Cape Town Opera has lined up two special treats in Stellenbosch and at the Vineyard Hotel that will have you salivating for more!
- ICONS IN STELLENBOSCH TOWN HALL 19 March- one performance only
Under the guidance of Chorus Master Marvin Kernelle, South Africa’s beloved Cape Town Opera Chorus will open their 2022 season at the Stellenbosch Town Hall on 19 March with a rousing tribute to the world’s most iconic opera choruses. Building on the worldwide success of Grace Notes and African Angels, this homage to operatic giants contains many cherished operatic choruses, including the much-loved Humming, Anvil, Slave and Bridal Choruses as well as the ever-popular Ode to Joy from Beethoven’s 9th Symphony.
The concert at the Stellenbosch Town Hall takes place on Saturday 19 March 2022 at 6pm. Tickets at R280 per person are available through Quicket and include a welcome glass of Simonsig Kaapse Vonkel on arrival.
WHAT: Icons – Cape Town Opera Chorus
WHERE: Stellenbosch Town Hall, 26 Andringa Street, Stellenbosch 7600
WHEN: 19 March at 18h00
BOOKING: Tickets at R280 per person through Quicket
INFO: Visit
- BON APPÉTIT AT THE VINEYARD HOTEL FROM 31 MARCH 2022
From 31 March to 3 April 2022, Cape Town Opera, in collaboration with The Vineyard Hotel in Newlands, will host four unique performances entitled BON APPÉTIT! The stunning music and cuisine event will take place at The Restaurant and will delight gourmands and opera lovers alike.
Award-winning Chefs Mike Bassett and Evan Coosner have curated a sumptuous five-course dinner where dishes will pair with iconic opera songs with a food focus. Think Bernstein’s Four Recipes for Voice and Piano, Bach’s unique secular Coffee Cantata and a musical monologue by American composer Lee Hoiby. BON APPÉTIT! will be under the musical direction of José Dias.
“When we decided to present a selection of food-themed operatic works,” said Chef Mike, “I looked to the chosen pieces for menu inspiration. In Bernstein’s La Bonne Cuisine, you have recipes for Plum Pudding, Oxtail and a fast-cooked rabbit stew, among others. Then you’ve got Bach’s Coffee Cantata, Bizet’s Omelette Quartet, Weill’s Ice Cream Sextet and Hoiby’s Bon Appétit!” Astute followers of the libretto will see themes from each piece threading through the menu courses: oxtail croquettes with a plum puree, a coffee martini, rabbit roulade served with omelette rolls, pistachio ice cream with a milk pudding and finally, a chocolate cake pop. “It’s an evening for adventurous diners who love opera and we are so looking forward to it!” he concluded.
Together with her team, Cape Town Opera’s Artistic Director Magdalene Minnaar, who started her tenure with the company at the beginning of this year, has devised several unique event offerings this year that are bound to captivate both seasoned opera-goers and new audiences of all ages. Her fresh approach follows the company’s 2022 theme of diversity, sustainability and creativity. “In the post- Covid climate, we have to attend to the entire ecology of opera, and we’re continuously exploring creative ways to serve audiences and expand our reach,” she said. “The one gift that Covid gave us was the opportunity to think out the box. We are wanting to also present opera outside of the theatre space at interesting locations and site specific venues, and the Vineyard Hotel is a marvellous fit.”
The cast of six, performing right in front of the ‘show kitchen’ that will be used as the stage area, includes soprano Janelle Visagie, who was awarded a prestigious Fleur du Cap Theatre Award in 2015 for her role as the Mother Abbess in The Sound of Music at Artscape and a Fleur du Cap as Elle in La Voix Humaine in 2019. She joins Ané Pretorius (Soprano), Jodie Khan (Soprano), Siphesihle Mdena (Tenor), Van Wyk Venter (Baritone) and Garth Delport (Bass). Janelle will perform Lee Hoiby’s Bon Appétit!
All tables will face the performance area. Seating is limited due to Covid restrictions, and advance booking is advised especially since all Vineyard Hotel dinner – theatre events are highly sought after.
WHAT: BON APPÉTIT! with Cape Town Opera
WHERE: Vineyard Hotel, Colinton Rd, Newlands, Cape Town, 7700
WHEN: from Thursday 31 March to Sunday 3 April 2022 at 19h00.
BOOKING: Tickets cost R950 per person through Quicket
INFO: Masixole Makwetu T 021.0019880 | Visit
MENU
Starter: Breaded oxtail croquettes with plum pudding, red wine jus and mustard pomme purée
In Between: Coffee Martini
Main: Rabbit roulade with baby onions, apple and carrot miso with bacon, creamed parsley and rolled omelette
Dessert: Caramel Turkish milk pudding with chicken, rose ice cream with toasted almond powder (Mike says the milk pudding is like a dense, custard pudding or crustless milk tart, with the chicken breast giving it an intriguing silkiness.)
To enjoy with coffee: Chocolate cake pop and coffee
VEGETARIAN OPTION
Starter: Breaded shiitake mushroom with plum pudding, red wine jus and mustard pomme puree
In Between: Coffee martini
Main: Seitan roulade with baby onions, apple and carrot miso with vegan bacon, creamed parsley and a rolled omelette
Dessert: Caramel Turkish milk pudding and rose ice cream with toasted almond powder
To enjoy with coffee: Chocolate cake pop stick Bon Appétit served as a take away or with coffee
THE BON APPÉTIT REPERTOIRE
COFFEE CANTATA Schweigt Still, Plaudert Nicht BWV 211, J.S. BACH
LA BONNE CUISINE, Four Recipes for Voice and Piano, L. BERNSTEIN
THE OMELETTE QUARTET from Le Docteur Miracle, “Voici l’omelette”, G. BIZET
BON APPÉTIT! a musical monologue based on Julia Child’s chocolate cake recipe by Lee Hoiby
THE ICE CREAM SEXTET from Street Scene, “First Time I come to da America” K.WEILL
