A Conversation with Lungiswa Plaatjies

Lungiswa Plaatjies is a musician, singer and composer. Born and raised in Langa Township in Cape Town, she started singing at the age of eight years old before becoming the lead vocalist of Amampondo. She has toured extensively around the world and released her first solo album, Lungiswa, in 2000. After spending time digging deeper into the foundation stones of African music and Xhosa dance (Umxhentso), Lungiswa released her second solo album, Unonkala produced by Don Laka. In 2002, she was nominated for Best Newcomer and Best Female Vocalist at the SAMA awards and was also nominated for two Kora awards. Since 2015, she has been working with Bos Theatre Productions from The Netherlands on an annual musical show called South African Road Trip. Her select theatre credits include; Heart of Redness, The Tempest for the Royal Shakespeare Company and The Flower of Shembe. Lungiswa can currently be seen on stage as the featured musician in Kunene and the King at the Fugard Theatre

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A Conversation with Regina Malan

Regina Malan is a performer, producer and director. After previously performing in operas such as Le Nozze di Figaro and Dido and Aeneas, last year she starred in her first three plays, namely Macbeth, Design for Living and Jane Eyre, as well as her first two musicals, The Full Monty and Shadows in Red Light. Her other credits include Public City, Because it’s okay, Not Just Musicals and Othello: A Women’s Story which she also co-directed. In 2017 she co-founded Mish Mash Media Productions, a multi-media production company giving voice to LGBTQ projects in Cape Town. Following a successful run earlier this year, Othello will be performed at the Baxter Theatre for a limited run in September. We sat down to chat about her career and Mish Mash Media’s next show, 5 Lesbians Eating A Quiche.   Continue reading

A Conversation with Kelly Sayer

Kelly Sayer is a passionate audio engineer, songwriter, and recent Berklee College of Music graduate. Originally from Cape Town, she is currently based in Los Angeles where she is employed as head engineer for platinum-selling record producer Alex Da Kid, making her part of the 5% of female engineers active in the music industry today. Continue reading

A Conversation with Jeri Silverman

Jeri Silverman is a South African born singer-songwriter based in New York City. She writes acoustic soul-stirring melodies with a percussive folk pop edge. In 2014 she released her debut EP Leaflike. She has performed live across the US and South Africa and has lent her skills as an actor, voiceover artist and singer to numerous films, documentaries and international commercials. Her forthcoming album is a collection of inspired songs written over the past three years, exploring the interplay between darkness and light. Continue reading

A Conversation with Nicky Schrire

Nicky Schrire is a versatile vocalist and composer whose work has taken her all over the world. Her latest piece, Escape: The Ingrid Jonker Suite has required Nicky to revisit the work of acclaimed South African poet, Ingrid Jonker, and create a unique theatre experience setting the iconic poems to music. We sat down with Nicky at Alexander Bar to chat about the show and her perception on the current climate for female musicians.  Continue reading

A Conversation with Galina Juritz

Galina Juritz is an accomplished violinist and composer. Her latest composition, Madness: Songs of Hope and Despair, makes its return to The Baxter after an acclaimed one night only performance last year. Madness: Songs of Hope and Despair, brings mental illness and psychotic experiences into the spotlight using a combination of music, song and imagery in an attempt to portray the complexities and also the wonder of these strange and ultimately unknowable worlds. We sat down with Galina at The Baxter to chat about the show and her hopes for the future of her career.

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A Conversation with Zolani Mahola

Zolani Mahola needs no introduction. Most may know her as the lead vocalist of Freshlyground, a band whose sound, along with Zolani’s voice, has become synonymous with South Africa, going so far as to inspire an entire nation, and the world, during the 2010 Soccer World Cup. Over the years Zolani has received many accolades and traveled the globe but what might surprise you is how down-to-earth, generous and humble-spirited she is. Sarafina Magazine is proud to feature Zolani as our first Music Artist.

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