BY PHUMZILE NDLOVU
MBABANE – History made!
Two local Swati opera singers, Thando Zwane and Lwazi Dlamini have become the first pair of Eswatini opera singers to simultaneously qualify for the finals of one of the classical music world’s most prestigious singing competitions, the Hans Gabor Belvedere International Singing Competition.
Zwane and Dlamini are both baritones and well-decorated alumni of Tshwane University of Technology’s Vocal Arts Department and Cape Town Opera. The finals will be held in Europe in Jurmala, Latvia, from June 2 to 9, 2024.
The prizes include career-advancement funds up to the tune of E200 000 for the first prize winner, attachments with leading opera houses, and contracts with reputable talent management agencies, the competition will once again feature a bevy of young singers from South Korea, the United States of America (USA), Italy, the United Kingdom (UK), and others and looks bound to be one of the most exciting editions to date with this double dose of Swati excellence.
The competition, justifiably dubbed ‘the Wall Street of classical music voices,’ prides itself on carefully identifying and annually bringing together only the finest of the world’s operatic young voices for a week of competition in what ultimately connects them to career-changing opportunities with some of the world’s most respected opera agents and houses, including the Metropolitan Opera House (New York) and the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden (London). Founded in 1982, the competition is also credited with giving the opera music world African opera superstars, including South Africa’s Pretty Yende, Levy Sekgapane, and Mandla Mndebele, among others, and in 2024
Notably, in 2018, Zwane, the kingdom’s most visible and accomplished opera singer, became the first Liswati to qualify for the finals of the competition, a feat he repeated in 2022, where he beat more than 50 of the world’s best young singers to qualify for the semi-finals, narrowly missing a seat in the last round of the competition, but good enough to secure himself a brief performance sting at Latvia’s National Opera House. Also one of Eswatini’s most exciting new generations of conductors, Zwane also holds the record for being the second Swati opera singer to be admitted into Tshwane University of Technology’s Vocal Arts department, where he was admitted on the spot a few minutes after his audition.
When reached for comment Zwane said, “It is once again an immeasurable honour to be shortlisted as one of the finalists of this esteemed competition, and I believe I will always give it my all. It is most certainly no easy feat competing against some of the world’s best young talents. I believe I will once again have fun, put my best foot forward, and give the judges a hard time in the hope of bringing something home. Of course, I would invite the people of Eswatini to lend us their support, and we will do our best to make it worth it.”
Whereas Dlamini, freshly minted as a member of the prestigious Cape Town Opera’s Judith Neilson Young Artist Programme and for the longest time one of the most respected baritones in South Africa and currently one of the most loved and sought-after baritones in Cape Town, where he currently resides, is fresh from a national tour of master classes delivered by Cape Town Opera to high schools across SA as they prepare for the annual school’s choral eisteddfod. Prior to this, he wowed audiences at Artscape Opera House in productions including Giaccomo’s Puccini’s “Gianni Schicchi” and “Tosca,” among many others.
When reached for comment Dlamini said, “True is what they say when they say, ‘fall seven times and rise ten times.’ I believe my selection from what was a tightly contested elimination—humbling and exciting it is—safely marks the continuous divine elevation of my career, fresh from being a member of the prestigious Judith Neilson Young Artist Programme.”
He said he still could not wrap his head around this qualification. But he believed Eswatini’s hopes of bringing it home are safe in their hands with Thando. Knowing how much it changed the face of his career and in hope it inspired anyone who aspired to be an opera singer out of Eswatini, He would most certainly give it his best.
“I would also invite the people of Eswatini to pray and cheer for us as we set out to make even more history, not just for ourselves but for the whole country. May we also notify companies and individuals who might want to buy us some “European lunch” that they are gladly welcome,” Dlamini concluded.
