HANS GABOR BELVEDERE SEMIS: LOCAL OPERA SINGERS QUALIFY

MBABANE –After putting their best foot forward during the first leg of classical music world’s most prestigious singing competitions, Lwazi Dlamini and Thando Zwane have qualified for the semi-finals.

Eswatini opera singers Zwane and Dlamini, both baritones and well-decorated alumni of Tshwane University of Technology’s Vocal Arts Department and Cape Town Opera, have become the first pair of emaSwati opera singers to simultaneously qualify for the finals of one of the classical music world’s most prestigious singing competitions, the Hans Gabor Belvedere International Singing Competition. The semi-finals will be held today and the finals of the competition will be held on Sunday.

Founded in 1982 and with its 2024 finals to be held in Jurmala, Latvia from June 2-9, 2024, the competition justifiably dubbed ‘the Wall Street of classical music voices’ prides itself in carefully identifying and annually bringing together only the finest of the world’s operatic young voices for a week of competition in what ultimately connects them to career-changing opportunities with some of the world’s most respected opera agents and houses including the Metropolitan Opera House (New York) and the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden (London). The competition is also credited with giving the opera music world African opera superstars including South Africa’s Pretty Yende, Levy Sekgapane and Mandla Mndebele among others – and in 2024, might just give it its first star from Eswatini.

Notably, in 2018, Zwane, the kingdoms most visible and accomplished opera singer, became the first liSwati to qualify for the finals of the competition, a feat he repeated in 2022, where he beat more than 50 of the world’s best young singers of qualify for the semi-finals, narrowly missing a seat in the last round of the competition - but good enough to secure himself a brief performance sting at Latvia’s National Opera House.

Also one of Eswatini’s most exciting new generation of conductors, Zwane also holds the record for being the second liSwati opera singer to be admitted into Tshwane University of Technology’s Vocal Arts department, where he was admitted on the spot a few minutes after his audition.
“It is once again an immeasurable honour to be shortlisted as one of the finalists of this esteemed competition and I believe I will as always give it my all. Most certainly not an easy feat competing against some of the world’s best young talents, I believe I will once again have fun, put my best foot forward and give the judges a hard time in the hope of bringing something home. Of course, I would invite the people of Eswatini to lend us their support and we will do best to make it worth it,”  commented Zwane.

Whereas Dlamini, freshly minted as a member of the prestigious Cape Town Opera’s Judith Neilson Young Artist Programme and for the longest time, one of the most respected baritones in South Africa and currently one of the most loved and sought-after baritones in Cape Town, where he currently resides is fresh from a national tour of master classes delivered by Cape Town Opera to high schools across South Africa as they prepare for the annual school’s choral eisteddfod. Prior to this, he wowed the audience at Artscape Opera House in productions including Giaccomo’s Puccini’s ‘Gianni Schicchi’ and ‘Tosca’, among many others.

With prizes including career-advancement funds up to the tune of E200 000 for the first prize winner, attachments with leading opera houses and contracts with reputable talent management agencies, the competition will once again feature a bevvy of young singers from South Korea, United States of America, Italy, the United Kingdom and others and looks bound to be one of the most exciting editions to date with this double dose of Eswatini excellence.

Post your comment

Your name:

Your e-mail address:

Add your comments:

Please enter the code you see in the image:

Image:

Code: