Music extravaganza ahead: Roxette, Carnegie Hall Orchestra, and Calabash Festival set to rock SA!

Mzansi can look forward to a string of music events that are clicking into place to turn the next twelve months or so into an entertainment extravaganza. From festivals through to the welcome return of Roxette and spectacular jazz, it’s all in the lineup.

It’s been almost a decade since Roxette brough its styled Swedish pop-rock to South Africa, and in those nine years a lot has happened. Singer Marie Fredrikksson passed away from cancer five years ago and while it initially saw the end of Roxette too, frontman and guitarist Per Gessle recently welcomed a new vocalist to the fray, Swedish pop star Lena Philipsson. The band is back on tour and shows in Cape Town and Johannesburg are on the schedule.

Gessle said in a statement announcing the tour: “This is all about my Roxette songs, this huge bundle of music and lyrics I’ve been writing for well over three decades. I’m not starting a new duo. Marie will always be irreplaceable. However, I’m lucky to have found an amazing voice and a brilliant performer in Lena Philipsson.”

Gessle co-wrote Phillipson’s first major hit in 1986 and, he said, “she’s one of the brightest shining stars Sweden has ever known. I’m extremely proud she wants to join me in my trek to keep the Roxette legacy alive.”

Roxette will perform in Johannesburg on 28 February 2025 at the Times Square Arena in Pretoria.

Jazz delights: Carnegie Hall Orchestra

Jazz lovers, and people who really should discover the beauty of one of music’s greatest freedoms, are in for a treat. The Carnegie Hall National Youth Orchestra announced its debut tour of South Africa, scheduled for performances in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town between 26 July and 5 August this year.

“We are thrilled to have the National Youth Orchestra Jazz make its debut in South Africa this year, the first visit to Africa by any of our national youth ensembles,” said Clive Gillinson, Executive and Artistic Director of Carnegie Hall in a statement. “Given South Africa’s extraordinarily rich music traditions, which include a deep passion for jazz, we know this tour will be a tremendous opportunity for musical and cultural discovery for these brilliant young players,” he said.

Carnegie Hall has also commissioned a new work by South African composer Sibusiso Mash Mashiloane. In the announcement Mashiloane said: “South Africa is indeed a motherland where jazz resonates deeply within our souls. My composition is an invitation to a musical dialogue celebrating South African ways of musicking. We will weave together the joyful spirit of the legendary Hugh Masekela with many of our other diverse musical influences, creating a powerful and unforgettable sound of our home: South Africa.”

The ensemble’s diverse programme is expected to include big band classics by Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, and Mary Lou Williams amongst others. The tour kicks off at The Market Theatre for the weekend 26-28 July whereafter it moves to Durban and then Cape Town. Tickets are available at Webtickets.

ALSO READ: Megastar Robbie Williams to headline Calabash South Africa 2025

Spectacular headline lineup at Calabash

Robbie Williams will headline next year’s Day One of the Calabash Festival while Offspring, Green Day and Fokofpolisiekar takes on the second day of the event. It’s a lineup that will kick as much dust next year as the 2024 event that featured Maroon 5 amongst a host of other killer performers.

The tour plays in Johannesburg on 18 and 19 January 2025 whereafter it heads to the Mother City.

Robbie Williams produced six of the top 100 best-selling albums in British history, sold an incredible 80 million albums globally that spawned fourteen chart toppers. He also received a record-breaking 18 BRIT awards amongst the other accolades on his mantlepiece.

Fokofpolisiekar needs no introduction and of course, Offspring punk rock anthems like Pretty Fly (For A White Guy) has resonated with generations while Greenday’s American Idiot amongst many other hits is spectacular in a live environment.

NOW READ: ‘Crash! Boom! Bang!’: Swedish pop rockers Roxette heading to SA