Previously staged in London and New York, the Johannesburg event to be held at Summer Place on 17 October 2007 – will feature performances by some of the country's brightest operatic stars from UKZN's Opera Studio and Choral Academy, and by internationally acclaimed soprano Bronwen Forbay, winner of the 2007 Standard Bank Young Artist Award for Music.
It is also an example of corporate South Africa's involvement in the arts, as the event has now attracted more than 30 corporate players, including silver sponsor the Gallo Music Group and bronze sponsor Enterprise IG.
“Sponsorship opportunities – packaged to provide businesses with marketing value through brand exposure, collateral material and advertising – have provided sponsors with the unique opportunity to increase their visibility in the arts and educational arenas, raise interest in their brands, and to support the rich talent entering into and emerging from OSCA,” explains Jason Aarons of Blue Planet Media.
“The Benefit Concert also affords them occasion to profile themselves in front of key decision makers from across South Africa and further afield. Donations of relevant goods and services, and financial contributions have assisted in reducing operating costs, and in so doing, have enabled organisers to allocate substantially more funds to the pressing needs of OSCA and the students themselves.”
Other sponsors are: Corporate Tables, Creda Communications, Deutsche Bank, DHL Global Forwarding, Enterprise IG, Executive Fire Management, Internet Solutions, Johannesburg Stock Exchange, SAMRO, Standard Bank, Safcor Panalpina, Stuttafords and Xstrata, The print media sponsor is Classicfeel magazine. Contributing sponsors are: Backsberg Estate, Cellars, Bené, Bidvest, Bowman Gilfillan, Cell C, Chamber Orchestra of South Africa (COSA), CMB Transport, Creda Communications, Don Suite Hotels, Edward Nathan, Sonnenbergs, Executive Fire, Management, GardenShop, Jenna Clifford, kulula.com, Imperial Car Rental, Lindt, Miladys, Mondi Business Paper, Motorola, Musica, Ormonde, Piano Pleasure, SABC, Saxon Hotel, Selbys South Africa, Signs Fiction, Standard Bank and The Event Core
The concert will be hosted by internationally renowned musicologist, former chief opera and music critic to the London Financial Times, and associate editor of Opera magazine Max Loppert and his wife OSCA co-founder Delayne Loppert. Guest speaker at the event is businesswomen Cheryl Carolus — a long-time supporter of the Arts in South Africa. Thabiso Tema (‘TT'), the host of Classic FM's The Classic Brunch is MC. OSCA Patrons include Sibongile Khumalo, Wendy Luhabe, Philip Miller, Joseph Shabalala and Benjamin Zander.
For more information, go to www.oscabenefitconcert.co.za.
