This year, Cape Town becomes the first African city to have had an active symphony orchestra for 100 years.
It’s a balmy evening and hundreds of Capetonians have gathered in the heart of Greenmarket Square to see what all the fuss is about. A full-blown orchestra is a fairly uncommon sight in such a public arena, and so, when the conductor raises his arms and music starts spilling from the 50-plus musicians, the effect is as startling as it is miraculous. Despite the music’s familiarity, the rich, textured sound is so full and enchanting that it transports us immediately. You see it on the faces of the assembled crowd: They’re captivated. And in no small part, it’s because it’s live, and it’s real.
The Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra (CPO) is probably Africa’s most active and versatile orchestra, performing an average of 130 times a year. This free street performance is part of the annual Infecting the City Arts Festival, and a celebration of 100 years of symphony music in Cape Town. The orchestra’s CEO, Louis Heyneman, is proud of the achievement, as it’s tough sustaining a full professional orchestra. He says, though, that prevailing perceptions that symphonic music appeals only to an elite, niche group is one that needs to change. And, as this event proves, Cape Town’s orchestra knows how to thrill a crowd.
An hour of soul-stirring music unfolds as the orchestra works its way through a diverse programme, spanning the national anthem, show tunes, movie themes, spirited waltzes, and classics. By the end of the night, the assembled crowd is clapping along and some uninhibited souls are even dancing.
And yet, despite the obvious delight people take in the orchestra, Heyneman says he has a tough job convincing people of the value of “serious” live music. “In Mozart’s day, there wasn’t much else to do. In the heyday of what we now refer to as classical music, if you had 85 musicians on a stage, they were capable of producing the most exciting sound you could possibly hear. Nowadays there’s a lot of competition. Not just incredible music and sound effects, but fantastic images too.”
People argue that most young people today would rather attend a rock concert than spend an evening listening to music composed by “a bunch of dead white guys”. However, these days the CPO goes way beyond Mozart, Bach, and Schubert. “We have a constantly changing repertoire exploring different music genres, and we do a lot of cross-over performances, too," he says, referring to the orchestra’s collaborations with jazz trumpeter Hugh Masekela and songbirds Yvonne Chaka-Chaka and Lira.
He also describes how the work of modern orchestras frequently goes unnoticed. “Close your eyes during **Lord of the Rings**, and listen,” he says. “That music drumming up the emotions is orchestral.” Without a large ensemble, it’s not possible to create that rich, emotionally charged soundtrack. “But most of the time we don’t even register the presence of an orchestra, because there’s virtually no education around classical music anymore.”
Exposure to music is essential, he says. “Once you’re exposed to classical music, a love affair unfolds. The younger you are, the better.” With this in mind, the CPO has been running a series of interactive concerts, “Family Symphonic Fun”, to expose children to music. “They are usually in awe with their first live exposure to the orchestra. They’re hooked pretty quickly.”
Heyneman maintains that sustaining a vibrant orchestral scene is crucial to the international profile of a city like Cape Town. “We regularly record with local and international artists for well-known labels in Europe, and our orchestra is on par with the best orchestras of other world cities of our size. We were the first orchestra from Africa ever to tour the United States, and our international footprint is not only good for the image of Cape Town, but also for the whole continent.”
The CPO’s busy schedule includes four at-home symphony seasons throughout the year, with well attended performances in the City Hall, which Heyneman describes as acoustically comparable with some of the finest venues in the world. Some 7,000 people turn up for the CPO’s biggest concert of the year, which happens at Kirstenbosch Gardens. Plus there are tours, recordings, and special private events, all of which are essential to helping make the orchestra economically viable. Still, says Heyneman, sustaining a full professional orchestra is expensive and must inevitably rely on private funding. This year, not a cent came from the city itself.
The real rewards of what the CPO has been doing over the last decade, though, are yet to be felt. “About ten years ago we started an academy for young talent from previously disadvantaged communities. We are training young musicians in the townships, and our two youth orchestras are now turning Cape Town’s musical scene on its head. Once these young musicians are ready to join the professional ensemble, our region’s demography will be reflected in the orchestra.”
Of course, not every trained musician will end up playing for the Philharmonic, admits Heyneman. “Some of these musicians might end up playing in a jazz or pop band, but their training will at the very least have made music an invaluable part of their lives. But who is to say the next Yehudi Menuhin can’t come from Khayelitsha?”
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