Bongani Ndodana-Breen (born 1975, in Queenstown,

Cape Province The Province of the Cape of Good Hope ( af, Provinsie Kaap die Goeie Hoop), commonly referred to as the Cape Province ( af, Kaapprovinsie) and colloquially as The Cape ( af, Die Kaap), was a province in the Union of South Africa and subsequen ...

, Republic of South Africa), is a

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

n-born composer, musician, academic and cultural activist. He is a member of the

Xhosa Xhosa may refer to: * Xhosa people, a nation, and ethnic group, who live in south-central and southeasterly region of South Africa * Xhosa language, one of the 11 official languages of South Africa, principally spoken by the Xhosa people See als ...

clan. He was educated at St. Andrew's College and

Rhodes University Rhodes University is a public research university located in Makhanda (Grahamstown) in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. It is one of four universities in the province. Established in 1904, Rhodes University is the province's oldest ...

Grahamstown Makhanda, also known as Grahamstown, is a town of about 140,000 people in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is situated about northeast of Port Elizabeth and southwest of East London. Makhanda is the largest town in the Makana ...

(where he graduated with a PhD in Music Composition) and also studied composition in

Stellenbosch Stellenbosch (; )A Universal Pronounc ...

under Roelof Temmingh. In 1998 Ndodana-Breen was the first Black classical composer to be awarded the prestigious Standard Bank Young Artist Award for Music, by the

National Arts Festival The National Arts Festival (NAF) is an annual festival of performing arts in Grahamstown, South Africa. It is the largest arts festival on the African continent and one of the largest performing arts festivals in the world by visitor numbers. Th ...

and sponsored by Standard Bank of South Africa. He was one of

Mail & Guardian 200 Young South Africans The ''Mail & Guardian'' 200 Young South Africans is a list of individuals the ''Mail & Guardian'' considers to be the most influential 200 Young South Africans for the year. It was first published in 2006 by then editor-in-chief Ferial Haffajee, ...

and was profiled on CNN ''African Voices'' for his work ''Harmonia Ubuntu'' commissioned for the centenary of Nelson Mandela and based on his writings and speeches. He is a fellow at the Radcliffe Institute at Harvard University for the 2019/2020 academic year. Dr. Ndodana-Breen's music is a blend of African and classical styles. Some of his music reflects on various scenes from his native Xhosa culture (such as ''Hintsa's Dances'', which is based on the life of Paramount Chief Hintsa ka Khawuta, ''Apologia at Umzimvubu'' and ''Sons of The Great Tree''). He has received commissions from across the globe from the

Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra The Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra (; abbreviated HKCO) was founded in 1977. The orchestra has won the accolades as “a leader in Chinese ethnic music” and “a cultural ambassador of Hong Kong”. It is often invited to perform at famous venues ...

the

Miller Theatre Miller Theatre at Columbia University is located on the Morningside Heights campus of Columbia University. It is a performing arts producer dedicated to developing and presenting new music. In 1988, the former McMillin Theater was renovated and ...

of New York,

Vancouver Recital Society The Vancouver Recital Society is one of Vancouver’s major presenters of classical and chamber music, offering a platform for fans to see new and established high-profile performers. Concerts have taken place in the Orpheum Theatre, the Chan Cent ...

, Minnesota Orchestra, Madame Walker Theatre,

Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra The Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra (ICO) is a nonprofit chamber orchestra headquartered at Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana. In 2019-2020 it will celebrate its 35th season. History The orchestra was founded by musicologist David Urness ...

, Ensemble Noir/MusicaNoir,

Southern African Music Rights Organisation SAMRO, the Southern African Music Rights Organisation, is a copyright asset management society. It was established by the South African Copyright Act, and aims to protect the intellectual property of music creators by licensing music users, col ...

(SAMRO), National Arts Council of South Africa, Haydn Festival Eisenstadt, Johannesburg International Mozart Festival, The Emancipation Festival of Trinidad & Tobago and

Wigmore Hall Wigmore Hall is a concert hall located at 36 Wigmore Street, London. Originally called Bechstein Hall, it specialises in performances of chamber music, early music, vocal music and song recitals. It is widely regarded as one of the world's leadi ...

, London (a quintet for pianist Maria João Pires). He has written

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

s, orchestral and

chamber works Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small numb ...

, including the opera ''Winnie The Opera'' based on anti-apartheid activist

Winnie Mandela Winnie Madikizela-Mandela (born Nomzamo Winifred Zanyiwe Madikizela; 26 September 1936 – 2 April 2018), also known as Winnie Mandela, was a South African anti-apartheid activist and politician, and the second wife of Nelson Mandela. She se ...

. South Africa's liberation struggle seems to be a major theme in his orchestral works such as his piano concerto ''Emhlabeni,'' the short opera ''Hani'' on the anti-apartheid activist

Chris Hani Chris Hani (28 June 1942 – 10 April 1993), born Martin Thembisile Hani , was the leader of the South African Communist Party and chief of staff of uMkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing of the African National Congress (ANC). He was a fierce ...

and more recently the

oratorio An oratorio () is a large musical composition for orchestra, choir, and soloists. Like most operas, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias. However, opera is ...

''Credo, a musical testament to the Freedom Charter.'' Dr. Ndodana-Breen is also an advocate for cultural diversity, supporting various African efforts including LGBT causes.

Notable works

*''Orange Clouds'', music by Ndodana-Breen and libretto by filmmaker

John Greyson John Greyson (born March 13, 1960) is a Canadian director, writer, video artist, producer, and political activist, whose work frequently deals with queer characters and themes. He was part of a loosely-affiliated group of filmmakers to emerge in ...

*''Winnie The Opera'' *''Safika'', piano quintet commissioned by Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival *''Uhambo/The Pilgrimage'', opera/oratorio based on the epic poem by Guy Butler *''Zulu gazing at the Rising Sun'' commissioned by the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra *''African Kaddish'' for orchestra *''Rituals for Forgotten Faces'', chamber music cycle in 6 parts *''Apologia at Umzimvubu'', string quartet *''Miniatures on Motherhood'', string quartet *''Flowers in Sand'', piano solo *''Visions'', flute solo *''C'est tres Noir'', piano duet *''Two Nguni Dances'', piano trio commissioned by the Haydn Festspiele for the Haydn bi-centenary *''Hymn'' and ''Lament for the Sudan'' from the chamber opera ''Threnody & Dances'' *''Intlanzi yase Mzantsi'', piano quintet based on

Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short lifetime, Schubert left behind a vast ''oeuvre'', including more than 600 secular vocal wor ...

's ''

Trout Quintet The ''Trout Quintet'' (''Forellenquintett'') is the popular name for the Piano Quintet in A major, D. 667, by Franz Schubert. The piano quintet was composed in 1819, when he was 22 years old; it was not published, however, until 1829, a year af ...

'' * ''Hani'', short opera, commissioned by Cape Town Opera and the University of Cape Town * ''Mzilikazi: Emhlabeni'', commissioned by the Johannesburg International Mozart Festival * ''Credo'', oratorio with libretto by Brent Meersman based on South Africa's Freedom Charter

References

External links

Bongani Ndodana-Breen official site''Singing Winnie in Toronto'' by Brent Meersman, ''Mail & Guardian''''The New Yorker: Garth Fagan Dance''
*
''Pan African Festival'' Trinidad & TobagoEssay introducing ''Fig Trees'' a video opera by John Greyson and David Wall"The Struggle Continues" Interview on Chris Hani Opera Sunday Times

Credo, Vision that inspired a modern classic, ''Mail & Guardian''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ndodana-Breen, Bongani 1975 births 20th-century classical composers 21st-century classical composers Living people Alumni of St. Andrew's College, Grahamstown Rhodes University alumni South African composers South African male composers Xhosa people Male classical composers 20th-century male musicians 21st-century male musicians