Auckland Park resident is off on a good note

Naledi Dweba (19) is reaching for greatness.

He is one of the 18 talented musicians who have been selected at country-wide auditions to compete in the Artscape National Youth Music Competition in Cape Town.

Dweba resides in Auckland Park under the auspices of the Doilie Foundation (a foundation that financially, socially and morally assists disadvantaged children with artistic talent to realise their dreams and fulfil their potential), established by Elzabé Zietsman.

He began his musical journey at 15.

“I lost both my parents to HIV in 2007… when I came to Joburg I then auditioned for the National School of Arts… I couldn’t afford it so I had to seek help,” says Dweba.

Dweba was subsequently taken in by Elzabé Zietsman.

His foster parent Zietsman is happy about his achievements.

“It makes me feel incredibly good that he has come this far… It is through his own hard work that he is where he is. I look after him and provide the opportunity for him to spread his wings… his first music lesson was when he was 15 but because of his hard work he is part of this prestigious completion… I had nothing to do with where he is, it is only his hard work,” says Zietsman.

Dweba is looking forward to the Cape Town competition.

“I know we are going to have a lot of fun, but there is too much pressure because I know some of my competitors have been in music from as young as five years old,” comments Dweba, who wishes to take up music as a career.

All 18 contestants play in the first two rounds. The best 12 are then selected for the third round.

The nine adjudicators then select six finalists who will compete against each other in the final round with the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra (CPO).

“This is the third largest music competition in South Africa, and the only one for talented classical musicians between the ages of 14 and 19 years, who are too young to qualify for the Unisa International Music and the ATKV Muziq competitions,” says Artscape CEO Michael Maas.

“It is also the only music competition where the young finalists are afforded the privilege to compete against each other to the accompaniment of the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra (CPO). For the second consecutive year, we have a royal flush with participants in all four categories, namely piano, strings, wind and other instruments,” he says.

Following country-wide auditions, each of the 18 contestants will this year receive a R1 000 cash benefit even before they start to vie for top honours during the final rounds, which take place from 14 to 18 October at the Artscape Theatre in Cape Town.

The newly introduced R5 000 Michael Masote prize for the best strings instrumentalist has pushed the total prize money to more than

R120 000, and the winner and runners-up will also receive gold, silver and bronze medals.