The two performances of Carmina Burana at the Guy Butler Theatre on Thursday and Friday last week left audiences with a sensation of stunned awe, admiration and immense pride.
The two performances of Carmina Burana at the Guy Butler Theatre on Thursday and Friday last week left audiences with a sensation of stunned awe, admiration and immense pride.
Here’s how the triumphant production of Carmina Burana was put together (extract from Y4Y):
Did we do this? Did this happen in our town? Surely you have to go to the big cities or maybe even Europe to see performances of this calibre?
It was incredible to have on stage such an amazing wealth of musical talent. Grahamstown has high expectations for a small town in the Eastern Cape because we are accustomed to seeing shows of the highest quality.
The Grahamstown Music Society has regular concerts, local schools have more than their fair share of musical talent and of course we host the National Arts Festival which appears to be getting better every year.
However, having all these talented musicians and singers would be of little value if they all operated independently.
What made the Carmina Burana performances so spectacular was having so many people on one stage all working in unison to provide a powerful, yet harmonious treat for Grahamstown audiences.
It was the experience of having such a diverse group of people, all doing different things at the same time that made the event so memorable.
There were various choirs represented from TEM Mrwetyana to Kingswood College, singers from a variety of cultural groups and musicians from just about all ages.
The performances were a wonderful example of what can be achieved through unity. The musical talents of Grahamstown got together and produced something way above the ordinary.
Last week, there was another remarkable show of unity when a group of community leaders got together to protest against plans to move the High Court out of Grahamstown.
We don’t know if this unprecedented stand will ultimately be successful, but at least we can say that we united for a common cause and we gave it our best shot something like the performers of Carmina Burana.
