NEWS | 05
www.theevent.co.za
CTIJF 2015
T
he 16th Cape Town International Jazz Festival (CTIJF) is set to be one of the grandest gatherings in Africa to date . The event, which takes place over 27 and 28 March 2015, has a number of satellite events in store, including the regular free concert in St George’s Square and a series of training and development workshops. This year will see some unique master classes take place, developed by the South Atlantic Arts and Culture Trust (SAACT), which will run parallel to the festival. Workshops will take place between the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) and the Artscape Theatre, as well as a number of other centrally-located venues. All of the workshops are free and are focused on ensuring that the CTIJF leaves a lasting local legacy that feeds into an already vibrant entertainment industry. Programmes cover subjects such as what goes into planning an event like the CTIJF, how to get your band a following, the art of
Pulls out All the Stops to Develop Locals
sound and lighting, how mics and lights can boost or detract from a performance and much more. Other programmes include Music Technology and Music Business workshops, the Intyholo Jazz Development Project held in Langa, a five-day Photography Workshop, the ongoing Arts Journalism Programme headed by the prolific Gwen Ansell, and the Mentoring Arts Journalism Course. A newcomer to this section of the festival is the Fashion Workshop. The CTIJF, in partnership with the Cape Town Fashion Festival, is promoting ‘Wear SA’ and has committed to purchasing all its merchandise from local manufacturers. The Minister of Arts & Culture, Nkosinathi Mthethwa, said of the event,“The festival has grown by leaps and bounds to become an important flag bearer for the role and contribution of the performing arts, especially jazz music, in tourism, nation building and, above all, economic development. Significantly, it has created a platform for indigenous artists
to showcase their outstanding talent alongside their international counterparts and to continue to nourish the soul of our people.” This is more prevalent than ever this year, with a wide number of unique local acts and newcomers on the bill, including popular boyband Beatenberg, The Mahotella Queens, who will be celebrating their 50th anniversary, the award-winning Melanie Scholtz featuring rap poet Jitzvinger, and SAMA Lifetime Achievement Award winner, Sipho ‘Hotstix” Mabuse. Says Festival Director and Co-Founder of the CTIJF, Billy Domingo, “Moving with the times, we have evolved from a pure jazz event to being a premier lifestyle festival. Without enjoying what we do, we could not continue to provide an exemplary entertainment experience. The fact that we do still enjoy being in this business, is evidenced by the record selling-out of tickets and witnessing first-hand, the fun had by those attending – whether for the first time or as a regular.”