The music of Mozart, Puccini, Bizet and Gounod will regale local audiences as rising opera singer, playwright and composer Galilei Njembo presents ‘A Night at The Opera’ this Friday.
Recently nominated as theatre’s best newcomer actor at the Namibian Theatre and Film Awards, Njembo follows his acclaimed ‘You Have Loved Enough’ with an opera and art song recital featuring Russian soprano Liza Dreyden accompanied by Ebbie Becker on piano and hosted by Nythen Dien.
Described as an evening of elegance and high culture, the event is a fundraiser to support the Namibian tenor’s studies at Canada’s esteemed McGill University. Njembo will commence his master’s in voice and opera at the university in September. The recital marks his last public performance in Namibia for the next few years.
While opera is not something one can regularly enjoy in Namibia, Njembo is a long-time advocate for the art form.
“My journey into opera was rather unexpected – it was all an accident! It all began with my mother listening to classical (vocal) music while I was still developing in her womb. My parents engaged with lots of academic research encouraging this practice to promote the prenatal development of the prefrontal cortex,” says Njembo. “I am still waiting to reap the rewards of this high degree of critical thinking, I sometimes think.”
By age 14, Njembo had started and lost interest in learning piano but knew he wanted to be a singer – not an opera singer, but a pop artist. At 16, he applied for singing classes at the College of the Arts, auditioning with John Legend’s ‘All of Me’ and one of his own songs.
“During my first lesson, my teacher, Hermien Coetzee, provided me with sheet music of an Italian piece. I last read sheet music when I was seven. I had never read Italian!” says Njembo.
“But I followed her instruction: inhale this way, raise your soft palate, vibrate, place your sound here and not there. I followed suit, but the sound that came out was more powerful than what I thought was possible for my still developing pubescent physique.”
It turns out Njembo had applied to the wrong department. He was enrolled for classical rather than contemporary singing.
“I didn’t mind. I thought to take on the challenge and see what I could learn from this for my pop career,” says Njembo. “But before my mind could wholly manifest the idea of my future indie pop/rock artist career, I was fully and willfully enthralled by opera and classical music.”
Njembo completed his bachelor of music in voice performance with a minor in composition at McGill University at age 23. In the time since, he has performed professionally in Canada, Mexico, Namibia, South Africa and Germany.
Reflecting on why opera is such a thrilling medium, Njembo says audiences can literally feel the music in their bones.
“Science informs us that opera singers sing within a specific frequency range allowing their voices to carry above the orchestra and giving the impression of amplification in large rooms,” says Njembo. “This frequency is not only heard but literally felt in the audience’s bones. It is a profoundly vulnerable art form which must be experienced live.”
As Njembo prepares to commence his studies at McGill in September, despite a sizeable scholarship and support from family, there are still costs to be covered.
“The support would mean the world to me. My successes are not my own. They also allow me to continue giving back to the choirs and vocal ensembles where I volunteer my time and expertise,” says Njembo.
“This will be the perfect setup for the tertiary level music and performance arts college I hope to establish in the coming decades,” Njembo says.
“A win for one Namibian artist abroad is always a win for all Namibians.”
‘A Night at the Opera’ will take place at the Eros Dutch Reformed Church at 19h00 on Friday, 31 July. Tickets are available from nam-events.com. Patrons can enjoy a red carpet and glass of champagne from 18h00.
– martha@namibian.com.na; Martha Mukaiwa on Twitter and Instagram; marthamukaiwa.com
