SACM student Levy Sekgapane impressed the judges at the 2015 International Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition. Photographs appears courtesy Paul van Wijngaarden

UCT Opera student Levy Sekgapane has secured the first prize at the 34th International Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition 2015, which took place in Amsterdam on Saturday 4 July. The 2015 event saw 1314 aspiring stars from around the world competing for a place in the final round. He shared the competition stage with no less than three UCT alumni and together, they made it to the top 15 finalists. 

Sekgapane is an accomplished Opera singer who is in the process of obtaining a Postgraduate specializing in Music Performance, his second degree from the University of Cape Town. The prizes for the this year’s  International Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition winner include: opera engagements at the Aalto Theater und Philharmonie Essen, the Festliche Operngala der Deutschen AIDS-Stiftung and the Gran Teatre del Liceu Barcelona. In addition, Sekgapane won the Wil Keune Prize. Fellow finalists included UCT alumni Noluvuyiso Mpofu (Cape Town Opera Studio member), Lukhanyo Moyake (Cape Town Opera staff soloist), Caroline Modiba (former Cape Town Opera Studio member). This year, a quarter of the 15 finalists were UCT trained singers.

Speaking to Humanities News about his latest achievement, Sekgapane said that he is still in disbelief and that he feels extremely humbled by the outpouring of support he has received from fellow South Africans. 

“Competitions like Belvedere give young singers huge exposure to the real world and it gives us a taste of what is really going on out there. What you get during the competition is what you will get in the real world of opera. It is extremely difficult, and competitive, you have to make it to the finals of top 15 candidates, out 160 talented singers from all over the world. On each round you get to sing only once, so you have to be exceptionally good. This is to me, a small beginning there's more coming my way and at least I know that important people in the business have heard of me.”  he says.

Many world famous musicians have launched their careers at the prestigious Belvedere International Singing Competition among them, UCT alumna Pretty Yende, who won first prize for opera in 2009. Pretty Yende expressed her joy for this year’s winner in the following social media post:

The Winner of the Belvedere International Singing Competition this Year Is A South African...Go Team SA ...Make It Official...big Toi Toi Toi to all the competitors, dear colleagues and fellow South Africans...‪#‎ProudlySouthAfrican‬‬