#MusicExchange: Neo Muyanga to perform at Jazz and Classical Encounters Festival Vol 2

One of the headline acts is Paul Hanmer along with guitarist and singer Neo Muyanga in conversation. They will present brand new material written especially for this festival.

Muyanga is a composer, sound artist and librettist.

His work traverses new opera, jazz improv and African idiomatic songs. He learned indigenous African song in the school choir in Soweto in the 1980s and he sang madrigals while studying in Italy in the ‘90s.

In 1996, he co-founded, with Masauko Chipembere, the duo, Blk Sonshine. In 2008, he co-founded, with Ntone Edjabe, the Pan-African Space Station - a platform for cutting-edge Pan-African music and sound art on the internet.

He has released nine recorded albums to date - his latest, the oratorio MAKEdbA (2019), explores the status of exile as core to the human condition in the 21st century.

Muyanga tours widely as a solo performer, bandleader and choral conductor.

I caught up with him last week.

The new decade means:

More people wide-eyed, mystified by reality.

I don't do:

Apples.

What does music mean to you?

A simple gift.

What is the most enjoyable aspect of your work?

Resolving persistent consonance.

Any funny moments on stage?

Absolutely - when I forget my own lyrics.

What is your most treasured possession?

My time.

It’s your round, what are you drinking?

The vine of truth.

What makes you stand out?

I lean towards the left.

Nicknames:

s.s.q.l.

If you were not a musician, what would you do?

Plant a garden.

Pick five words to describe yourself:

I am so very slow

What is your favourite word?

Perhaps.

Favourite fashion garment:

A Batman suit.

Give us some real proper slang and what it means:

Ga se mo statse mo! (This is not the States!)

What do you complain about most often?

The fact that I fail to shut up more.

What is your fear?

Running out of sleep.

Happiness is:

Sleeping.

The best life lesson you have been taught:

Try to be a plant - stand still and reach towards heaven.

Where would you like to be right now?

I am in my rightful place.

Wishes and dreams:

I wish for world peace. Really I do!

Tickets to the 2020 Jazz and Classical Encounters Festival Vol 2 at Spier Amphitheatre can be purchased via Quicket.