Cape Town - He was fortunate enough to survive the devastating earthquakes that struck Türkiye recently and he is now excited about the world premiere of his first “Xhosa Requiem”.
Litha Jali is currently working in Türkiye and survived three earthquakes which struck this month, the most recent one being earlier this week.
He will not be able to physically attend the premiere but is thrilled that his work will be showcased at the Cape Town City Hall on March 5.
Jali said the requiem’s inspiration was his mother, who died more than a decade ago.
Jali grew up in Butterworth in the Eastern Cape. He started composing music before he could actually write it and taught himself notation.
He wrote his first piece at the age of 16, a setting to a poem, “Goodnight Irene”. It was two minutes long and was for soprano, alto, tenor and baritone with piano.
After school he attended the University of Fort Hare where he studied for a Bachelor of Arts in Music degree.
In 2013 he completed a post-graduate Certificate in Education.
He then became a transcriber of music for the Western Cape Choral Music Association. Jali also works as a singer, travelling the world with international entertainment company Umberto, based in Türkiye.
This performance is funded by the National Arts Council courtesy of the 2022 Presidential Employment Stimulus Programme of the Department of Sport, Arts & Culture.
“My childhood was a very happy one. I was raised by my mother,” Jali said.
“A requiem is written for many different reasons. Mine is written specifically for my mother, who passed away in 2011. I wanted to write a song for her, but one composer, Mr Magatyana, wrote a song titled ”Mama“, so I thought that people might think I’d stolen his idea. Then in 2019, December to be exact, I thought of writing a requiem for her. A requiem is a work that is written in remembrance of people who have passed away.”
Jali explained that music and notes came naturally to him as a child. He continues to live out his passion daily despite suffering a stroke three years ago.
He said he had been in Türkiye since December, working for an entertainment company. They sing in hotels - “about 10 of them since it’s winter and most of the others we will go to are closed for that reason”.
SA Operatunity said they were delighted to announce the world premiere of Jali's “Xhosa Requiem”.
“This work, the first requiem in isiXhosa, is set for four soloists, a choir and an orchestra. However, the orchestra will be replaced by two pianos for this premiere performance.”
The soloists are Ondelwa Mjana Martins (soprano), Linda Mbozi (mezzo), Sakhi Martins (tenor) and Phelo Nodlayiya (bass). The project is under the musical direction of David Lubbe, who will be principal pianist.
Conductor Samukelo Mhlongo will conduct all the singers, including the 60-member choir from the Injomane Arts Company, an arts organisation that draws its members from Crossroads and Nyanga in Cape Town.
“Mhlongo, a baritone and choirmaster, has conducted choirs such as the UCT Choir for Africa and has worked as a singer with opera companies nationwide.
“SA Operatunity, a non-profit, brings this new work to life as part of its mission to create performance opportunities and platforms for artists and composers.”
Tickets are available at Quicket. A limited number of tickets will be available at the door.