JOHANNESBURG: In the three decades since the end of apartheid, South African opera has developed its own uniquely local style – both in its cast and its dramatic themes, experts say.
With South African stars shining on the international stage, opera has flourished since racial barriers were abolished in 1994, drawing talent from the country’s great choral traditions to carve out an important place in a vastly diverse cultural landscape.
Much of the change has come from the 25-year-old Cape Town Opera, which is considered Africa’s most successful troupe.
The granddaddy of it all is Italian-born Angelo Gobbato, a former singer who co-founded the company five years after the end of apartheid and was honored in March.
The cast of the same opera’s just-concluded 25th birthday run was all South African and featured only one white singer – an illustration of the changes, he said.
After the white minority government was abolished, “suddenly we saw a lot of interest from black students who wanted to be trained in opera,” Gobbato, 81, told AFP.
