The KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestra (KZNPO) is a professional orchestra based in Durban, South Africa. [1] It was founded in 1983 under the name Natal Philharmonic Orchestra (NPO). [2]
The KZNPO receives funding from the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality Municipality, the national Department of Arts and Culture, the KwaZulu-Natal provincial Department of Arts and Culture, [3] South African National Lottery, the National Arts Council of South Africa, the Rupert Music Foundation and various individual donors.
The orchestra's chief executive and artistic director is Bongani Tembe, who in 2019 celebrated 25 years in the position. [4] British musician Andrew Young was a member of the orchestra as clarinetist, bass clarinetist and saxophonist from September 1989 till April 1996. [5]
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In August/September 2009, the KZNPO accompanied soprano Renée Fleming on a concert tour to Durban, Pretoria and Cape Town. [6]
In April 2011, the orchestra played the world premiere of Bongani Ndodana-Breen's opera Winnie the Opera at the State Theatre, Pretoria, with soprano Tsakane Maswanganyi in the title role of Winnie Mandela. [7]
KwaZulu-Natal is a province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu and Natal Province were merged. It is located in the southeast of the country, enjoying a long shoreline beside the Indian Ocean and sharing borders with three other provinces, and the countries of Mozambique, Eswatini and Lesotho. Its capital is Pietermaritzburg, and its largest city is Durban. It is the second-most populous province in South Africa, with slightly fewer residents than Gauteng.
The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) is a political party in South Africa. The party has been led by Velenkosini Hlabisa since the party's 2019 National General Conference. Mangosuthu Buthelezi founded the party in 1975 and led it until 2019. The IFP is currently the fourth largest party in the National Assembly of South Africa, in 2014 yielding third place to the Economic Freedom Fighters, formed in 2013.
The University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) is a university with five campuses in the province of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. It was formed on 1 January 2004 after the merger between the University of Natal and the University of Durban-Westville.
Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife is a governmental organisation responsible for maintaining wildlife conservation areas and biodiversity in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. Their headquarters is in Queen Elizabeth Park situated on the northern slopes of Pietermaritzburg, the KwaZulu-Natal provincial capital. Prior to 1994, it was known as the Natal Parks Board.
Tsakane Valentine Maswanganyi is a South African classical soprano who has an active international performance career. She first came to public notice as a member of the world-famous opera band Amici Forever. She has since appeared in concerts and operas at major performance venues internationally.
East Coast Radio (ECR) is a KwaZulu-Natal commercial South African radio station with an audience of approximately 1.5 million. It is one of the largest regional radio stations in South Africa.
The Sharks are a South African rugby union team that participates in the annual Currie Cup tournament. The Sharks' home stadium is Kings Park Stadium. They draw most of their players from the KwaZulu-Natal Province. The Sharks are the current representative team of the KwaZulu-Natal Rugby Union, founded in 1890. The team is the fourth most successful provincial union in the country, having won the Currie Cup title eight times.
Bongani Ndodana-Breen, is a South African-born composer, musician, academic and cultural activist. He is a member of the Xhosa clan. He was educated at St. Andrew's College and Rhodes University in Grahamstown and also studied composition in Stellenbosch under Roelof Temmingh. In 1998 Ndodana-Breen was the first Black classical composer to be awarded the prestigious Standard Bank Young Artist Award for Music, by the National Arts Festival and sponsored by Standard Bank of South Africa. He was one of Mail & Guardian 200 Young South Africans and was profiled on CNN African Voices for his work Harmonia Ubuntu commissioned for the centenary of Nelson Mandela and based on his writings and speeches. He is a fellow at the Radcliffe Institute at Harvard University for the 2019/2020 academic year.
The KwaZulu-Natal Youth Choir was founded in 1968 by Hein de Villiers. The choir is based in Durban, South Africa, and attracts talent from across the KwaZulu-Natal province.
A series of South African municipal by-elections was held in 2008 for ward seats on local municipal councils throughout the country. These by-elections were held to replace deceased, resigned or incapacitated councillors.
Bhekokwakhe "Bheki" Hamilton Cele is the South African Minister of the Police. He was appointed to this post on the 26th February 2018. He was previously the National Commissioner of the South African Police Service until October 2011, when he was suspended from duty, due to allegations of corruption. He was appointed to this position in July 2009, replacing Jackie Selebi, who was suspended in January 2008 following charges of corruption. From 2004 to 2009 he held the post of Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Transport, Safety and Security in KwaZulu-Natal after holding various other portfolios in the KwaZulu-Natal provincial government. He is a member of the African National Congress.
The Constitution of South Africa protects all basic political freedoms. However, there have been many incidents of political repression, dating back to at least 2002, as well as threats of future repression in violation of this constitution leading some analysts, civil society organisations and popular movements to conclude that there is a new climate of political repression or a decline in political tolerance.
The Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra (JPO) is Johannesburg's leading Philharmonic Orchestra. The chair of the Board of Directors is Mr Justice Dikgang Moseneke, and the CEO and Artistic Director is Bongani Tembe. Tembe was appointed in 2015. He combines this with his role as Artistic Director of the Kwazulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestra.
There have been a number of political assassinations in post-apartheid South Africa. In 2013 it was reported that there had been more than 450 political assassinations in the province of KwaZulu-Natal since the end of apartheid in 1994. In July 2013 the Daily Maverick reported that there had been "59 political murders in the last five years". In August 2016 it was reported that there had been at least twenty political assassinations in the run up to the local government elections on the 3rd of August that year, most of them in KwaZulu-Natal.
Guy Buttery is a South African musician primarily known as a guitar player.
John Simon is a South African born British classical music composer.
Sihle Zikalala is a South African politician from KwaZulu-Natal who is the 8th and current Premier of KwaZulu-Natal as well as the Provincial Chairperson of the African National Congress (ANC). He has held various leadership positions in the ANC. He is also a Member of the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature after having taken office on 26 November 2015. From 2016 to 2019, he served as the MEC for Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs in the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government.
Narend Singh is a South African politician who is the chief whip of the Inkatha Freedom Party in the National Assembly and the treasurer-general of the party. Prior to joining the National Assembly in 2007, he was a Member of the Executive Council in the KwaZulu-Natal provincial government from 1997 until 2006 and a member of the Senate from 1994 to 1996.
Christopher John Pappas is a South African politician serving as a Member of the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature since May 2019. A member of the Democratic Alliance, Pappas served as a member of the eThekwini city council from 2016 until 2019.
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