Virtual Celebration Concert
Date: 28th November 2020 Time: 18:30 – 20:30
Cornerstone has reached an incredible milestone and invites you to join us in celebrating through our 50th Anniversary Virtual Concert. Our event is free of charge and runs on the 28th of November 2020 from 18h30 to 20h30.
Join the live stream on:
Comedian and actor Riaad Moosa, saxophone supremo Don Vino Prins, the dynamic Flamenco Group Los Gitanos and the incredible composer and vocalist Auriol Hays are among a spectacular line-up for Cornerstone Institute’s 50th anniversary online concert.
Basil Appollis directs the concert production that tells the story of Cornerstone through music, poetry, dance and narrations.
The concert will feature other gems of the music industry from South Africa and beyond, including the diverse, multi-lingual Rosa Choir, the energetic Blackroots Marimba, Blokhouse, Darkroom Contemporary Dance Theatre Company, singers Jean Nangwala and Tracey Carter and the highly talented Rwandan guitarist, Deo Salvator.
Cornerstone staff and students also feature in the line-up. Registrar Dr Crystal Jannecke will render a musical item, along with student performances by poet Vusumuzi Mpofu, guitarist Jayson Magooda and vocalist Misha Jacobs. Student representatives Sister Lydia Wambui Mwaura and Dylan de Wit will provide testimonies to the Cornerstone experience. The musical director for the concert is Dylan Roman, a pianist and musical arranger. As part of the eighth and final part of the Reclaiming Agency programme, the 50th Anniversary concert is more than just a celebration of time, it is a celebration of the Cornerstone community through the avenues of music, theatre and visual performances.
The concert will portray the significance of Cornerstone’s 50-year evolution, capturing the spirit and history of the institution, the people who shaped it and the social and political context in which it operated.
Our virtual concerts' spectacular line-up of artists
Riaad Moosa
Doctor Riaad Moosa is an award-winning comedian, presenter, writer and actor; and happens to be a qualified medical doctor as well!
Riaad released 2 comedy specials in late 2018 and early 2019. Closing off 2018 with a bang, was the comedy special of his comedy tour ‘Life Begins.’
Riaad’s first Netflix special ‘Why do you talk the Way You Do?’ will be released in early 2019. Currently, Riaad is also producing the world’s first funny medical educational show ‘The Best Medicine”, in which he utilises humour to communicate important and practical health promotional information.
Although Riaad is a medical doctor, he is more widely known as a stand-up comedian and actor. He starred as Ahmed Kathrada in Anant Singh’s epic Oscar and Golden Globe nominated movie ‘Mandela – Long Walk to Freedom.’
Riaad originally flexed his comedic and dramatic acting muscles when he played the lead in the internationally acclaimed movie ‘Material’ (also co-written by Riaad), which continues to inspire audiences all over South Africa and Film festival audiences all over the world. Riaad Moosa won the SAFTA (South African Film and Television Award) for Best Actor for his role in ‘Material’, which also received SAFTA’s for Best Film, Best Director and Best Supporting Actor in 2013. ‘Material 2’ is currently in development.
Moosa, one of the country’s most popular and acclaimed funny-men with a style all his own, is known as “the Comedy Doctor” and he certainly seems to have the remedy for the nation’s ills at the moment: a healthy dose of laughter, straight up – hold the aspirin.
Los Gitanos Latino Band
Bienyameen is at present the leader of the popular Los Gitanos Latino Band, who over the years have shared stages with very popular International bands like Koama (Lambada) and Shakatak.
During flamenco puro performances Bienyameen is accompanied on guitar and percussion by his highly skilled and talented son, Dawood Camroodien and a brilliant flamenco dance duo in the form of Kathy-lee Sass and Demi Johnson.
Besides being a multi- instrumentalist, Bienyameen is also the most senior flamenco guitarist in South Africa and one of the rare few, who have acquired the very difficult skill to accompany flamenco dancers outside of Spain.
In 2005, Bienyameen won the KANNA Award for the Best Musical Director. La Rosa Spanish Dance Company’s dance production of “Blood Wedding.”
Over a period of 45 years, Bienyameen has collaborated with several national and international musicians, singers and dancers from Spain, Canada, Brazil, Israel, and India.
Tracey Carter
Music has always been a part of my life and one of my greatest passions. My first performance was when I was 4 years old and I knew right there that the state and I were destined to be together.
I started composing at age 16 which opened an entirely new chapter in my life. I have released 4 original studio albums and we have written and directed many Musical Theatre productions and toured extensively both locally and internationally.
Being an artist is to not only entertain but to empower others through my gift.
The Rosa Choir
The Rosa choir was formed in 2012, bringing together choristers from every corner of Cape Town and transcending boundaries of race, class, religion, gender, geographical spaces and age.
Each of its songs is sung in the three languages of the province – English, Afrikaans and Xhosa. The choir has grown in stature each year and is loved by audiences from diverse parts of the City.
The choir has performed in communities and in theatres and at open-air spaces. Earlier this year, the Rosa choir featured in a global rally against racism which drew audiences from the UK, USA, Palestine and South Africa.
The choir consists of 30 members that include a four-piece band. The choir director is Tersia Harley and the project manager, Mansoor Jaffer.
Don Vino Prins
The passionately ingenious Cape Townian from Elsies River started his journey at the tender age of 15 performing with local jazz and gospel bands in and around Cape Town.
He has since performed with renowned local and international artists, he has definitely made his mark in the ArtsSA sector as a collaborator, philanthropist and business man, but it is his solo talent as a Saxophonist that he has released through his recent Productions, #SaxyVibes.
He has performed with renowned local artists such as Lloyd Cele, Loyiso Bala, Jimmy Dludlu, Victor Masondo, Tony Schilder, Judith Sephuma, Ernie Smith, Wanda Baloy, Alistair Izobel, PJ Powers, including a performance with Lady Smith Black Mambazo, Emo Adams, Loukmaan Adams, Hemelbesem. International artists he has performed with, include Tevin Campbell, Cece Peniston, Sybil, Robin S, Percy Sledge, Bebe Winans, Jimmy Earl Perry, Gerald Veasly and Kirk Whalum. He is the resident saxophonist in Jonathan Butler’s South African Band and a member of the renowned band TopdogSA.
To mention some Productions in which Don Vino has performed: Cape Town International Jazz festival; Super Skouspel; Jazz On The Rocks; World Aids Day; Safaricom Jazz Festival; UNISON Celebration: Time Square South Africa.
Don Vino has toured countries such as the U.S.A. London, Sweden, Dubai, Australia, Nigeria and Kenya with various bands and features on numerous albums. Not restricting himself to a specific genre of music, his repertoire includes Jazz, Gospel, R&B and Afrikaans.
Don Vino has released his debut single “Worried” which was followed by the release of his album “All The Way” ft Vicky Sampson in 2018 and in May 2019 filled the Gand Arena with the 3rd installment of his highly acclaimed production, #SaxyVibes ft artists such as PJ Powers, Jarred Rickets and Amy Jones. Another highlight in his career was being the closing act at the Cape Town International Jazz Festival’s 20th anniversary.
Don Vino is an absolutely phenomenal treasure in the South African Music Industry – His sound has a “sax” appeal that is trendy, current and reflects an holistic approach to music which allows a personal encounter with Don Vino… he is, therefore, an amazing option for corporate functions, events and productions and continues to be booked for these.
Blackroots Marimba
Born and raised in Gugulethu Cape Town, all of Blackroots’ members were exposed to Marimbas in their early teens, through various music programs in church and school. In 2012, Sibahle Sky Dladla brought this dynamic group of talented people together and they began to play as a band, which fuelled their love and passion for performance.
The band persevered through two years of jamming, busking and petitioning. They were simultaneously juggling early years of university, scepticism from their parents and ridicule from the more experienced young men that were also in the industry. Their hard work paid off when, in 2012, Arm In Arm In Africa, through J.L. Zwane Church, sponsored the band with a set of marimbas and Blackroots Marimbas was officially formed. The band consists of Ntombekhaya Halam, Duduzile Nlovu, Lutho Mzongwana and the founder, Sibahle Sky Dladla.
The band has over the years created its own style of music called Neo-Traditional Indie, which is a fusion of old traditional styles and instruments and their new youthful style.
Blackroots Marimbas has built a name for itself as one of the many successful performing marimba bands in the city of Cape Town. Furthermore, it has been distinguished as an incredibly successful woman driven marimba band in the Western Cape Region.
The band has hosted and played at events such as:
Moshito Festival – Johannesburg 2013 Mother City Live Festival 2016
Dreaming Feminist Futures with Pumla Gqola 2018 Grahamstown National Arts Festival 2018
Naked Word Festival 2018
Raiz Festival Tradicional Mozambique 2019 Marimbas on the Lawn
Aquila Game Reserve
They received the Western Cape government award for “Promotion of Indigenous Music”
And the Nzango Residency in Mozambique in June 2019.
The band is led by Sky Dladla, who’s own experiences as an instrumentalist specializing in a number of traditional instruments such as the mbira, nyunga nyunga, and timbila provide the band with extensive insights and content which has Blackroots continuing to prove itself as a formidable force of spirit in music.
Louise Coetzer
Louise Coetzer is a multidisciplinary dance artist working within the genres of site-specific performance creation, choreography for the stage and dance film. Her works are experiential, experimental and innovative and often have interdisciplinary collaboration and new technologies at their core. Louise is founder and artistic director of Darkroom Contemporary, a project-based dance theatre company formed as a vehicle to reimagine dance through its innovative approach to staging and presenting performance works.
One of the films directed by Louise is entitled “Lucana”. Choreographed & performed by Mthuthuzeli November, Cinematography by Oscar O’Ryan, Edit by Eben Smal, Music by Haezer, Produced by Darkroom Contemporary.
Auriol Hays
‘She has the knack to astound and quite often her sound defies categorization’. Zakes Mda
Authentic and sincere are but a few words that best describe Ms. Hays’ musicality. Blessed with a powerful, sultry thick-as-molasses voice the SAMA and Mbokdo Women in Jazz nominated songwriter’s compositions have been featured on SABC 3’s weekly soapie, Isidingo, and extensively on The Mating Game, the French cosmetics brand Carrefour, as well as international award winning Indie film, The Book of Mikey found her unique sound a perfect match. Her music has had a starring role, in The Paradise stop and Infidel.
She has performed at the Montreux Jazz festival in Switzerland, graced the stages of the Grahamstown National Festival on more than one occasion, the Lusitoland Festival and opened with the Gauteng Big Band at the Standard Bank Jazz Festival in addition to staging intimate shows where she can convey the message that drives all her performances: Awareness Through Music.
In 2019 Ms Hays was chosen to open for triple Grammy award winner Ben Harper. In addition, she was a South African and Artscape ambassador during an international cultural exchange program between Zambia, France and South Africa.
Socially conscious, Ms. Hays’ ‘Dreaming Music’ also includes a nod in support of Greenpeace, a song penned for the Arctic 30 titled “Come Home to Me”, intended to highlight the plight of Arctic drilling in Russia and the impact on the environment. The composition, A Million years, penned by Lionel Bastos, was used to create awareness around Alzheimer’s. Ms Hays is the ambassador for The Living Cornerstone Alzheimer’s Residences.
Ms Hays is no mere jazz singer. She is a musical storyteller, a sonorous shaman and songwriter, above all else, whose musical and emotive range is influenced by a plethora of sounds and all of her music rendered is done so in a voice entirely and completely her own. She is set to release her 6th musical release, Love Child, in early January.
Vusumuzi Mpofu is a Zimbabwean-born, published spoken word artist. He creates authentic content that shares an individual’s experience of the black male youth narrative. The 23 year old Cornerstone Institute’s first year student aspires to inspire and influence the listener in an innovative way that contributes to the betterment of society through poetry.
Deo Salvator
Iratwumva Deo Salvator “Deo Salvator” is a Rwandan guitarist, recording artist, music curator and founder of Fingerpickers in Africa. He has been actively involved in Rwanda’s music scene since 2009 where he was a dancer and in 2014 appeared back in the scene as an instrumentalist passionate about the guitar. His Uncle is a classical musician, former military sousaphone/tuba player, multi instrumentalist and music tutor, hence he got inspired by him at a tender age. As the journey to finding oneself continued, Salva embarked on a solo career and has already curated Music for “I AM A REFUGEE BUT..” (an 18 min poetry Under Great Lakes, Transpoesis and Ubuntu Arts Festival). He has performed at various festivals like NyegeNyege Festival 2018, Isaano Festival 2018, Ubumuntu Arts Festival 2019, Hamwe Festival 2019, shared the stage with artists like Great African Caravan 2018, Johnny Drille 2019, Alexandra Star 2019 and a number of other collaborations. Salva is an endorser of Fusion Bags, G7th Capo Company and he holds a “Music and Social Action” Certificate from Yale University. He’s currently working on his second Album “Life Within, Vol II” (In a format of a book and Instrumental music) backed up with African history & traditional stringed Instruments with the main focus on “Inanga”.
Blokhouse
Blokhouse is a group of four talented, young and enthusiastic musicians from Cape Town. Blokhouse has performed for humble diners in restaurants, party goers in clubs, guests at parties and students at matric dances. Blokhouse strives to make music that can be enjoyed by all.