they navigate a society where love battles moral judgment and social constraint. As Violetta’s health fades, her choices take on heartbreaking dimensions, underscored by some of opera’s most famous arias and duets.
The production will feature two dynamic casts, uniting Cape Town Opera House Soloists and Judith Neilson Young Artists with the rising talent of Opera UCT. They will be accompanied by the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Jeremy Silver.
Don’t miss the chance to witness this stirring spectacle, where the best of South Africa’s vocal talent meets storytelling magic!
With grateful thanks to the City of Cape Town for their generous support.
The sound of music
14 december 2023 - 14 January 2024
artscape theatre
Pieter Toerien with Cape Town Opera, present the much-anticipated revival tour of The world’s most loved musical returns to South Africa this December!
Rodgers & Hammerstein’ classic musical, The Sound Of Music.
Opening at Cape Town’s Artscape Theatre in December of 2023, the production will then transfer to Johannesburg’s The Teatro, at Montecasino.
The Sound Of Music marks the 11th and final collaboration between legendary lyricists Rodgers & Hammerstein, and features a treasure trove of popular show tunes, including “My Favorite Things”, “Climb Ev’ry Mountain”, “Do Re Mi”, “Sixteen Going On Seventeen”, and many more.