Gloria Bosman ( – 14 March 2023) was a South African jazz singer who began her career singing in a church choir in Soweto.

Early life

Bosman was born in Mofolo in

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...

, but raised in Pimville,

Soweto Soweto () is a township of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality in Gauteng, South Africa, bordering the city's mining belt in the south. Its name is an English syllabic abbreviation for ''South Western Townships''. Formerly a s ...

. She sang in her church choir before performing at the Market Theatre in 1993, gaining a scholarship to the Pretoria Technikon to study opera.

Career

Solo career

Bosman released her debut album ''Tranquillity'' in 1999 earning her the award for Best Newcomer and nominations for Best Contemporary Jazz Album and Best Female Artist at the

South African Music Awards The South African Music Awards (often simply the SAMAs) are the Recording Industry of South Africa's music industry awards, established in 1995. The ceremony is held annually, usually in late April or May, with the judging process starting in N ...

. She won the Standard Bank Young Artist Award in 2000 at 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 ...

. In 2001 she released her second album ''The Many Faces of Gloria Bosman'' with Sheer Sound. She produced and composed most of the songs on this album, but also collaborated with

Paul Hanmer Paul Hanmer (born 1961, Cape Town) is a South African jazz pianist. Career As a child he studied piano. He attended the University of Cape Two for two years before beginning a music career with guitarist Paul Petersen. During the 1980s he started ...

. He wrote and co-produced two songs on the album. The album earned her nominations for Best South African Artist and The Most Promising Female Artist at the 2001 Kora All Africa Awards and another South African Music Award nomination for Best Jazz Vocal Album. Bosman's 2003 album ''Stop & Think'' received nominations for Best Female Artist and Best Jazz Vocal Album at the 2003 South African Music Awards. She received six South African Music Award nominations and the title of Best Female Composer for her next album ''Nature's Dance''. Bosman joined the South African Music Rights Organisation (Samro) in December 2022 as a non-executive board member.

Theatre

Bosman also featured in a number of musicals, namely ''Jubilation'', ''Woman in Spirit'' and ''The Lion and the Lamb''. She joined the theatrical production ''

African Songbook African or Africans may refer to: * Anything from or pertaining to the continent of Africa: ** People who are native to Africa, descendants of natives of Africa, or individuals who trace their ancestry to indigenous inhabitants of Africa *** Ethn ...

'' at the

Artscape Theatre Centre Artscape Theatre Centre (formerly Nico Malan Theatre Centre) is the main performing arts centre in Cape Town, South Africa. It was opened in 1971 and is located on reclaimed land in the Foreshore area. The inaugural performance was scheduled to ...

in 2010. She has also performed in ''Porgy & Bess'' and the ''Mandela Trilogy''. She has toured the UK and was nominated for the Naledi Awards. She performed with

Hugh Masekela Hugh Ramapolo Masekela (4 April 1939 – 23 January 2018) was a South African trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, singer and composer who was described as "the father of South African jazz". Masekela was known for his jazz compositions and for ...

in ''Songs of Migration'' at the Market Theatre and Joburg Theatre in 2011 and 2013.

Writing

In 2020 she contributed a chapter to the award-winning book, ''Joburg Noir'', edited by

Niq Mhlongo Niq Mhlongo (born 10 June 1973) is a South African journalist, editor, writer and educator. Early life and education Mhlongo was born in Midway-Chiawelo, Soweto, the seventh of nine children, and raised in Soweto. His father, who died when Mhl ...

. Bosman subsequently joined ''Imbiza Journal'' becoming one of the lead contributors to the journal.

Discography

* Tranquillity, 1999 * The Many Faces of Gloria Bosman, 2002 * Stop & Think, 2003 * Nature's Dance, 2004 * Emzini, 2006 * Letters from the Heart vol. 1, 2010

References

External links

*
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bosman, Gloria 1973 births 2023 deaths South African jazz singers Tshwane University of Technology alumni