Umculo Opera Incubator, the musical company that has contributed to opera education in South African communities since 2010, won the International Opera Award for in London last week (April 29).

Two of Umculo’s productions, Acis and Galatea and The Marriage of Figaro, have been staged in Ikageng and Potchefstroom in recent years.

According to Kobie van Rensburg, the musical director of Umculo, the International Opera Awards is the most prestigious opera awards ceremony in the world. “Our work is a reward in itself but, to be recognised at such an international level is truly wonderful, especially if you have to compete against powerful opera companies like the Komische Oper Berlin with their big budgets”, he says.

Kobie’s first encounter with Umculo was when he met the South African born music journalist, Shirley Apthorp. As the founder of Umculo, she is also a respected opera critic who writes for international news organisations and prestigious magazines.

Shirley’s heart beats for South African singers and she has been working in South African communities since 2010, focusing on voice training and musical theatre. Umculo, a Xhosa word meaning music, was offering musical development opportunities for singers by collaborating for international partnerships and with South African educational institutions. Their motto is “changing lives through music”.

Since 2016, Umculo has produced various opera productions. The Marriage of Figaro, under the direction of the German director, Robert Lehmeier, was staged in cooperation with the North-West University’s School of Music. It was also translated into Setswana and English.

“Our biggest project to date and also my personal favourite was a scenic production of J.S. Bach’s Johannes-Passion”, Kobie says. It was staged in Soweto in 2018, in collaboration with the universities of Pretoria and Bloemfontein, six diverse community choirs and soloists and smaller vocal ensembles from Johannesburg and Pretoria. The National Youth Orchestra combined with several European instrumentalists to form a South African period instrument orchestra. Preparations for this mammoth task were done a year before the rehearsals started.

Johannes Passion was staged in the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Meadow-lands, Soweto.

“Umculo initiated master classes at the universities of Pretoria, Bloemfontein, Stellenbosch and Cape Town and several centres in Johannesburg to prepare students and young professionals for the challenges of Bach’s fantastic music”, Kobie continues. He adds that the production was a perfect answer to the violence that is so prevalent in our communities. “Although it was an organisational and logistical nightmare on many levels, we had to take up the challenge. The incredible impact the production has had in Soweto and the undeniable way in which it has touched so many people proved to me that it was all worthwhile”, he says.

Van Rensburg also singles out the Potchefstroom Alumni, who made significant contributions to the Johannes-Passion: Ronald Melato, the bass soloist; Linelle Wimbles-Engelbrecht, the soprano soloist and the student, Stephen Schalkwyk, who played the role of Jesus. But, according to Kobie, the star of the evening was the ex-Potchefstroom tenor, Siyabonga Maqungo, in the part of the evangelist. Siyabonga, currently based in Chemnitz, Germany, is embarking on an international singing career. “He has recently scored a huge success at the German State Opera in Berlin as David in Wagner’s Meistersinger under the direction of Daniel Barenboim. “I take special pride and pleasure in this young man’s development because he made his debut at Acis and Galatea in Ikageng. Siyabonga was also nominated in the category Young Singer of the Year at the 2019 International Opera Awards but, unfortunately, did not win the prize”, he says.

According to Kobie, South African singers have enormous talent but expert training and performance opportunities are sorely lacking. He hopes the South African singers who are currently working in Europe will someday invest their time in the education of the next generation of South African opera singers.

“Yes, I’m a dreamer and I believe that music can change the world. Umculo has changed my life, by allowing me to give back to the community. I hope its work will continue to change lives through music”. Philosophical words from a very talented classical music director who believes in the universal contribution opera is still making throughout the world.