Homegrown opera is hit in SA

LOCAL IS LEKKER: CAPE TOWN COMPANY COFOUNDED BY ITALIAN MAKES GENRE ACCESSIBLE TO ALL

- Bronwen Roberts

» Outreach programme sends singers to schools, townships.

South African opera has developed its own unique style - both in the make-up of its casts and its dramatic themes in the three decades since the end of apartheid, experts say.

With South African stars shining on the international stage, opera has boomed since racial barriers were scrapped in 1994, drawing in talent from SA's great choral traditions to carve out an important place in a hugely diverse cultural landscape.

Much of the change has been driven by the 25-year-old Cape Town Opera, that is considered to be Africa's most successful opera company.

The grandfather of it all is Italian-born Angelo Gobbato, a former singer who cofounded the company five years after apartheid ended.

He was honoured in March with a lifetime achievement award for his contribution to SA opera.

When the company was starting out, Gobbato staged Donizetti's dramatic Lucia di Lammermoor with lead singers brought in from abroad.