MUSIC REVIVAL UNDER WAY

THE hills are alive with the sound of music – and so are university halls, private gardens, little theatres and many other venues as the music industry reignites after Covid-19.

From classical music to jazz and from Durban to Kloof, musicians are clawing their way back from the forced hiatus to put on shows and bring back live performances.

Musician and former business executive Naresh Veeran turned his Essenwood home garden into a live music venue where people can gather with their picnic baskets on a Sunday afternoon and enjoy a few hours of live entertainment.

Veeran said 20 years ago, the music industry was driven by record sales, and live events pushed those record sales. Now, though, musicians made their money at live events, and records were pretty much free because anyone could get a record deal or download a song without paying for it.

He said because of Covid-19 restrictions, live events could not be held, and no one made money for two years.

“So if you are a musician in a place like this, it’s a dying market. It's very niche, and you must accept those realities and shape your product accordingly.”

Traditional venues also had to rethink how they operated, said Veeran.

One of the biggest events of the year is the Music en Masse concert to be held next month (September) under the baton of Russell Guy Scott, the conductor of the KZN Youth Wind Band. Open to anyone who can read and play music, the concert has become an annual event which features a mass orchestra. Various orchestral favourites will be played, and the repertoire includes Toreador from the Carmen Suite and a medley from the Lord of the Rings soundtrack.

Cheri Steenberg from the British Cultural & Heritage Association, which is presenting the event, said they were delighted to be able to produce a unique afternoon function to entertain Durban residents while also contributing to the development of the arts in the province.

Steenberg said those interested could call 031 202 6174 or email bcha1820@global.co.za / bcha1820@ gmail.com. The concert will be held at the DLI Hall, Greyville, on Sunday, September 4 at 2.30pm.

Singer Simtandile Mtolo said the past few years had been hard for musicians and performers trying to rebuild the industry. She said Durban had always been one of the best places for live performances because of the exceptional talent and good institutions where music and other performing arts could be studied.

However, the Covid-19 years were tough, and with Durban’s deterioration in terms of safety and maintenance, people were drawn to venues in Kloof and Ballito.

Mtolo said musicians also had to adjust how they used to do things because music lovers no longer wanted to go out late at night, opting for events that started and finished early.

She said to broaden her experience, she wanted to work abroad for a while.

Charl van der Merwe is a full-time member of the KwaZulu-Natal philharmonic orchestra, where he plays the bassoon and is also a member of the government’s newly established national orchestra.

Van der Merwe, the resident conductor of the amateur Durban City Orchestra, said they gathered in Westville once a week.

He said they had been hard at work preparing for a concert at the St Agnes Church in Kloof on August 21, where they would be playing several pieces of music, including a Beethoven overture and a Mozart clarinet concerto.

Despite the challenge of keeping venues open, the Rhumbelow Theatre in Umbilo has been going from strength to strength.

Manager Roland Stansell has been reinventing the theatre i to keep it open and has even added movies to the theatre’s list of events.