This year’s Principal’s Concert invites the public to experience the story of one of South Africa’s most significant archaeological discoveries through music and dance, while helping graduates who are unable to access their degree certificates because of historical student debt.
The 2026 Principal’s Concert will take place on Wednesday 7 October and Thursday 8 October 2026 at the Aula on UP’s Hatfield Campus in Pretoria. This year’s concert, presented in collaboration with Mzansi Ballet, features a new staging of The Gold Rhino of Mapungubwe – The Ballet.
For the first time, the Principal’s Concert will also serve as a benefit concert, with proceeds from ticket and merchandise sales going to UP’s Degrees Delivered campaign.
Degrees Delivered addresses a particularly painful educational and career barrier: graduates who have successfully completed all the academic requirements for their qualifications but cannot receive their degree certificates because of outstanding historical debt. Without their certificates, some face barriers to employment, professional registration or further study.
This three-year fundraising initiative, launched by UP with a fundraising Comrades Marathon run in June, aims to raise R50m to help qualifying graduates settle their historical student debt and gain access to their first undergraduate qualifications.
“Education has the power to transform lives, but its full value can only be realised when graduates are able to take the next step in their careers,” said UP vice-chancellor and principal Professor Francis Petersen. “By supporting this concert, you are helping to unlock opportunities for talented graduates and investing in the futures of individuals, families and communities.”
The Principal’s Concert brings together three of UP’s flagship performing ensembles – the UP Symphony Orchestra, Tuks Camerata, and the UP Ovuwa Cultural Ensemble – alongside Mzansi Ballet.
The production is particularly fitting for UP because the University is the custodian of the internationally recognised Mapungubwe Collection and Archive. The Gold Rhino of Mapungubwe – The Ballet explores the legacy of Mapungubwe through the performing arts, bringing together music, dance and theatre in a production inspired by one of Africa’s earliest kingdoms.
The ballet has a strong connection to the Mapungubwe Collection at UP Museums, where the iconic Gold Rhino is among the artefacts that tell the story of the ancient kingdom. The production brings that heritage from the museum collection to the stage, using ballet, choral music and live symphonic performance to tell an important South African story.
Mzansi Ballet, founded in 2017, has made the development of South African dance talent and the telling of South African stories through ballet central to its work. The collaboration with UP brings together performers, composers, conductors, choreographers and other creative artists in a celebration of South Africa’s cultural heritage.
The production will feature dancers from Mzansi Ballet alongside international stars, 120 student choristers drawn from Tuks Camerata and the UP Ovuwa Cultural Ensemble, and the University of Pretoria Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Dr Schalk van der Merwe.
Of the 120 choristers, 30 will also perform and move on stage alongside the Mzansi Ballet dancers, making the combined choral ensemble an integral part of the theatrical action. Almost 200 performers will be involved in the production.
Mzansi Ballet director Dirk Badenhorst said the production was conceived as a distinctly South African ballet inspired by the history and heritage of Mapungubwe. “Our vision was to tell an important African story through the universal language of dance, while bringing South African dancers, choreographers, composers, designers and musicians together with leading international artists,” he said. “The result is a production that combines ballet, orchestral music, choral performance, fashion, theatre and visual design to create a uniquely South African theatrical experience.”
Prof Petersen said the concert demonstrates the role that the arts can play in connecting people with history and culture while contributing to meaningful social impact. “The Principal’s Concert has become an important celebration of the creativity, talent and excellence that flourish within our University of Pretoria community,” he said. “The arts challenge us to think differently, deepen our understanding of one another, preserve our cultural heritage and inspire us to imagine new possibilities.”
This year’s concert offers an opportunity to combine that celebration with a tangible contribution to the lives of graduates. “Every contribution unlocks opportunity,” Prof Petersen said. “Every contribution helps place an earned qualification into the hands of someone ready to contribute to society.”
Members of the public can support the Degrees Delivered campaign simply by attending the concert, with performances scheduled for both 7 and 8 October, and by donating directly to the campaign. “No graduate should be held back at the finish line. And no capable student should be left behind at the starting line,” Prof Petersen concluded.
Tickets are priced from R350 to R550, and members of the public are encouraged to book early to experience this unique celebration of Mapungubwe, South African ballet and the talent of UP’s performing arts community while helping to deliver qualifications to graduates who have already earned them.
What: The Gold Rhino of Mapungubwe – The Ballet, presented by the University of Pretoria in collaboration with Mzansi Ballet
When: Wednesday 7 October and Thursday 8 October 2026
Time: 6.30pm for 7pm
Where: Aula, University of Pretoria, Hatfield Campus, Lynnwood Road, Pretoria
Tickets: R350 to R550
How to book: Tickets are available via the UP Principal’s Concert ticketing platform
Beneficiary: All proceeds from ticket and merchandise sales will go towards UP’s Degrees Delivered campaign, which aims to raise R50m between 2026 and 2028 to help qualifying graduates access their earned qualifications by addressing historical student debt.
