Thursday, October 22, 2009

Mmegi Online Botswana: 'Batlang to compete in Voice of Black Opera' for Coleridge-Taylor Award


[Boyce Batlang; Photo from MmegiOnline.bw]


Thursday, 22 October 2009
MmegiOnline.bw
Gaberones, Botswana

"Boyce Batlang, the young Motswana tenor with the golden voice, leaves on Monday for Birmingham, England, to take part in the Voice of Black Opera 2009 competition. This is an international biennial competition to discover the Voice of Black Opera and showcase the Commonwealth's finest up and coming black and Asian singers. The inaugural Voice of Black Opera competition, one of the major events to mark Black History Month, will take place on October 31 at the University of Birmingham's Great Hall in front of a world renowned jury and accompanied by the Royal Ballet Sinfonia.”

The opera winner will also receive the Sir Willard White Award. The Samuel Coleridge Taylor Award will go to the singer who gives, in the judges' opinion, the best performance of a song or aria by a black composer and the Brixtonian Trophy will be presented to the most promising voice. Presented by the Black British Classical Foundation, Voice of Black Opera seeks to encourage, promote and recognise excellence amongst black and Asian classical singers, whilst developing audience attendance of classical music and opera in those diverse communities.”

Batlang was selected after he submitted an audition video to the organisers. He is Botswana's best known classical tenor and has made a name for himself singing with The Three Tswana Tenors as well as solo roles. He has been working with David Slater for the past five years and has appeared with the Johannesburg Festival Orchestra at the BIFM-EU Festival Concert, conducted by Slater as well as The President's Concert and shows like HMS Pinafore.” [Full Post] [Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912) is profiled at AfriClassical.com]

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