Capetonians are in for a spiritual experience as musical scholar, improviser, and healer Dr. Nduduzo Makhathini continues his profound exploration of An Ongoing Rehearsal, a project that merges music, philosophy, and ancestral wisdom. Having taken this evolving body of work to the global stage at the NPR Tiny Desk earlier this year, Makhathini now brings it to Cape Town for a rare performance at the Baxter Theatre on 10 October.
The concert marks the fifth movement of An Ongoing Rehearsal, a series that serves as both a performance platform and a creative research space for the artist’s post-doctoral journey. “An ongoing rehearsal goes against the idea of a rehearsal in the traditional sense which seeks perfection,” explains Makhathini. “These rehearsals are recurring moments of knowing it is impossible but doing it anyway. A rehearsal as a space of emptying instead of acquiring.”
For this chapter, Makhathini will collaborate with pianist, singer, and composer Thandi Ntuli in what promises to be a deeply reflective duet celebrating both their songbooks and intertwined stories.
Throughout the project’s life, An Ongoing Rehearsal has welcomed an impressive lineup of collaborators, including bassist Herbie Tsoaeli, singer and activist Mbuso Khoza, singer-songwriter Muneyi, and trumpeter Ndabo Zulu with the Soweto Chorus.
True to its name, Makhathini insists the project isn’t about creating something new, but rather about rediscovery. “There’s no new music written for An Ongoing Rehearsal but it really celebrates existing songs, musics and existing stories,” he reflects.
More than a concert, this is a living dialogue, a spiritual rehearsal in sound, soul, and scholarship.
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