Bulawayo Music Festival comes to life

c lovers at the Zimbabwe Academy of Music and surrounding venues.

Bullivant describes the festival as the “finest gathering of classical musicians in Zimbabwe in 50 years.” A huge turn out is expected from music lovers, not only from within Bulawayo, but also from around Zimbabwe and the SADC region.

The main festival programme includes 17 concerts, what is undeniably the biggest ever-musical buffet for classical lovers to be organised in Zimbabwe in the last few years. Some of the performances will be specifically commemorating the lives and contributions of some of the most illustrious classical composers to have graced the face of earth: the 250th anniversary of Mozart’s birth, the 150th of Schumann’s death and also the 100th anniversary of Shostakovich’s birth.

International performers in the main programme include celebrated pianist Leslie Howard, violinists Ania Safonova and Benjamin Nabarro, cellist and baritone Matthew Sharp and Zimbabwean born pianist Michael Brownlee Walker. While local musicians include pianist Jeanette Micklem, sopranos Cherith Keen and Lorna Kelly, violinist Catherine Stirling, the Bulawayo Philharmonic Orchestra, the Harare Youth Orchestra as well as the Arundel School Choir.

Isigodlo, a mini-festival running in tandem with the event will feature many other kinds of music – Zimbabwean traditional music, reggae, jazz, gospel as well as poetry readings. Directed by Amanda Van der Merwe, the Isigodlo theme, Make It Happen, challenges individuals to come out and share their creative talents with others.