Viva Musica Ensemble presented their first concert of 2023 at the Nahoon Methodist Church which was conducted by Joy Marshall.
The audience enjoyed an afternoon of well-loved classics, including music from “My Fair Lady” and “West Side Story”. Guests artists Kwanele Ginqqi, Elise Mattheus and Lynette Nel entertained.
Kwanele is an accomplished baritone who started singing at age 8. He has conducted choirs at WSU and Buffalo City College. Trained in Cape Town and the UK, he has achieved certificates in many competitions. He was placed second in 2021 and 2022 in the Eastern Cape Choral and Music Association competitions. He has also had musical roles with the Gauteng Opera Company and appeared as a guest artist in various shows around East London.
Elise, who sings soprano, was born in East London, where she is well-known. She started singing at the age of 9 and developed into an operatic soprano. She has won many gold awards at local Eisteddfods as well as two A++s in Grahamstown. She was also a semi-finalist in the AKTV Crescendo competition in 1995. Elise frequently sings at church functions, weddings, and shows and has several times been a guest artist for the EL Classical Players. Her love for musicals and light opera has made her a firm favourite amongst theatergoers. She has featured in ‘Mr. Sandman’, ‘Liewe Heksie’ and ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ at the Guild Theatre. Elise gives freely of her time and thanks her Heavenly Father for the talents with which He has endowed her.
Lynette has been entertaining East Londoners for many years, having accompanied John Fletcher at the Guild in “Best of the West End” and among others, Tribute to Andrew Lloyd Webber. She is the keyboardist in a wedding trio “Music from the Heart” and is also a part-time music teacher. She has been the choir mistress for the Eldorado Choir for the past four years.
