COVID-19 and the national lockdown has not stopped the music of the KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestra (KZN Phil). 47 musicians from the KZN Philharmonic Orchestras participated in the symphonic repertoire at Virtual National Arts Festival. The 46th annual National Arts Festival – for the first time in its history this year, is being held entirely online due to the novel Corona viruses which has seen a lot of events either being postponed, made virtual or cancelled. The festival started on the 25th June and ends on the 5th July 2020. It is the ultimate virtual celebration of South African arts.
âAfter we had to cancel our Winter Season due to the worldâs latest pandemic, the orchestra had to resort to other creative ways in order to continue uplifting spirits of people around the country by sharing the musical experience with their audiences. With the many challenges that the national lockdown has presented; the KZN Philharmonic Orchestra is amongst the many artists to be featured on this yearâs Virtual National Arts Festivalâ, said Mr Bongani Tembe, CEO and Artistic Director of the KZN Philharmonic Orchestra.
The KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestra, one of South Africaâs leading orchestras will present their concert entitled The Joy of Classical Music with the KZN Philharmonic Orchestra which was recorded live at Hilton College in the Midlands, whilst following all the COVID-related protocols. The concert will feature timeless classics ranging from Griegâs Holberg Suite to Barberâs Adagio
for Strings with highlights from Mendelssohnâs Symphony No. 4 and Schubertâs Unfinished Symphony. The programme will be introduced by Deano Maduramuthu, who is a popular
presenter on Classic 1027.
âMusic lovers, all over South Africa and across the continent, can tune in to hear this great orchestra perform a specially curated programme for the virtual National Arts Festival. We
hope this concert will uplift the spirit of South Africans and Africans during these trying timesâ, concludes Mr Tembe. The Joy of Classical Music with the KZN Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Lykele Temmingh, will be aired as part of the vFringe live streamed events and tickets will cost just R100 per ticket. This concert will form part of the âvideos-on-demandâ offering and will be available to view until the end of July, thereby allowing audiences to view the orchestraâs performance at their leisure.
The 2020 Virtual National Arts Festival will take place entirely on the Festival website and will comprise a daily Curated Programme of shows, workshops and events; as well as a special Virtual Fringe section with multiple performances to choose from.
Tickets to the Orchestraâs performance can be purchased by clicking on https://nationalartsfestival.co.za/show/the-joy-of-classical-music-with-the-kzn-philharmonic-orchestra/
