Portia Dube concentrates on her performance.

RELATED LINKS: What to do this week Outdoor adventure, heritage, family treats, new art or museum shows. Follow LUCILLE DAVIE'S weekly selection of the most interesting city activities. Read more Theatre Johannesburg's theatres are buzzing with innovative, indigenous theatre telling the story of post-apartheid South Africa with passion and energy, accompanied by vibrant dancing and singing. The city's Market Theatre in Newtown is part of a new inner city cultural precinct, now a hive of arts and entertainment. Read more Kat and the Kings - a musical must-see For a memorable night of foot-stomping music, Joburg audiences can't afford to miss the South African hit musical Kat and the Kings now on at Pieter Toerien's Montecasino Theatre. Read more Festival of Fame will go on Pupils from the National School of the Arts and other amateur and professional artists are presently preparing for this year's annual Festival of Fame. Read more Region 7 If one were looking for a microcosm of South Africa, one need look no further than Johannesburg's Alexandra region. Dominated by the sprawling old township area of Alexandra itself, it stretches some way north and far south to include industrial land and agricultural holdings as well as a range of previously white suburbs. Read more

McDonald Fickland takes the musicians throught their paces

Classical concerts in Alex THE Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra is determined to make classical music accessible to all the people of the city. And the first move is to hold monthly concerts in Alexandra. April 20, 2005 By Anish Abraham TAKING classical music to all the people of the city, the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra is to hold concerts in Alexandra on the last Sunday of every month. The concerts will take place at the Johannesburg Central College and will also feature advanced students from the South African Music Education Trust/Standard Bank Alex Music Project. These students go on to join the orchestra. Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra's development director Shadrack Bokaba performs with Skhumbuzo Dlamini The first concert, to be conducted by Michael Hankinson, will take place on Sunday 24 April and features Mozart's Marriage of Figaro Overture and Schubert's Symphony No. 8, "The Unfinished". The move to bring classical music into the township is "part of our responsibility to take the orchestra to the people of the city", according to the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra's development director Shadrack Bokaba. "We realise a lot of people want to attend performances but are unable to afford the tickets or transport costs," he added. To ensure that the performances are affordable, the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra has secured funding from the National Lottery's Distribution Fund. Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra's Violeta Miljkovic (viola) with students of the South African Music Education Trust/Standard Bank Alex Music Project Bokaba says that the concerts in Alexandra are only the beginning. "We are looking at taking the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra to other parts of the city as well," he adds. The Sunday shows at the Johannesburg Central College, corner of Canning and Nineth roads, Alexandra, start at 3pm and tickets are R5. Other concert dates are: 29 May, 26 June, 31 July, 28 August, 25 September, 30 October and 27 November. For more information call the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra on 011 789 2733. Permission to use web site material Publishers may use material from this site free of charge, as long as: Credit is given to either the "City of Johannesburg website (www.joburg.org.za)" or to "Johannesburg News Agency (www.joburg.org.za)"; If the article is used online, a link is provided to the original article on this website; The name of the article's author is acknowledged; The webmaster is informed of how and where the material is used (fill in this brief online form). Johannesburg News Agency is operated by BIG Media at 011-484-1400 Print this Page E-mail this article to a friend Help using Joburg.org.za