INTERNATIO​NAL GUITAR NIGHT - WINTER SERIES 2013

INTERNATIONAL GUITAR NIGHT - WINTER SERIES 2013

Produced by Tony Cox

featuring
PRESTON REED USA and JON GOMM UK
supported by David Baudains - SA
Guy Buttery - SA and Tony Cox - SA

Venues
Fringe Theatre, Joburg Theatre Complex
Mon to Wed 1/2/3 July 2013 @ 20h00 - Jon Gomm, Tony Cox, Guy Buttery
Thurs to Sat  4/5/6 July 2013 @ 20h00 - Preston Reed, Tony Cox, Dave Baudains

Baxter Concert Hall, Cape Town
Mon to Wed 8/9/10 July 2013 @ 20h00 - Jon Gomm, Tony Cox, Dave Baudains
Thurs to Sat 11/12/13 July 2013 @ 20h00 - Preston Reed, Tony Cox, Guy Buttery


Outrageously talented UK guitarist and singer, Jon Gomm will appear in Tony Cox’s International Guitar Night winter series at the Fringe Theatre, Joburg Theatre Complex from 1-6 July and at the Baxter Concert Hall, Cape Town 8-13 July 2013.

Adding to the mind-blistering dimension of these shows is the incredible, funk, slapping, tapping, groove machine Preston Reed from the USA. Described as a ‘tour de force’ by Billboard magazine, Reed adds to an illustrious line-up for the 6th IGNSA. The shows guarantee to slake the thirst of any guitar loving fan, whatever the preferred genre, be they eight or eighty years old.

Circling the globe annually, performing in the finest venues and acoustic guitar-based events, Gomm and Reed are luminaries in the acoustic guitar world, each having garnered a massive following.

Jon Gomm, based in Leeds is an acoustic singer-songwriter with a revolutionary virtuoso guitar style. He uses the acoustic guitar to create drum sounds, basslines and twisting melodies all at the same time. His live shows combine deeply personal performances, has a natural wit and a once-seen-never-forgotten two-handed guitar style, that  produces sounds people can barely believe are coming from a humble acoustic guitar.

Preston Reed is a one-man revolution. The 58 year-old New Yorker tweaks the nose of musical convention, pokes the eye of accepted wisdom, and burns the rulebook of the past. His unique style is impossible, unfathomable, unthinkable, as with blurred hands he taps, tickles, slaps and soothes his instrument, fusing polyrhythmic percussion with emotive melody to create a sonic landscape. It is said that ‘your brain fizzes as it computes the musical madness being relayed by your ears’.

IGN begins with a six day run in Johannesburg, and then moves to Cape Town for repeat performances. Jon Gomm will occupy the first three nights of each week. Preston Reed then takes over the latter part of the week.  IGN always includes a strong South African support act and for this series acoustic aces Tony Cox, David Baudains and Guy Buttery feature.

Tickets cost R165 at both venues. There is a R30 discount if you book for both concerts at the same time. These tickets cost R300 per person. This discount does not apply to already discounted tickets of R120 for students, senior citizens and block bookings of 10 or more.

Johannesburg performances are Monday to Wednesday 1/2/3 July 2013. with Jon Gomm, Tony Cox and Guy Buttery and on Thursday to Saturday 4/5/6 July 
Preston Reed, Tony Cox and Dave Baudains.
Performances are at 20h00.

Book through Joburg Theatre Ticketing Call Centre: 0861 670 670 or on line www.joburgtheatre.com - For corporate and block bookings call Happiness on 011 877 6853 or email vipticketing@joburgtheatre.com

The Cape Town season at the Baxter Concert Hall is Monday to Wednesday 8/9/10 July 2013 with Jon Gomm, Tony Cox and  Guy Buttery and 11/12/13 July, Preston Reed, Tony Cox, and Dave Baudains. Performances are at 20h00.

Book through Computicket, Shoprite and Checkers outlets. Call 0861 915 8000 or on line  www.computicket.com or the Baxter 021 685 7880. For corporate bookings and charities at the Baxter contact Sharon Ward 021 680 3962 sharon.ward@uct.ac.za or Carmen Kearns  021 680 3993 carmen.kearns@uct.ac.za

R5 will be donated from each ticket sold to the Kronendal Music Academy who provide music education to the Hout Bay's under-privileged and economically challenged communities.

IGN is grateful for the generous sponsorship received from their sponsors, Fine Music Radio, Paul Bothner, TOMS, Music Connection, BakGat Radio and Rondebosch Manor.

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SO...YOU THINK YOU CAN LOVE? with SONIA ESGUEIRA

Sonia Esgueira, star of the smash hit 'Porra' trilogy is back with another cult comedy classic 'So …you think you can love?'. Directed by John Trengove this hilarious new comedy is about dating, denial and the never ending quest for love. It opens at the Artscape Arena on the 8 March 2013 and runs until the 29th. There are two low priced previews on the 6 and 7 March 2013. Performances are at 20.15 Tuesdays to Saturdays.

From speed dating to one night stands and proposing to a gay man, the one thing that Esgueira can teach you is that there's no such thing as too much wine before a first date! Portraying a host of desperate characters well past their sell-by-dates Esgueira stops at nothing to find love, including seeking the help of sangomas, psychics and joining a polygamous cult in India.

An award winning actress, comedienne, theatre producer, playwright and voice artist with a big name and even bigger dreams, Sonia’s sharp wit and observant eye, makes her one of South Africa’s unique actresses that shape-shifts seamlessly from drama, comedy, film, theatre, TV, MCing to voice-overs. She is a consummate professional, with a wicked sense of humour.

If you've ever wished that for once Cupid would shoot you in the ass - then this show is for you!

Ticket prices vary. Previews and Tuesdays R70, Wednesdays and Thursdays R90 Fridays and Saturdays R110. Book through Artscape Dial-a Seat 021 421 7695, Computicket, Shoprite and Checkers outlets, call 086 915 8000 or book on line www.computicket.com

Discounts are available. Less 10% for block bookings. Pensioners, students and scholars (14-18 years) only available at Computicket Outlets with ID. The show is one hour long and there is an age restriction – no under 14’s. Seating is unreserved.

With a history of sold out performances for Esgueira’s previous shows, best to get your tickets now !

CLICK HERE TO BOOK  YOUR TICKETS

Artscape

published: 3 March 2013

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NEDERBURG NEW YEAR'S EVE SPECTACULA​R with the CAPE PHILHARMON​IC ORCHESTRA

For the 2nd year, by popular request, the Nederburg Wine Farm in Paarl is  graciously hosting a New Year’s Eve (31 December 2012) outdoor concert with music by the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra (CPO) conducted by South Africa’s celebrity conductor Richard Cock. The programme features international award-winning jazz vocalist Melanie Scholtz; Derick Ellis, a classical tenor, acknowledged world wide;  Selim Kagee, known for his beautiful romantic combination of classical/pop music and from Khayelitsha the Heavenly Quartez whose scintillating voices and musical styles  range from Afro Classic fused with Jazz and Gospel.

After last year’s overwhelming success it is anticipated that there will be many more returning with family and friends to enjoy the beautiful safe environment and opportunity to hear the CPO in concert with some of South Africa’s finest
musicians.

The varied and exciting programme includes light classics, jazz and pop and is suitable for the entire family.

Tickets cost R200 for adults, R100 for children between the ages of 12 and 18 years. Under 12 go in free. Book at Computicket, Shoprite Checkers outlets or book online www.computicket.com. Tickets are also available on the day at the Gate.

Bring your own picnic basket, blanket and drinking glasses. Nederburg wine, bubbly, soft drinks and coffee will be on sale. Remember to bring something warm to wear. Gates open at 19.30 and the concert starts at 21:30.

In the event of rain, the concert will be held the following day, Tuesday 1 January at 19.00.  Gates open at 17.30.

For more information please contact Luvuyo Kakaza 021 410 9966 at the CPO.

How to get there …
Follow the N1 from Cape Town, pass the Paarl/Main, Cecilia and the Wellington/Jan van Riebeeck Drive exits. Take the
Worcester/Sonstraal Road exit (R101), which is just before the toll gates at the Huguenot Tunnel. Turn left onto Sontraal Road and continue for 4.5 km. The entrance to Nederburg Wines is on your left.

Nederburg

CapePhilharmonic Orchestra

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The Cape Town Goema Orchestra, 15 December 2012

Mac McKenzie's Goema Orchestra has moved into its fourth season, in what must surely be one of the most significant musical movements in South Africa in the last decade.

The Goema Orchestra is a musical umbrella which is `goema' more in ethos than in sound, honing in on the movement of people and sounds and stories that created goema. The orchestra is debuting five new orchestral works by Cape Town based composers this weekend.

This is probably Mac's finest moment to date: five new orchestral works by five composers in Cape Town. That is a huge undertaking. Not only has Mac been composing his own new work, but he has been mentoring others and nurturing an orchestra to perform them.

"There's nothing like it!" says Reza Khota, Cape Town guitarist and composer, of the Orchestra and the event itself. "All these new works on one night, I don't know if it has been done anywhere."

Keenan Ahrends is the youngest of the composers, and at age 25 perhaps best exemplifies the purpose of the Composers' Workshop and the Goema Orchestra itself. Without the intervention of the Workshop, Keenan wouldn't have an opportunity to work with an orchestra. As Valmont Layne, former chief of the District Six Museum, and a Cape Town based cultural producer says: "The Workshop is important for a city that increasingly seeks to value creativity and innovation for social development. Here is a living thriving example in its musical life that points to its rich traditions, but also to its restless contemporary nature."

In addition to the young composers featured is Sathima Benjamin, one of the greatest legends of Cape Town music, both as a performer of international repute and a music entrepreneur. Cape Town pianist and arranger George Werner has arranged one of her early 80 compositions called 'Music' for the Goema Orchestra. George says "If it wasn't for Sathima the world wouldn't have known about Abdullah Ibrahim, and if it wasn't for Abdullah, the world probaby wouldn't have known about our jazz and especially about goema! Sathima is a portal. And she's also far less recognised here than she should be. We have a lot to be thankful to her for, and it's fitting that the Goema Orchestra can feature this great icon together with the next generation".

Don't miss this concert. Book via SMS on 0725002204 or email composers.workshop.ct@gmail.com

Cape Town Goema Orchestra's 4th season
Saturday 15 December 2012
SABC Auditorium, entrance St. James Road, Sea Point
Show starts 20h00, doors open 19h30
Tickets R100 general admission, R70 students

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Cape Town Goema Orchestra – The South Atlantic Suite - Saturday 08 and 15 September 2012

The third concert season of the Cape Town Goema Orchestra will take place on 08 and 15 September at the SABC Auditorium in Sea Point. Led by Cape Town’s ‘goema captain’ Mac McKenzie, the orchestra will perform the première of The South Atlantic Suite, McKenzie’s third major orchestral work.

“The Suite evokes dormant musical thoughts and practises deeply embedded in the memories of peoples from along the south western coast of Africa and eastern coast of South America, people who share a common ancestry and experiences born out of slavery”, says McKenzie.

 “The 20-piece Cape Town Goema Orchestra is a synergy of diverse musicians and people, from highly experienced classical, jazz and traditional music instrumentalists, to young church and street musicians, all connected to the rich culture and soundscape of our city. It’s a truly unifying force in our country that celebrates and takes our music forward with vision and passion”.

McKenzie’s NPO, the Cape Town Composer’s Workshop, showcases budding composers and is the driving force behind the Goema Orchestra. The season will include new works by orchestra members Chantal Willie, Anna Strugar, Derek Gripper and Mandla Mlangeni.

A new composition by bassist Chantal Willie explores nuances of jazz, world music and South African music. Strugar, a young Serbian arranger studying at UCT, creates work influenced by jazz, folk and classical music. Cape guitarist Derek Gripper has gained renown as a composer of original music in a variety of folk and classical styles, while some of Mlangeni’s compositions and performances on jazz trumpet can also be heard in groups like TRC.

The orchestra’s line-up will also feature leading string players Rayelle Goodman and Jürgen Schwietering, woodwinds specialist Mike Rossi and jazz pianist Andre Petersen.

In April this year Mac McKenzie was invited to Switzerland to perform his music with Swiss and South African musicians in an especially lined-up Friendship orchestra. He was granted a further commission to develop more music in the goema genre.

Concert performances start at 8 pm. Tickets cost R100. Students and seniors pay R70. There are discounts on bookings of 10 or more. For reservations call 072 500 2204 or email: composers.workshop.ct@gmail.com

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Darren English Farewell Jazz Jam, 12 August 2012

Darren English, promising trumpeter and drummer, later this month (August 2012), is leaving for the USA to pursue his jazz studies at Georgia State University, under the wing of Dr Gordon Vernick.

On Sunday, 12 August 2012, starting at 19:00, there will be a sendoff jazz jam for Darren at Club021(Swingers Jazz Pub) to raise some dollars for him. There is no fixed cover charge but you are asked to please make a donation. Club021 is at 1 Wetwyn Road, Wetton - tel: 021 7622443.

Amongst many others, Alvin Dyers, Nicholas Williams, Alistair Andrews and Denver Furness will be some of the musicians in attendance and for sure, there will be many other musicians.

There is a warning though: Darren has collaborated with and knows so many musicians, so patrons and jazz lovers please be there early, because you may just be outnumbered and outseated by all his musician friends.

published 3 August 2012

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The South African Artists for Aids Awareness Concert 2012

The South African Artists for Aids Awareness Concert 2012
Sunday 29 July 2012, 18.30 - Artscape Theatre
Entertainment for the entire family.

Tickets cost R100 for this two hour concert and may be purchased from Artscape Dial-a-Seat 021 421 7695, Computicket, Shoprite and Checkers outlets, on line www.computicket.com or calling 0861 915 8000

The Africa Institute for HIV/AIDS Management, a non-profit organization linked to the Africa Centre for HIV/AIDS Management at Stellenbosch University, is hosting its annual mid-year installment of the ‘South African Artists for Aids Awareness’ concert on 29 July 2012 in the Artscape Theatre at 18.30. Always sold out, this popular event is suitable for the entire family

Jimmie Earl Perry the Director states: ‘This year presents an opportunity to acknowledge August as the International Women’s Month. Although we at the Africa Centre set HIV and AIDS at the forefront of our focus, we also take great pride in celebrating South African and international women in leadership, ‘positive heroes’ and pioneers for their contribution and the sacrifices made towards the curative research of HIV and other human challenges.

Through the creative arts such as music, dance, theatre, photography and comedy, the aim is to continue inspiring more people to help manage and expel the HIV/AIDS epidemic.  The Africa Centre salutes the artists and technicians for their dedication and support. I am so very grateful to have the partnerships in this South African community who have come together to bring you an evening of awareness and inspiring entertainment.’

Included in the line-up of artists are - MC Soli Philander, Larry Joe Live, Magician Wolfgang Riebe, Cape Dance Company (Debbie Turner) and  ‘Voices of Love Ensemble’ who feature: Poseletso Sejosingoe (Idols), Amy Campbell, Priscilla Babu, Paul Morrissey, Ronald Ansley Jones, Theresa Dudley, Wendy Alexander and Jimmie Earl Perry. Jimmie is also the Africa Centre’s Director of Educational Theatre and Creative Arts, a multi-talented singer, dancer, all-round performer as well as UNAIDS first Goodwill Ambassador to South Africa.

Music director Andrew Ford (keys), Kevin Gibson (drums), Shaun Johannes (bass) and Aldert du Toit (guitar) are amongst the noted musicians that will perform and accompany the vocalists.

Since its formation 12 years ago, at the request of the Presidency, The Africa Centre for HIV/AIDS Management is a unit for teaching, research and community interaction and has developed the most comprehensive and largest HIV/AIDS management-training program in the world. In addition, the Educational Theatre and Creative Arts division has attained unparalleled success with education, awareness and voluntary testing across the country.

The first South African Artists for Aids Awareness concert, partnered with the New Apostolic Symphony Orchestra and Choir was held on February 22, 2009 at Silvertown Auditorium with the theme “Here’s to the Heroes”. It celebrated unsung individuals in our communities who were doing exceptional work in the HIV/AIDS field.

This concert continues that tradition with Vuyiseka Dubula a ‘Positive Hero’ and General Secretary of Treatment Action Campaign along with Toni Zimmerman an HIV+ and successful inspirational woman sharing their knowledge and encouragement for the prevention and treatment of HIV.

The Africa Centre for HIV/AIDS Management at Stellenbosch University
www.aidscentre.sun.ac.za
www.jimmieearlperry.com

published: 15 July 2012

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City Hall Sessions (Cape Town): 5 to 7 July 2012

CITY HALL SESSIONS brings the heat to Cape Town’s winter with its second line-up for 2012, starting on Thursday 5 July, with its final show on Saturday 7 July. The three day ‘minifest’ of music will offer a range of voices and explore pieces from the jazz genre to contemporary African flavour.
The opening night offers a feast for lovers of South African Jazz, with a big band experience directed by Silent Revolution Music, who also ran last year’s acclaimed “Winter Jazz Series”. The line-up includes featured principals such as Errol Dyers, Khaya Mahlangu, Zolani Mahola (Freshlyground) and the legendary Morris Goldberg (whose participation is facilitated by Standard Bank Jazz Festival, Grahamstown) with narrative by actor David Isaacs.

On Friday 6th, audiences will groove to Closet Snare, complete with a 12 piece string section and special guest stars Inge Beckmann, Bokani Dyer and EJ von Lyrik, before Joe Nina and MXO take the stage.

The Contemporary African Music Session wraps up the hat-trick on Saturday 7th, with a programme that includes guitar icon Madala Kunene and a rare Cape Town performance from Caiphus Semenya.

A photographic exhibition called "Not Just Divas" (courtesy of MOSHITO – The South African Music Conference) will be on display in the space. The exhibition includes 30 photographs of women musicians from, or performing in, South Africa; a pertinent study ahead of August 9ths women’s day.  Workshops for 45 music school (instrumental curriculum) students will be held over the three days. The daytime workshops will be mentored by several of the featured musicians.

Funded by the National Lottery Development Trust Fund (NLDTF), City Hall Sessions is a project of The Cape Town Partnership’s Creative Cape Town programme, and is  aimed at bringing a diversity of world class music performance into the heart of the City.

Tickets prices range from R 40 to R 150, including substantial discounts for students, and are available from Computicket commencing Friday, 22 June. The March  programme of City Hall Sessions sold out a week prior to the concert therefore bookings are essential.

The concert starts at 19h30 on Thursday and 20h00 on both Friday and Saturday evening, at the Cape Town City Hall.

2012 will see further City Hall Sessions in September.

For more details, please visit www.cityhallsessions.co.za

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INTERNATIONAL GUITAR NIGHT (IGN) - Winter Season 2012

International Guitar Night (IGN) is a series of performances held every summer and winter to bring to our South African doorstep the world’s greatest and most accomplished acoustic guitar players of the world today. Renowned master of the craft, Australian virtuoso, Michael Fix is IGN’s international act this winter and giving a strong South African content to the evening is Tony Cox, who is considered to be one of South Africa's finest acoustic guitarists and the much loved jazz maestros Errol and Alvin Dyers from Cape Town. The performances are Fri/Sat 27/28 July @ 20h30 - Baxter Theatre and at the Endler Hall, Stellenbosch on Sunday 29 July 2012 at 18h30.

IGN’s main focus is on those players who use their right-hand fingers to individually pluck the strings creating bass, rhythm, melody and percussive lines all at the same time, like a mini-orchestra coaxed out by the fingers of the right hand. It makes for mesmerising and exhilarating music.

Michael Fix is a multi-award winning guitarist and composer who has evolved as one of Australia’s leading acoustic guitarists for more than two decades. His remarkable skills on the acoustic steel-string guitar have to be seen and heard to be believed. The man is warm, funny and engaging on-stage - a deadly combination – and has his audience wrapped around one of his highly skilled fingers from the first few notes of any performance.

Tickets for the concert at Endler Hall cost R185. There are concessions for pensioners, students and block bookings. Book through Computicket, Shoprite and Checkers outlets. Call 0861 915 8000, Baxter 021 685 7880 or online www.computicket.com

IGN will donate R5 of every ticket sold to Kronendal Music Academy who provide music education to the diverse, under-privileged and economically challenged communities of Hout Bay. An acoustic steel-string guitar plus bag kindly donated by Paul Bothner will be raffled off between the Kronendal music students and will be presented to the winner at one of the shows.

These concerts have been made possible through the generous sponsorship of Global Migration SA, Fine Music Radio and Paul Bothner Music.

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Starlight, star bright...Steve Newman and Greg Georgiades in Nieu Bethesda - 28 July 2012

an invitation from Mikey Wentworth:
For anyone seeking the glitz and glamour of a five-star holiday destination, I can only sympathize with your limited horizons.

I recently arrived in Nieu Bethesda for an extended sabbatical. I was traveling from Cape Town and with each passing kilometer the angst and stresses of urban living were gradually shed and replaced with the anticipation of settling into a new space and the excitement of starting work on my debut novel.
Between the N9 and my destination I pass through Rubidge Kloof and at the apex as the road bends I look down to my left into a lush valley where the farm De Toren lies nestled in the embrace of the surrounding mountains and an spontaneous smile spreads from my face into my soul.

I arrive on a mild autumn morning and even though it is a Friday, the streets are virtually deserted except for a couple of dogs who accompany me to The Karoo Lamb Restaurant where I meet my hosts Ian and Katrin Allemann who are also the owners of Spooky and Gump – who incidentally is appearing in court on Youth Day. They have been settled here in this sleepy little Groot Karoo dorpie for close to thirteen years. We sit on the spacious veranda of The Karoo Lamb – with a menu that includes regular specials of lamb, oxtail or venison potjie in addition to the usual fried Karoo Lamb chops, sandwiches and soups; situated diagonally across from the now famous Owl House – sipping coffee and getting to know each other before I am shown to the Aardvark’s Burrow, a spacious flatlet behind the old church hall where I will be staying for the next six months.

After a steaming shower I walk down the untarred roads of the village, lined with ancient pear trees, willows and variations of cypresses and pines that whisper a welcome as I wander contentedly with the constant accompaniment of rushing water in the Lei Water or water furrows that were built in the 1870’s and in the distance a deeper, more ominous roar of the Gats River which flows strongly after the recent rains.

The locals smile openly and greet with a willingness to stop for a welcoming chat; young men on their way to the local general dealer pass by on horseback with a wave, listening to the tinny music playing on their cell phones; and always in the background, rising majestically above everything else is the snow-capped Compasberg.

That evening at Die RamStal – literally an old ram stable that has been converted into the new pub – there is a bring-and-braai with a few of the local young and old farmers, mingling with some of the resident artists and craftsmen. Naturally everyone is curious about who I am and why I am here and while some approach me and chat, others just eye me surreptitiously until they are a bit more inebriated. Soon the smell of meat on an open fire fills the air and pots of stywepap and sous are added to the equation, making me salivate ravenously while trying my best to stay focused on the conversation I am having with a fellow writer who is also a co-owner of the local book store. The Karoo lamb chops with locally made wors is a carnivore’s dream and after eating my fill, the conversation continues for a while until eventually it is time to call it a night. As I leave the cozy pub I feel the chill breeze blowing down from the mountain and as soon as I leave the comforting glow of light, I stumble along in the pitch dark until I have to stop to regain my bearings and I happen to look up. The momentary panic – a remnant of the receding urban fear – is replaced by a lingering awe at the celestial splendor visible in all of its glory and as I continue on my way I smile once again with the sound of the rushing river and birdsong accompanying my footsteps: and a lone dog, barking in the distance.

The following morning I awake early and am accompanied on my walk by Spooky and Gump who gambol along playfully, oblivious of the frost covered ground. They take me on a guided tour of their favourite haunts over the footbridge and across the river, past the old mill and the Brewery, beyond the verdant fields and farms with doleful sheep watching the dogs warily and eventually back to the Karoo Lamb where the inviting aroma of freshly brewed coffee and frying bacon reminds me that I have to watch my weight here in the Groot Karoo. Just after nine I visit the Owl House and am completely mesmerized by the sad and lonely beauty of Helen Martin’s expression which was – as is so often the case with great artists – frowned upon in her lifetime but which has now become the lifeblood of this idyllic little Groot Karoo village which has successfully resisted the deceptive allure of what most would consider progress.

I need time to assimilate the experience and opt out of the fossil tour and the visit to the bookstore, choosing instead to sit quietly on my own along the river beneath the trees and ponder the enormity of such dedication. Besides I have time enough to visit all of the interesting places: the bushmen’s paintings at Ganora Guest farm owned by Jan-Peet and Hester Steynberg; the gallery at The Village Inn where they also have a sumptuous breakfast and lunch menu; the award winning sculptor Frans Boekkooi’s working studio; the Kitching Fossil Center where visitors are taken on a guided tour along the river; The Brewery and Two Goats Deli where Andre Cilliers brews a superior Sneeuberg beer and makes his own goat’s milk cheeses; and of course Dustcovers, co-owned by Victoria Nance who with her quirkish smile confesses that she is a seller of rare and collectible books and damn fine reads!

Nieu Bethesda has no Bank or ATM, no streetlights, only the one tarred road which ends four kilometers from town, and no petrol station; it has no neon lights and frills and certainly very little night life in the conventional sense of the word, but the one that it has in abundance is character and I for one feel blessed everyday that I awake in this pristine little corner of our beautiful country.

On Saturday the 28th of July, the village will host the sublime talents of two of this country’s finest guitarists when Steve Newman and Greg Georgiades will perform a selection of their original compositions in the Old Church Hall in Martin Street.

Steve Newman is one of South Africa’s most accomplished acoustic guitarist who has achieved unrivalled success as a soloist over the past three decades as well as being an integral part of various collaborations with fellow South African musicians. He has written a history for himself that very few can equal. A consummate instrumentalist, he has traversed the globe with his mesmerizing talent, both as a soloist as well as with the bands Tananas, the Aquarian Quartet, In the Clouds, Mondetta, and a duo with Tony Cox. Tananas has played festivals and concerts in Australia, Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong, France, Sweden, UK, Spain, Canary Islands, USA, Mozambique, Namibia and Zimbabwe. As a soloist he has played UK, Holland, Belgium, India, UK, Norway, Mozambique and Namibia.

Greg Hadjiyorki Georgiades is a multi instrumentalist who plays acoustic nylon string guitar, oud, bouzouki, ukelele and also electric guitar and sarod. He has used these instruments in many thrilling collaborations with various other iconic local musicians across all genres including McCoy Mrubata, Madala Kunene, Errol Dyers, Tony Cox, Syd Kitchen, Marc Duby, Ernest Mothle, Ashish Joshi, Jeff Maluleke, Simphiwe Dana, Julian Bahula, Mlungisi Gegana, Kevin Davidson, Khaya Mahlangu, Zamo Mbutho, Lungile Dlamini and many more with whom he has performed and recorded included Miriam Makeba and of course Steve Newman.

Together these two consummate performers are recognized for their dynamic harmonies and melodic adventures that have transported audiences across the length and breadth of the country on a spicy, sonic journey of rhythmical delight that is sure to leave you thrilled and rejuvenated.

Tickets for the performance are R100 and bookings can be made by phoning 049 841 1642 or 072 742 7113. For information about accommodation and meals please log onto http://www.nieu-bethesda.com

So whether your interest is music, art, bushman paintings, fossils, climbing, hiking, bird-watching, mountain-biking, horse-riding, game-viewing, star-gazing or just sitting on the stoep watching the world pass by, you'll never be at a loss for things to do in Nieu Bethesda.

For more information on how to enter log onto www.nieu-bethesda.com/

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