People of Note

Peter Shaffer’s award winning play Amadeus has just opened at Theatre on the Bay starring Alan Committie as Salieri and Aidan Scott as Mozart. This thrilling drama received worldwide acclaim with the film Amadeus and is always an incredible experience in the theatre, even though the theory Shaffer puts forward about Salieri murdering Mozart is not true. My guest on People of Note this week is Alan Committie who talks about his experience with this coveted role.

My guest on People of Note this week is the distinguished actor, director, writer, scenic and costume designer, Marcel Meyer who, with Fred Abrahamse, is co directing a newly written opera by the South African composer Conrad Asman. It’s called Trial by Media and concerns the Oscar Pistorious murder trial. It is one of three short operas in Cape Town Opera’s season called Shorts – the others are La Voix Humaine by Poulenc and Mozart’s Impressario.

Birds and birding feature in this week’s People of Note. I’ll be talking to Mike Buckham who has been passionate about bird watching since he was six years old. Now he is the Chairman of the Cape Bird Club and continues to attract new members and young people to the joy of bird watching.

On People of Note this week, Rodney Trudgeon will be talking to the violin professor and world renowned teacher JAN REPKO, who is in South Africa, courtesy of the Cape Town Philharmonic, to conducted a series of lessons and masterclasses. Jan was born in South Africa and studied the violin with the famous Jack de Wet before continuing his studies in Amsterdam where he also performed as a soloist and in chamber ensembles. But he soon decided to concentrate on teaching.

Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on People of Note this week is Chantal Coetzee, who is an artist, feminist historian, speaker and radio presenter. Her current series of artworks is called African Queens: Restoring History and is her passion project. Her giant paintings are portraits of African Queens whose lives she has meticulously researched.

Lara Foot’s highly acclaimed production of Shakespeare’s OTHELLO is about to open at the Baxter. In the lead role is a son of John Kani, Atandwa Kani who is enjoying a hugely successful career based in New York with television, film and acting careers running side by side. Atandwa has won numerous awards locally and internationally and is very excited about this exciting new production of Othello in which he plays the title role.

My guest on People of Note this week is a highly respected and award winning journalist, author, broadcaster who has covered major events such as the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of Communism. His recent book with the provocative title, Why The Germans Do It Better was a best seller and his latest book is called In Search of Berlin. John is fascinated by Germany, although he is English, and has harsh words to say about Brexit.

The Luitingh Alexander Musical Theatre Academy, LAMTA, is presenting the highly anticipated musical “Spring Awakening”, the ground-breaking musical which garnered 8 Tony Awards on Broadway. On People of Note this week, Rodney Trudgeon will be talking to the two directors of Lamta, Anton Luitingh and Duane Alexander abou the show and about the success of their academy.

My guest on People of Note this week is a true philanthropist. In the face of dwindling or no sponsorship from national, regional and local governments, ALEXANDER VALENTIN has embraced the Cape Town Philharmonic orchestra’s Composer’s Competition and an exchange of students between Germany and South Africa which he will sponsor. Alexander is a German lawyer and investment consultant with business ties in South Africa and is my guest on People of Note this week.

A new play premiered at the Baxter Theatre to rave reviews. It’s called "Expelled" and focuses on the largely ungoverned world of social media in which a matric pupil at an elite school gets caught up in a viral scandal and is suspended. On People of Note Rodney spoke to the husband and wife team of Rosalind Butler, who wrote the play and Craig Freimond who directed it.

A new ballet has opened at the Baxter Theatre. It’s called The Gold Rhino of Mapungubwe and it has truly imaginative choreography by ANGELA REVIE and is described as a fusion of classical and afro ballet and contemporary dance, enhanced by poetic narration. In People of Note this week, Rodney Trudgeon spoke to Angela Revie about his new ballet which has a powerful storyline that connects the mythical world with an ancient African civilisation.

In People of Note this week, Rodney Trudgeon will be talking to BIANCA AMATO who you may remember from the long running cast of Isidingo, but Bianca also had a stint in the American series Sex In The City. Now Bianca is directing a new production at the Theatre on the Bay called LUNGS, in which a young urban couple consider whether or not to have a child in today’s toxic and insecure environment.

Cape Town City Ballet has announced the appointment of David Nixon CBE as its new Artistic Producer with immediate effect. The appointment coincides with the company’s 90th anniversary. Rodney Trudgeon spoke to David about his long and distinguished career both as a dancer, artistic director and choreographer in his home in Canada and in Europe. He was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2022.

My guest n People of Note this week is the British guitarist Michael Watts who is in South Africa to collect a brand-new guitar which has been specially made for him by Casimi Guitars, a duo with an international reputation as two of the greatest guitar makers of their generation. Michael brought his new guitar to the studio and demonstrated it during the programme. We also took pictures of it which are available on our Facebook page and on Instagram.

People of Note this week features news of the UCT Summer School which opens this weekend. I’ll be talking to Medee Rall who is the Director of the Centre for Extra-mural Studies at UCT and who is also responsible for arranging the Summer School. UCT is celebrating 100 years of continuous , life long learning with the Summer School being established in 1950.

On People Of Note this week, Mike Mills stands in for Rodney Trudgeon to chat with Jonathan Crossley who is a renowned South African guitarist in the fields of both Classical music and Jazz. He's also an acclaimed musical innovator and experimenter, exploring new technology and techniques in creating music. He's now a lecturer at Liverpool University. He explains the latest trends in music.

People of Note is brought to you each week by PTP and this week my guest is ROBYN TAYLOR , the recently appointed Executive Manager of Cape Town City Ballet. Robyn has had a long and distinguished career in ballet and various other forms of dance and she is one of 3 Founding Trustees of the South African National Dance Trust. She also spent some 15 years raising funds and creating awareness for various South Afican dance organisations.

On this week’s edition of People of Note, brought to you by PTP, I’ll be talking to a recent visitor to South Africa, the Canadian born, Berlin based cellist Bryan Cheng who stunned us with his performance of Elgar’s Cello Concerto with the CPO under Robert Moody. Bryan has won a number of major international awards and made his sold out debut in Carnegie Hall when he was only 14. He plays the Dubois Stradavarius Cell from 1699.

On People of Note this week I’ll be talking to Brent Van Rensburg who is the co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of the Zip Zap Circus which was launched 30 years ago and which has had more than 20,000 students passing through it and which has been on numerous international tours. It was formed to bridge socio-economic gaps and to inspire and empower young people to build a new culture of peaceful co-existence in South Africa. It’s a fascinating story and you can hear it in this week’s edition of People of Note, brought to you by PTP.

On People of Note this week, brought to you by Pieter Toerien Productions, my guest will be the children’s author Lesley Beake, whose latest book is called The Time Trackers and tells the story of the child Tana who lives in the Tankwa Karoo. The book is brought alive with illustrations by Michael Pattison and expert input by archeologist Emily Hallinan. Lesley began writing when she was 6 and now has over a hundred of her books published.

People of Note on Fine Music Radio is brought to you by Pieter Toerien Productions and my guest this week is Virginia Davids, one of this country’s most distinguished and respected singing teachers. Virginia studied at Stellenbosch University and made her debut at CAPAB with the title role in Verdi’s Aida. After a long singing career, during which she won all the major awards, Virginia is now Associate Professor in Singing at UCT and among her many successful students are Pretty Yende and Pumeza Matshikita as well as my guest last week Brittany Smith.

Arguably the most famous family musical of all time is The Sound Of Music and in this week’s edition of People of Note, brought to you by Pieter Toerien Productions, I’ll be talking to Brittany Smith who will be singing Maria in the production which opens here at Artscape on December 14th for a month’s run during the festive season. Craig Urbani will play Captain Von Trapp. Brittany has just stunned opera lovers with her glittering performance in Verdi’s La Traviata and I asked her about moving from grand opera to the world of musicals.

In this week’s edition of People of Note, brought to you by Pieter Toerien Productions, I’ll be talking to the well-known and much love South African pianist Rocco De Villiers who will be collaborating with the guitarist James Grace in a new show called 5 Nights In November at the Theatre on The Bay from 15 November. James and Rocco couldn’t be more different in personality, style, dress, hair and age, yet they meet in the middle of the theatre and music landscape to bring you this show.

During the recent Baroque Festival, I was lucky to be able to attend a recital of music played on harpsichords, spinets and organs in a small concert hall in Noordhoek on the property of Bill Robson who actually built all the instruments we heard. Bill is a well known maker of organs and harpsichords which he carefully and loving builds with his bare hands using tools that used to belong to his grandfather. He gets orders from South Africa and all over the world for his instruments and the small concert hall on his property was restored by him from plans and foundations he discovered on his property. I invited Bill to the People of Note studio this week to talk about his fascinating operation.

In this week’s edition of People of Note, brought to you by Pieter Toerien Productions, I’ll be talking to travel writer, author, poet and photographer JUSTIN FOX who has just had a new book published called Place. This is a gripping travelogue in which Justin sets off to explore the places of his favourite books. All the big names are there – Olive Schreiner, Sir Percy Fitzpatrick, JM Coetzee, Zakes Mda among others. Justin calls his book a love letter to South Africa, merging literature and landscape.

There’s an unusual and exciting production happening in the trees and bushes at the Spier Wine Estate in November. It’s called Constellations and is directed by Brett Bailey who invites you to expect a unique cultural experience in the forested wilderness at Spier where atmospheric encounters await in the dark woods under a starlit sky. I spoke to one the performers , Megan Choritz on People of note this week about this unique theatrical experience.

Cape Town Opera and the UCT Opera School invite you to step into a world of passion, tragedy, magnificent melody and visual extravagance in their production of Verdi’s timeless masterpiece, La Traviata. The opera will be conducted by Jeremy Silver and directed by Mari Borstlap. Mari is an established theatre director, designer, actor and playwright. She is also a film maker and promises something exciting in this La Traviata. Mari will be my guest on People of Note this week.

On People of Note this week, Rodney Trudgeon will be talking to Zoe Beyers, who has established a reputation as one of the finest and most versatile violinists based in the UK. Zoe is also an accomplished chamber musician and is a member of the internationally famous Dante Quartet, which has just arrived in Cape for a series of concerts both in the city as well as in Stellenbosch and Johannesburg. Zoe is also passionately interested in education.

This week’s People of Note takes on a somewhat different format. Pieter Dirk Uys has had a lifelong love affair with the great Sophia Loren. They have remained close and dear friends over many years. Sophia Loren has just turned 89 and only a week or so ago, she fell in her bathroom, broke her hip and had to have it replaced. Pieter suggested we pay tribute to this great actress and singer by playing some of her songs and with Pieter reminiscing about their friendship.

This week’s People of Note focusses on orchestras in South Africa, specifically the Cape Town Philharmonic and new and somewhat controversial plans to fund orchestral music. My guest will be Louis Heynemann, who is the CEO and Artistic Director of the Cape Town Philharmonic and has been for some 23 years guiding the orchestra through various difficulties including the Covid disaster.

Two years ago a production at the Baxter Theatre was so successful during its debut run that it has been brought back to the Magnet Theatre. It’s called SNAPPED and it was written by Jennie Reznek and directed by Mark Fleishman. The play explores the relationship between fathers and daughters and it tackles loss and grief, and how to overcome these. The play intersects two stories – that of a woman stuck in grief over the loss of her father and of a young South African stretcher-bearer who was killed in action during World War 2. I spoke to Jennie Reznek about her play on People of Note this week.

This week Cape Town Opera’s magnificent production of Puccini’s Tosca opens at the Artscape Opera House. The production, which is directed by Magdelene Minnaar, has just moved from Johannesburg, where it enjoyed rave reviews. Rodney Trudgeon spoke to the conductor, Bjorn Bantock, about Puccini’s magnificent and opulent score and about the many challenges that face the orchestra and soloists, as well as a large children’s choir.

For many people, the opera The Tales of Hoffman is Jacques Offenbach’s masterpiece. It was written right towards the end of his life and in fact he died during the rehearsals. The opera is being presented by the UCT Opera School with an exciting cast and Jeremy Silver is conducting the Cape Philharmonic. The director of the opera is Steven Stead who has many credits to his name including opera, musicals and plays. I spoke to Steven in People of Note this week and asked him about his approach to this magical opera.

In what promises to be one of the most thrilling theatre highlights of the year, the stage production of Damon Galgut’s Booker Prize winning novel The Promise has been adapted for the stage and will have it’s world premier in Cape Town on 14 September. The dazzling cast line up includes Rob van Vuuren, Kate Normington, Frank Opperman and Chuma Sopotela. The production will be directed by MULTI award-winning director SYLVAINE STRIKE AND Rodney Trudgeon caught up with her between rehearsals to fin out more about the play.

In celebration of Women’s Month, Abrahamse and Meyer Productions are presenting the world premier of a new play called “Why Do Moths Fly Like Crazy in the Night”. The play was written by award winning actress Sue Pam-Grant who stars in it as well. It’s a one woman show inspired by the work of Louise Bourgeois, one of the most prolific and fascinating visual artists of the 20th century. Rodney Trudgeon spoke to Sue Pam-Grant about her life-long fascination for Louise Bourgeois and about how her life story and thinking have been influenced by her.

At the Mzanzi National Philharmonic concert next Saturday at which the main work will be Mahler’s Fifth Symphony conducted by Marin Alsop, the first half will feature dramatic soprano arias sung by Masabane Cecilia Rangwanashe who is based in Europe and who has been dazzling audiences with her radiant voice. She has just sung the Four Last Songs of Richard Strauss at a Proms concert in London and works regularly with Antonio Pappano at the Royal Opera House. Masabane has given solo recitals at the Wigmore hall and has appeared in Washington, Hamburg, Dresden, Atlanta and Chicago. I managed to get her on a zoom connection for this week’s People of Note.

On People of Note this week, Rodney Trudgeon will be talking to Charmaine Weir-Smith who is directing a play which has won 5 Naledi Theatre awards called The Beauty Queen of Leenane. The play was written by the Tony Award Nominee Martin McDonagh and has been described as a masterpiece and a darkly comic tale about the turbulent, dysfunctional and often savage relationship between a mother and daughter. The play opens at The Baxter Theatre on the 2nd August.

The first think I thought when I saw Darrel Bristow-Bovey’s latest book called ENDURANCE was do we need yet another book about Shackleton’s attempt to reach the South Pole. Yet, once I’d started reading it, I realised that Darrel has unearthed all sorts of new material and that he carefully intertwines the story with his own life and family – especially his father. The result is a truly gripping story that takes us deep into the frozen ice and all the incredible obstacles Shackleton and his team faced, all written in Darrel’s beautiful and evocative prose.

PROUDLY SPONSORED BY PIETER TOERIEN PRODUCTIONS. People of Note is broadcast on Sunday evening at 6 pm on Fine Music Radio with a repeat on Thusday afternoon at 1 pm, presented by Rodney Trudgeon. Says Rodney: “There are a number of fascinating people who pass through Cape Town and I’ve always felt there to be a need for a programme that allows an in-depth discussion with these personalities. Whether their fields are music, literature, theatre, dance, opera or even politics and economics, we’ll invite them into the studio to talk about their lives, inspirations and role models, among other things. “Rather like the famous BBC programme, Desert Island Discs, I’ll ask my guests to bring with them their six or seven favourite pieces of music to share with us.” Among the long list of guests on the programme so far have been people such as Rhoda Kadalie, Lord Robin Renwick, Petronel Malan, Pieter Dirk Uys, Ruby Wax, Jonathan Roxmouth, Imam Rashied Omar and many more.

A NEW PRODUCTION OF Willy Russell’s classic comedy Educating Rita has just opened at the Theatre on the Bay. It’s produced by Tally Ho productions and the original music is written by Jonathan Blair. I invited Jonathan to the People of Note studio to talk about his score and also about his many commissions which include, opera, concertos, chamber music, song cycles and stop motion film scores. Although Jonathan was born in San Diego California, he new lives in Cape Town where he has collaborated with some of this country’s most important artists.

We’ve been telling you about the forthcoming production of Cinderella here at Artscape which opens next week. It’s an operatic production presented by Cape Town Opera in association with Abrahamse Meyer productions and the director is Fred Abrahamse. I caught up with Fred earlier this week to talk about what promises to be an enchanting, family friendly production and he will be my guests on People of Note this week.

My guest on People of Note this week is one of the international judges at the 10th South African International Ballet Competition. Javier Monier Jr is from Cuba and is currently a member of Mzansi Ballet in Johannesburg. Javier is a hugely talented and well-travelled dancer who brings a wealth of experience to the competition, which runs from the 23 to the 26 July at the Artscape Opera House and attracts dancers of the highest caliber from across the globe.

Have you ever thought of including the Cape’s local wild foods in your recipes? My guest on People of Note this week is LOUBIE RUSCH who is a food system entrepreneur and who aims to develop the production of indigenous plants and to teach consumers how to use them. Her project is called Making KOS and because there are virtually no indigenous ingredients available to buy she is exploring ways to achieve more widespread growing of this kind of food.

PROUDLY SPONSORED BY PIETER TOERIEN PRODUCTIONS. People of Note is broadcast on Sunday evening at 6 pm on Fine Music Radio with a repeat on Thusday afternoon at 1 pm, presented by Rodney Trudgeon. Says Rodney: “There are a number of fascinating people who pass through Cape Town and I’ve always felt there to be a need for a programme that allows an in-depth discussion with these personalities. Whether their fields are music, literature, theatre, dance, opera or even politics and economics, we’ll invite them into the studio to talk about their lives, inspirations and role models, among other things. “Rather like the famous BBC programme, Desert Island Discs, I’ll ask my guests to bring with them their six or seven favourite pieces of music to share with us.” Among the long list of guests on the programme so far have been people such as Rhoda Kadalie, Lord Robin Renwick, Petronel Malan, Pieter Dirk Uys, Ruby Wax, Jonathan Roxmouth, Imam Rashied Omar and many more.

PROUDLY SPONSORED BY PIETER TOERIEN PRODUCTIONS. People of Note is broadcast on Sunday evening at 6 pm on Fine Music Radio with a repeat on Thusday afternoon at 1 pm, presented by Rodney Trudgeon. Says Rodney: “There are a number of fascinating people who pass through Cape Town and I’ve always felt there to be a need for a programme that allows an in-depth discussion with these personalities. Whether their fields are music, literature, theatre, dance, opera or even politics and economics, we’ll invite them into the studio to talk about their lives, inspirations and role models, among other things. “Rather like the famous BBC programme, Desert Island Discs, I’ll ask my guests to bring with them their six or seven favourite pieces of music to share with us.” Among the long list of guests on the programme so far have been people such as Rhoda Kadalie, Lord Robin Renwick, Petronel Malan, Pieter Dirk Uys, Ruby Wax, Jonathan Roxmouth, Imam Rashied Omar and many more.

Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on People of Note this week is MELANIE VERWOERD, a former Member of Parliament, South African Ambassador to Ireland and Executive Director of UNICEF. Melanie is a political columnist and has written a number of books. Her latest book has the intriguing title “Never Waste A Good Hysterectomy” and I spoke to her about the book, her career and her famous surname.

I’m excited to bring you a special edition of People of Note this week which I recorded on board Queen Mary 2 somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. On board was the man who actually designed the ship, the Nautical Architect DR STEPHEN PAYNE OBE and he gave a fascinating series of lectures on board which I found completely satisfying. So I approached him and asked him to share some of his achievements with this massive ocean liner on People of Note. He agreed and we had a fascinating conversation which you can hear on People of Note this week.

PROUDLY SPONSORED BY PIETER TOERIEN PRODUCTIONS. People of Note is broadcast on Sunday evening at 6 pm on Fine Music Radio with a repeat on Thusday afternoon at 1 pm, presented by Rodney Trudgeon. Says Rodney: “There are a number of fascinating people who pass through Cape Town and I’ve always felt there to be a need for a programme that allows an in-depth discussion with these personalities. Whether their fields are music, literature, theatre, dance, opera or even politics and economics, we’ll invite them into the studio to talk about their lives, inspirations and role models, among other things. “Rather like the famous BBC programme, Desert Island Discs, I’ll ask my guests to bring with them their six or seven favourite pieces of music to share with us.” Among the long list of guests on the programme so far have been people such as Rhoda Kadalie, Lord Robin Renwick, Petronel Malan, Pieter Dirk Uys, Ruby Wax, Jonathan Roxmouth, Imam Rashied Omar and many more.

Aviva Pelham is one of South Africa’s most gifted and most loved artists. She sings an exceptionally wide range of music from the repertoire of opera, musicals, operetta and cabaret. And more recently, she’s been directing Community Spectaculars with the Cape Town Philharmonic and a range of artists. Now Aviva has released a coffee table book called “Aviva – A Musical Odyssey” and it is a treasure trove of memories of her career with photographs, reviews and programmes.

Lift airlines is known as the “flexible” airline and Rodney Trudgeon spoke to the brand manager of Lift, Haydn Henning, who shares his love of flying with his love of opera, having studied opera at UCT.

Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on People of Note this week is the recently appointed Director of the South African College of Music at UCT., Prof Andrew Lilley. This is the first time a jazz musician has been appointed to this post and Prof Lilley is highly regarded both as a player and an educator having played with everyone and anyone in the South African jazz scene. His latest release for solo piano is called “Silhouette”, which will be featured as our CD of the week next week.

Cape Town Opera has announced the appointment of Maestro ADAM SZMIDT as the company’s Resident Conductor and Head Coach. Adam has conducted extensively around Europe and has had masterclasses with Neeme Jarvi, Ben Zander, Nicolas Pasquet and Jorma Panula, among others. Adam will be conducting Rossini’s Stabat Mater in Paarl on Saturday 8 April as well as Bizet’s The Pearl Fishers in May.

Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on People of Note this week is twice nominated Naledi Award actor SCHOEMAN SMIT whose credits include major musicals such as Sweeney Todd, The Producers and Evita. Schoeman Is staring in a new South African production called Devil Song, which is described as a glittering cabaret of villainous proportions. This one man show was inspired by Audra McDonald’s song cycle The Seven Deadly Sins and is directed by David Fick.

Undoubtedly, one of Cape Town’s most beautiful, tranquil gardens is the ARDERNE GARDENS in Claremont. With its shady glades, romantic nooks and Japanese style ponds it’s been a place for Cape Tonians to bring their children and relax away from the increasing hubbub of city life. A man whose name is inextricably linked to the Gardens is Hank Lith who devoted his time to curating the gardens and to getting them worldwide acknowledgement. Sadly Hank died suddenly earlier this year, so Rodney Trudgeon invited CLARE GIBBON, a founding member of the Friends of Arderne Gardens to talk about Hank’s legacy and to play music that was special to Hank.

Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on People of Note this week is one of South Africa’s most versatile and popular actors, JONATHAN ROXMOUTH, who’s new show Key Change is about to open at Pieter Toerien’s Theatre on The Bay after a hugely successful run in Johannesburg. Jonathan has travelled the world with productions such as Phantom of the Opera, Cats, Jesus Christ Superstar, and has wowed local audiences with his appearances in West Side Story, Grease and, famously, a Handful of Keys.

I’m sure you may know what a wine sommelier is? Those experts in restaurants and hotels who advise you which wine to select with which meal. Well, have you ever heard of a honey sommelier? My Guest on People of Note this week is in fact a honey sommelier – in fact South Africa’s first honey sommelier. NATASHA LYON is also a bee keeper and bee guardian who studied in Italy and who quickly established herself as a leading authority on honey bees and bee conservation in South Africa. We’ll be talking about tasting honey and we’ll also taste some honey in the course of the programme.

Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on People of Note this week is RAYMOND GOLDSTEIN who is a distinguished musician, composer and arranger, born in South Africa and who now lives and works in Jerusalem. He’s been on the faculty of the Jerusalem Faculty of Music and, since the opening of the Jerusalem Great Synagogue in 1982, he has held posts of music arranger and associate conductor of its world famous choir, travelling internationally. We discussed Jewish music both folk and liturgical.

Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on People of Note this week is Johaar Mosaval, a retired South African ballet dancer who has just turned 95 and who rose to considerable prominence as a principal dancer of the Royal Ballet in England. Apartheid prevented Johaar from pursuing a dance career here in Cape Town but in 1950 he was noticed by visiting ballet celebrities who invited him to London. He spent 25 years with the Royal Ballet and retired and returned to Cape Town on 1976.

What promises to be a fascinating and absorbing play opens at the Theatre on the Bay 0n 20 February. It’s called Masterclass and it stars Sandra Prinsloo as a retired Maria Callas giving master classes to young opera singers at Juilliard School in New York in 1971. The production is in collaboration with Cape Town Opera and features singers from the company being taught by Callas who is both witty and, at times quite harsh. I spoke to Sandra Prinsloo about this challenging new role for in this week’s edition of People of Note.

Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on People of Note this week is Professor Joan Hambidge who is a celebrated Afrikaans poet, literary critic and author. Joan is known to FMR listeners as a regular reviewer on our programme Boekkeuse and has two doctorates, one under Andre Brink and a second in cultural studies focusing on gender constructs in Afrikaans literature.

It’s all about prima ballerinas on this week’s edition of People of Note where Rodney Trudgeon talks to Principal Dancer at Cape Town City Ballet, KIRSTEL PATERSON. Kirstel will be dancing the title role in the upcoming production of Cinderella here at the Artscape Theatre. Kirstel started training as a ballet dancer when she was 5 and in the course of her career, she has won many awards including, very recently, a number of awards at the Friends of Cape Town City Ballet 2022 Awards.

Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on People of Note this week is MERVYN WILLIAMS who has just celebrated 36 years with Cape Town City Ballet. Mervyn has been making magic both on and off the stage for all those years – first as a dancer and now as Head of Wardrobe, as well as managing education skills. He also performs as a character dancer and will be appearing in the forthcoming production of Cinderella as one of the Ugly Sisters.

I’m very excited to introduce you to my guest on People of Note this week. Tracy Edwards MBE is a British sailor who, in 1989, skippered the first all-female crew in the Whitbread Round The World Yacht Race and went on to become the first woman to receive the Yachtsman of the Year Trophy. Now days she’s a highly competent and resourceful leader, manager, project professional, fund raiser, team builder, motivational speaker and writer. Tracy is in Cape Town briefly to visit her yacht Maiden and its crew.

Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on People of Note this week is the former diplomat Glenn Babb whose new book called “In One Era and Out Of The Other” has recently been published. As most people are aware, the mid-1980s Was a very difficult time internationally for South Africa. Demands for sanctions against South Africa were becoming more and more intense with the country’s diplomats at the forefront of resistance. Glenn Babb’s new book tells a fascinating story of trying to sell South Africa abroad and trying to persuade the government to follow up on its commitment to change, despite the catastrophe of PW Botha’s Rubican speech.

For his first guest on People of Note for 2023, Rodney Trudgeon has invited the concert pianist Gustavo Romero into the studio. About a year ago, Gustavo performed all 32 Beethoven piano sonatas for the Cape Town Concert series at the Baxter Concert Hall. Now, from 7 January, Gustavo is back, this time with the 13 completed piano sonatas of Schubert over 4 concerts. We discussed the differences between these two great composers and the various difficulties of their piano sonatas.

Fine Music Radio has a veritable treat for you on Christmas Day. The guest on People of Note on Sunday is probably the most famous guest Rodney Trudgeon has interviewed - the internationally famous conductor MARIN ALSOP. Classic FM in London voted Marin Alsop as one of the top 18 conductors of all time. Quite an accolade because others on the list include Karajan, Abbado, Klemperer and Bernstein. In fact Marin was a pupil of Bernstein’s and then had to fight an immense battle to conquer the male dominated world of conductors. Marin was in Cape Town to conduct the Mzanzi Orchestra in Beethoven’s 9th.

Imagine being a bee lover ad research and yet you are violently allergic to bee stings. This is the situation with Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on People of Note this week, GEOFF TRIBE. Despite the ever present danger of an anaphylactic attack, honey bees have been a perpetual source of fascination for Geoff during his 40 year career in entomology. He has just published a fascinating book called Honey Mountain. This is the story of the Heuninberg since ancient times – its history of occupation, exploitation, development and the miraculous Cape honey bees who survived it all.

Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on People of Note this week has a remarkable story to tell. His name is Guy Deacon and. 10 years ago he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. He realised how lucky he was in the UK with access to neurologists and medication, in contrast to many people across Africa who don’t. So, he set out in his VW Camper and travelled from Sussex in England, down the west coast of Africa, to Cape Town to disseminate his knowledge of the disease.

It’s always exciting when a new musical opens and this is what will happen on the 8th December when the Abrahamse and Meyer production of Star Crossed opens at the Artscape Arena. It tells the story of the eccentric Elizabeth Klarer who, in 1910, alleged that she was abducted by aliens where she had a son. The music was written by the South African composer and music director Wessel Odendaal and Rodney Trudgeon spoke to him about his score for the musical and about his many musical activities.

Arguably South Africa’s most famous cartoonist is Zapiro, whose real name is Jonathan Shapiro. His cartoons have the ability to make us laugh but also to make us cringe and feel uncomfortable as he snipes at our politicians, including international figures, and, as he says, even in his crazy mind he couldn’t invent a country with our curious goings on. Zapiro has just released his 27th annual collection called It’s Not How It Looks and it makes for fascinating browsing.

Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on People of Note this week is a very brave and very passionate opera singer. Sarita Stern was the victim of a tragic incident in 1974 when an intruder threw acid into her face just a few days before she was due to make her debut as Carmen. Gradually she regained some sight in one of her eyes and went on to sing and to becoming a much sort after singing teacher. Many of her students are now singing internationally and, at 91, her passionate search for beautiful sound along with her hunger for spiritual fulfilment is a story of triumph over setbacks. All this is now published in her memoir called The Inner Voice of Sound.

Arguably one of South Africa’s best known performers and songwriters is Coenie De Villiers. He has released 22 albums of his own works, received a huge number of awards, he’s written and opera and a ballet and he anchored the kykNet flagship magazine programme Kwela for 17 years. Coenie began his career as an announcer on several radio stations after lecturing in Media and Communication Sciences at the University of the Free State. The play he does with author Deon Meyer, Karoo Suite 2, has just ended a hugely successful run at the Theatre on the Bay.

Cape Town Opera in collaboration with the UCT Opera School are presenting Handel’s exciting, fantasy opera ALCINA at the Artscape Theatre from the 12th to the 16th of November. The opera is being directed by Matthew Wild who is widely recognised as the leading music theatre and opera director of his generation in South Africa and he is now increasingly in demand in Europe where his productions are earning praise for their conceptual intelligence, visual bravura and musicality.

The world of bikers takes centre stage on People of Note this week. Not the noisy, aggressive type, but a group of friends who have fun riding their Harley Davidson motorcycles to interesting places together. They are members of First Free Chapter Cape Town, who number about 58. Apart from their twice monthly breakfast and lunch rides, they attend rallies around the country but, most importantly they do an enormous amount of charity work, focusing on at least 3 bigger a year. Rodney Trudgeon spoke to LISA CUMBERLEDGE who is the organisations charity officer.

Since its inception in 2009, the Ndlovu Youth Choir has become one of the world’s most treasured ensembles. Their unique musical arrangements, powerhouse vocals, combined with mesmerising choreography and infectious energy have inspired millions across the globe. They were the first choir in history to make both America’s Got Talent and Britain’s Got Talent finals. Their dynamic conductor is Ralph Schmitt, a South African musician, conductor, composer and producer who has led the choir to great heights locally and international and he will be Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on People of Note this week.

An important and powerful play is opening this week at the Baxter theatre. The play is called THE UNLIKELY SECRET AGENT and it has been adapted by Paul du Toit from Ronnie Kasrils’ Alan Paton Award novel of the same name. The play explores the brave journey of Ronnie’s wife, Eleanor, who was also a clandestine agent for the underground ANC, and who survived torture and a mental hospital and then navigated her escape from apartheid South Africa. Playing the lead role of Eleanor is Erika Marais and Rodney Trudgeon spoke to he about the production.

Arguably one of the most charming operas in the repertoire is Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’Amore and you'll have a chance to see a production of it at the Theatre on The Bay from the 13th of October. It’s a Cape Town Opera production with the music performed on a piano by the music director Jose Dias. Rodney Trudgeon invited Jose into the People of Note studio to talk about this innovative production and about his career as soloist, chamber musician and vocal accompanist who is in great demand locally.

One of the spectacular operatic success stories from South Africa is the exciting young tenor LEVY SEKGAPANE WHO STUDIED IN Cape Town, won the Belevedere Singing Competition, the Montserrat Caballe competition as well as the Placido Domingo competition known as Operalia. Levy has gone on to sing at the world’s leading opera houses and dazzling people with his sparkling, high tenor in roles by Rossini , Donizzetti and Mozart. Rodney Trudgeon caught up with him on a brief visit to Cape Town and he will be this week’s guest on People of Note.

An exciting and unusual exhibition is on at the Southern Guild gallery at the Waterfront. It is the first exhibition by Congolese artist PATRICK BONGOY and is called “Unseen Dimensions of the Known”. Patrick works predominantly with waste materials such as inner tubes from tyres, industrial packaging, hessian sacking and textiles. And his works are often trapped in dense, knotted webs of rubber and jute strips, a visual metaphor for the abuses Congolese people have suffered from corrupt regimes.

This week on People of Note, Rodney Trudgeon will be discussing PETS AS THERAPY, A COMMUNITY BASED, VOLUNTARY OUTREACH ORGANISATION THAT COORDINATES ANIMAL ASSISTED ACTIVITIES IN A RANGE OF SETTINGS SUCH AS HOSPICES, FRAIl Care facilities, special needs schools and many others. The Chairperson of Pets as Therapy is clinical Psychologist Dr Leigh Adams Tucker and Rodney spoke to her about the work of this

Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on this week’s edition of People Of Note is a composer, musician, director and philosopher. His name is NEO MUYANGA, WHO WAS BORN IN Soweto and grew up during the hard years of student protests. He began studying natural sciences and Philosophy in Italy but he was soon introduced to a teacher who acquainted him with choral music and the tradition of madrigals. Since then, Neo has written a number of operas as well as plays, chamber music and large choral works.

A new play is opening at Pieter Toerien’s Theatre on the Bay this weekend. It’s called Fordsburg’s Finest and it was written by and stars PAUL SLABOLEPSZY who is a well- known, award winning South African playwright who has the ability to reflect an authentic South African landscape with its turbulent political background, vibrant cultures and inhabitants. One of his most famous plays was Saturday Night At The Palace. Fordsburg’s Finest also stars Chi Mende and it was directed by Bobby Heaney.

Cape Town City Ballet’s spectacular production of Prokoviev’s Romeo and Juliet Ballet is pulling in the crowds at the Artscape Opera House. The Cape Town hilharmonic is being conducted by a dynamic young conductor Jonathan Lo who was born in Hong Kong but who now lives in England. Jonathan is in great demand internationally as a ballet conductor and in fact Dance Europe calls him “the greatest ballet conductor we have in the UK”. Jonathan has certainly made his mark with our CPO who sound magnificent in the pit with this difficult and colourful score. Rodney Trudgeon invited Jonathan Lo into the People of Note studio to talk about his career.

On People of Note this week, Rodney Trudgeon will be talking to JUDY BEKKER, whose new book, Calling The Daughters, has just been published. The book invites us to step into what is described as a sacred wisdom circle of mothers, elder women and daughters as they journey together and dive into the essential and often difficult conversations of womanhood.

On People of Note this week, Rodney Trudgeon will be talking to one of the three editors of a major new book called New History of South Africa. Since the last illustrated history of South Africa was published, far-reaching changes have affected not only the country, but the writing of history itself. In this new volume, 31 leading south African writers share fresh insights and new approaches to the story of this country. The three editors are Herman Giliomee, Bernard K Mbenga and Bill Nasson. Rodney Trudgeon spoke to Bill Nasson about the huge undertaking that resulted in this magnificent book.

On People of Note this week, Rodney Trudgeon will be talking to the outgoing manager of Fine Music Radio, Mark Jennings who has decided to go to England with his wife to be with his children. Mark became station manager of FMR in 2015 after nearly 40 years of having lived, worked and slept radio. Not only did Mark introduce live broadcasts of the Symphony Concerts from the Cape Town City Hall, but he also worked tirelessly to ensure FMR’s survival during the Covid pandemic.

Cape Town Opera’s production of Mozart’s great opera The Magic Flute opens this coming weekend at the Artscape Opera House. The opera is directed by Magdeline Minnaar and the conductor is the young South African SCHALK VAN DER MERWE, who was the 2019 winner of the Len van Zyl Conductor’s Competition and who has a very busy life conducting orchestras and teaching conducting in Pretoria. Schalk conducted his first opera, Mozart’s The Magic Flute when he was only 23 and is delighted to be conducting The Marriage of Figaro.

The Drama Factory in Somerset West has become the vibrant and exciting destination for patrons to enjoy quality entertainment across a range of genres in a relaxed environment. The venue also offers creative platforms to workshop performances and it provides a number of training initiatives. The founder of the Drama Factory is SUE DIEPEVEEN who is also an actress, director writer and teacher. On People of Note this week, Rodney Trudgeon speaks to Sue about her numerous projects.

The Cape Town Big Band Festival is back with a bang and opens this week on the 25th and runs to the 28th at the Baxter Concert Hall. The festival was started in 1999 by Dennis Barr and, after his death, his wife ANN BARR took over the rains. Ann is also a board member of SAJE, the South African Jazz Educators. In this week’s edition of People of Note, RT spoke to Ann Barr about the festival and what we can expect this year.

Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on People Of Note this week is the novelist and poet Finuala Dowling, whose latest book, “The Man Who Loved Crocodile Tamers”, has been receiving rave reviews. It is a fascinating book, written in an unusual but fascinating style and which traces the family history. The book weaves fact and fiction together and Rodney asked her about her writing style and about how important poetry is to her. Reviewers speak about the book making them laugh and cry.

An exciting and thought-provoking permanent exhibition has just opened in Cape Town. It’s called “Truth To Power: Desmond Tutu and the churches in the Struggle Against Apartheid”. The exhibition is curated in partnership with the Apartheid Museum and celebrates the life and legacy of Archbishop Tutu. A man who has been very closely associated with Archbishop Tutu since 1986 is John Allen, who has written a number of books including a much acclaimed biography of The Arch called Rabble Rouser For Peace. On People of Note this week, Rodney Trudgeon spoke to John Allen about the exhibition and also about the work he did with Desmon Tutu.

This week on People of Note, Rodney Trudgeon will be discussing PETS AS THERAPY, A COMMUNITY BASED, VOLUNTARY OUTREACH ORGANISATION THAT COORDINATES ANIMAL ASSISTED ACTIVITIES IN A RANGE OF SETTINGS SUCH AS HOSPICES, FRAIl Care facilities, special needs schools and many others. The Chairperson of Pets as Therapy is clinical Psychologist Dr Leigh Adams Tucker and Rodney spoke to her about the work of this

Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on People of Note this week is ELIZABETH FOLGEN who is the founder and one of the directors of an organisation called Redrhino, which designs and sells exquisite wilderness-inspired scarves specifically for the corporate gift market as well as for selected boutiques. Importantly, all net profit goes to the Lapalala Wilderness School in the Waterberg for the nurturing and mentoring of the conservation leaders of the future. A recent bespoke scarf features the octopus as seen by Craig Foster in his award-winning documentary My Octopus Teacher.

I wonder if you know what “magic realism” is in literature? Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on People of Note this week uses this technique to enhance her novels and poems. PATRICIA SCHONSTEIN is an author, poet and publisher whose latest book called Thrown Among The Bones is her memoir in which she gives us an intimate glimpse of her life experience and introduces us to her amazing skill with words and atmosphere. Extracts from her 7 novels are included as end notes.

Rodney Trudgeon will have a husband and wife team in the People of Note studio this week. Mike Rossi is an Emeritus Professor in Jazz at the University of Cape Town who performs regularly at jazz clubs and jazz festivals and who has made numerous recordings and international stage appearances. His wife, Diane, is the recipient of the 22nd Standard Bank Joy Of Jazz Honours and is a highly regarded music event organiser and booking agent. This most influential couple in the jazz scene are leaving South Africa at the end of March to go and live in Italy.

This is Rodney Trudgeon and I’m very excited to introduce you to my guest on People of Note this week. Her name is KIRSTEN NEUSCHAFER and she is a hugely experienced solo yachtsman who has spent the last 5 years cruising the Southern Ocean alone while working for Skip Novak, including sail training and deliveries. Now she is about to undertake her biggest challenge as the only woman taking part in the notoriously difficult and dangerous Golden Globe Race which sets off from France in September. It is a solo race which means Kirsten will be completely alone at sea for some 7 months and the competitors are not allowed to call into a port at any stage of the race.

As we watch the humanitarian tragedy unfold in Ukraine, we are reminded of the horrors of war. In People of Note this week Rodney Trudgeon spoke to DZVINKA KACHUR, who is the co-founder and honorary president of the Ukrainian Association of South Africa and who is passionate about promoting Ukrainian culture, uniting Ukrainians and building strong, resilient communities. Dzvinka is traumatised by what’s happening in her country and Rodney spoke to her about the plight of the Ukrainians, day to day life in Ukraine and how she feels about the county’s future.

At a glittering event at the V&A Waterfront last week, Cape Town Opera announced a diverse, innovative and creative programme for 2022, encompassing both the artistic and educational. Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on People of Note this week to discuss the programme, is the newly appointed Artistic Director of Cape Town Opera, MAGDALENE MINNAAR. Magdalene is a celebrated South African operatic soprano, director and producer, well known in the music industry locally and abroad for setting new trends and challenging conventional boundaries.

On People of Note this week, Rodney Trudgeon will be talking to FEE HALSTEAD who has made an extraordinary name for herself living in the Natal Midlands at her home called Ardmore. Here, Fee teaches a group of talented rural people all about ceramics. Fee’s home bustles with over 70 African artists whose ceramic works have been recognised as modern day collectables by such distinguished auction houses as Christies, Bonhams and Sotherbys. More recently, the group has extended to making wallpaper and scarves. Fee was awarded the Order of Ikhamanga by President Ramaphosa in 2021.