A One-Night-Only Operatic Event: Verdi’s Il Trovatore at Cape Town City Hall
First time in 20 years this audience favourite opera will be performed
Cape Town, 19 May 2025 – Opera lovers, mark your calendars - and if you’ve never experienced opera before, this might be the perfect time to start. Opera UCT and the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra (CPO) with the powerful voices of the CPO AfriArts Choir, is proud to present a concert performance of Giuseppe Verdi’s Il Trovatore - for one night only - at Cape Town City Hall on 26th June.
The concert is presented with the generous support of the City of Cape Town and is part of the CPO’s Winter Symphonies at the City Hall season.
This is the first time in two decades that Il Trovatore will be performed in Cape Town - making this an unmissable moment for South African audiences. More than a revival, and with skilled Opera UCT director Jeremy Silver as conductor, this production offers a refined and resonant interpretation of Verdi’s masterpiece.
At the heart of Il Trovatore is a gripping story of love, loyalty, and vengeance, set against the backdrop of a civil war in 15th-century Spain. The opera follows the fates of Leonora, a noblewoman torn between duty and desire; Manrico, the mysterious troubadour she loves; and Count di Luna, her powerful and jealous suitor. Unbeknownst to all, Manrico’s true origins are tied to a dark secret involving the gypsy Azucena, who seeks revenge for a terrible injustice.
With soaring arias, stirring ensembles, and the famous “Anvil Chorus”, Il Trovatore is pure Verdi - bold, beautiful, and packed with emotion.
This one-night concert presentation brings together the exceptional talent of several Opera UCT alumni who are already having considerable international success, as well as current students, with the seasoned musicians of the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra. The added power of the AfriArts Choir promises a choral sound that will stir the soul and raise the roof.
“It’s incredibly exciting to have singers at Opera UCT who can truly do justice to this iconic Verdi score,” says Silver. “Bringing Il Trovatore to the Cape Town stage has long been a dream of mine, and to do so in collaboration with the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra - a first for us in a concert opera setting - makes this a truly special moment. Our approach echoes a growing international trend in casting and staging - favouring lyricism and lightness, allowing the music to breathe and the singers to become one with it, rather than dominating it.”
Louis Heyneman, CEO of the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra, shares Silver’s enthusiasm for the work, saying: “The CPO is delighted to partner with Opera UCT in presenting not only outstanding mainly young singers but in again giving a platform to the CPO Afri-Arts Choir we were instrumental in establishing two years ago.
“Since then, we have held two African celebrations with the choir, showcasing South African works, and this concert will show the singers in another genre.”
Under Silver’s baton, this performance offers a dynamic musical experience - stripped of sets and costumes, but rich with vocal drama and orchestral splendour. For newcomers to opera, it’s the perfect entry point; for seasoned fans, it’s a thrilling chance to hear Verdi’s masterpiece brought to life in an intimate yet powerful format.
Don’t miss this extraordinary evening of music and storytelling.
Event Details:
- Date: 26 June 2025
- Time: 19:30
- Venue: Cape Town City Hall
- Cost: R175 to R400 – there will be no platform seats
- Tickets are available online at Webtickets
The dress rehearsal at 14:00 on Wednesday, June 25, will also be open to the public with tickets on the Quicket platform. Students R65 per ticket and adults R125. For block bookings for schools and NGOs/NPOs, please email: info@fomct.com
Cast:
Leonora - Nontobeko Bhengu
Manrico - Mkhanyiseli Dyantyi
Azucena - Bongiwe Nakani
Count di Luna - Theo Magongoma
Ferrando - Monde Masimini
Social Media:
Opera UCT
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OperaUCT
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/operauct/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@operauct
CPO
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/capetownphilharmonicorchestra
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/capetownphilharmonic/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ctphilharmonic
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MusicScape/featured
For interviews, press access, or more information, please contact:
Kaz Henderson, kaz@networxpr.co.za or call on 082 339 1199.
Editor Notes:
Concert Performance Explained:
A concert performance of an opera differs from a fully staged production in that it focusses solely on the music and singing. While it features the full orchestra and vocal cast, it does not include costumes, sets, or stage movement. The singers typically perform from music stands or in front of the orchestra, allowing the audience to experience the score in its purest form. This format highlights the vocal and orchestral artistry, bringing the music front and centre in a powerful and immersive way.
About the principal roles:
Each of the four principal roles — Leonora (soprano), Manrico (tenor), Azucena (mezzo-soprano), and Count di Luna (baritone) — demand not only a combination of lyricism and vocal strength, but extraordinary range, flexibility, and stamina.
- Leonora, sung by Nontobeko Bhengu must soar into the upper register with long, lyrical lines and technical precision — especially in arias like “D’amor sull’ali rosee”, which demands both delicacy and emotional intensity.
- Manrico, sung by Mkhanyiseli Dyantyi, the titular troubadour, is infamous for “Di quella pira” — a show-stopping tenor aria that requires high Cs delivered with both bravado and clarity. The role also demands an expressive delicacy in his duets with Leonora and Azucena.
- Azucena, the gypsy and sung by Bongiwe Nakani, has one of Verdi’s most psychologically complex roles — and must convey deep emotional trauma through wide-ranging vocal shifts, from dramatic outbursts to hushed lullabies.
- Count di Luna, sung by Theo Magongoma, must balance lyricism with force, especially in his famous aria “Il balen del suo sorriso”, which demands breath control and finesse.
Unlike some operas that offer brief reprieves for the leads, Il Trovatore is relentless. The roles are not only hard individually — they’re hard in sequence, with little rest between challenging arias, duets, and ensembles. Singers must sustain emotional and vocal intensity over more than two hours.
The opera is rich with duets, trios, and full ensemble scenes that require impeccable timing, breath control, and balance— especially when working with a full chorus and orchestra, as in the famous “Anvil Chorus”.
About Opera UCT:
Opera UCT is an opera production company and Africa’s only comprehensive opera training programme on the continent. It is based at the University of Cape Town’s South African College of Music. Under the direction of Jeremy Silver, Opera UCT provides world-class vocal and stage training to emerging opera singers from South Africa, the continent and an increasing raft of international students. With a focus on artistic excellence, innovation, and inclusivity, the undergraduate and post graduate programmes produce dynamic performers who are equally at home on local and international stages. Opera UCT is dedicated to nurturing the next generation of operatic talent through performance, education, and collaboration. https://humanities.uct.ac.za/college-music/opera-uct
About the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra
For more than 100 years, the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra (CPO) has been the foremost orchestra in Africa, the oldest, most flexible and the most active. With an international reputation for excellence, the CPO presents regular symphony concerts, and in iconic venues and accompanies international superstars and opera, ballet and musicals. It also presents concerts in schools and communities, and engages with local musicians providing them with performance opportunities in annual variety gala concerts. Its youth development programme is the largest in the country, and many graduates have been appointed as full-time or ad hoc musicians in South Africa’s orchestras. Training begins in the mother-tongue Masidlale grass roots projects and progresses through the CP Music Academy where young musicians are taught and mentored by CPO musicians, They progress through strings and wind ensembles to the flagships, the Cape Town Philharmonic Youth Orchestra and Cape Town Philharmonic Youth Wind Ensemble. https://cpo.org.za