Food for love – A new cross-genre music hall provides the salve for our times
While several venues in Johannesburg can accommodate both staged and musical performances, this music hall is the only space of any size in the city exclusively designed to optimise the live musical sound with modern acoustic design. According to professor Garth Stevens, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities at Wits, the music hall"brings Wits a step closer to the [cultural] revival of Braamfontein.
Wits University's 100th birthday commenced with the opening of the music venue, replete with performances across the genres – jazz, Black opera, and classical music. With Soprano Sizukiwe Vimbani and pianist Peter Cartwright, one such performance was powerful enough to stir the layers of grief and loss induced by Covid-19 for this writer.
In Wits' centenary year and beyond, the public can enjoy the return of the free lunch hour concerts, now at the music hall, where Wits Music students practice performing. Postgraduate recitals in jazz and classical music and a round of public evening concerts are also in the pipeline. "During the day, the music hall serves as a teaching venue for performance students and will also be used for composition recitals and ensemble classes. We are even hosting some of our Drama colleagues in our rehearsal venues this year," says Dr. Donato Somma, Head of Wits Music.
"We're now fundraising for the next phase, which is to build performance, practice, and teaching venues so that Wits Music students can continue to benefit from an African and world-class music education."In times of uncertainty you need journalism you can trust. For only, you have access to a world of in-depth analyses, investigative journalism, top opinions and a range of features. Journalism strengthens democracy. Invest in the future today.
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