Upcoming Performances
Musica Mantovana
Vincenzo I Gonzaga ruled as Duke of Mantua from 1587 until his death in 1612. He was a major patron of the arts and sciences and invested large sums to secure Mantua’s renown as a cultural centre. He awarded court appointments to some of the great minds of the time, including the artist Peter Paul Rubens, the poet Toquato Tasso, and the astronomer Giovanni Antonio Magini, who was also tasked with tutoring his sons. Gonzaga’s fame as a patron drew Galileo Galilei to Mantua to obtain a position, but an agreement was never reached. Mantua became home to some of the greatest composers of the day, including Wert, Viadana, Gastoldi, Rossi, and, of course, Monteverdi. During this time, Monteverdi and Rossi worked closely together, and their innovations are regularly cited as the birth of Baroque Music.
Today, we present a programme centred on excerpts from Monteverdi’s l’Orfeo, the first opera ever written and still performed today. These are complimented with works by Monteverdi’s contemporaries from the Mantuan Court, including Salomone Rossi and Lodovico Grossi da Viadana.
Musica Mantovana: The Birth of the Baroque
Johannesburg
07 May 2025 19:30
St. Francis Anglican Church, Johannesburg
Earlybird @ R180 until 31 March Quicket
Online @ R200 until 6 May
Door @ R250 subject to availability
Tickets include a glass of wine after the performance
We are delighted to return to the St. Francis Music Festival. The festival includes a lineup of wonderful performers throughout the week, click here for bookings and more information.
The 2025 St. Francis Music Festival
Johannesburg
OUR CONCERTS
Do not expect a symphony concert. Our performances are not the formal affairs that one expects from a symphony concert, opera or classical chamber concert and neither is the music that we perform. In fact, almost all of the music we play predates the idea of a concert! You will certainly not find our musicians performing in suit and tie, so feel free to dress however feels appropriate.
We like to keep our concerts small, it is important to us that we can directly connect with our audiences. We want our audiences to feel like an active part of the event.
Maestro Adam H. Golding always speaks between the musical numbers, providing context and uses the music to weave together a story including anecdotes that range from hilarious to grotesque.
Concerts are usually between 60 and 90 minutes.
Upcoming Collaboration
We cannot contain our excitement over our upcoming collaboration with William Kentridge and The Centre for the Less Good Idea. At the end of May, we will embark on a collaborative exploration of music and film, drawing from our Mantuan programme. The project will push the musicians and audiences outside of our comfort zones, experimenting with the music in novel ways. The collaboration will conclude with a public exposition. Stay tuned for more details, this will be unlike anything we have done before!
The project will culminate with a public exposition on the evening of 30 May at The Centre for the Less Good Idea, so save the date!
Past Performances
Musica Mantovana: The Birth of the Baroque
30 March 2025, Nazareth House Chapel, Pretoria
Madness, Mischief, and Mistresses
08 September 2024, The Lion’s Den Restaurant, Pretoria
Carlos V: Music of the Emperor
02 June 2024, 15:00, Christ Church Arcadia, Pretoria
Carlos V: Music of the Emperor
09 May 2024, 19:30, St. Francis Church, Parkview, Johannesburg
Madness, Mischief, and Mistresses
22 March, 2024, 13:00, The Sandton Theatre on the Square, Johannesburg
Vivaldi for all Seasons – Lesser known (but equally great) masterpieces by The Red Priest
04 February 2024, 15:00, Chirst Church Arcadia, Pretoria
Hidden Treasures of the Hebrew Baroque: A concert 400 years in the making
28 and 29 October, 2023, Temple Israel, Wynberg, Cape Town
Hidden Treasures of the Hebrew Baroque: A concert 400 years in the making
22 October, 2023, Ben Schoeman Auditorium, Afrikaans Hoer Seunskool, Pretoria
Vivaldi for all Seasons – Lesser known (but equally great) masterpieces by The Red Priest
14 September 2023, 19:30, St. Francis Church, Parkview, Johannesburg
A Celebration of the Voice: Vocal Music from the 16th, 17th and 18th Centuries.
04 June 2023, 11:00, The Lion’s Den Restaurant, Pretoria
No Strings Attached – Renaissance and Baroque music without violins
13 May 2023, 15:00, Pretoria Art Museum.
A Retrospective Exhibition of the works of Dirk Meerkotter
No Strings Attached – Renaissance and Baroque music without violins
11 May 2023, 19:30, St. Francis Anglican Church, Parkview, Johannesburg
The St. Francis Music Festival
Hidden Treasures of the Hebrew Baroque: A concert 400 years in the making
25 and 26 March, 2023, Christopher Seabrooke Music Hall, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg
Familiar and Obscure Highlights from the Baroque and Renaissance
21 January 2023, 15:30, Nazareth House, Waterkloof, Pretoria
Familiar and Obscure Highlights from the Baroque and Renaissance
10 November 2022, 19:00, St. Francis Anglican Church, Parkview, Johannesburg
Byrd to Bach: A Musical Journey through the Renaissance and Baroque
21 May, 2022, 15:00, Nazareth House, Waterkloof, Pretoria
Byrd to Bach: A Musical Journey through the Renaissance and Baroque
12 May, 2022, 19:00, St. Francis Anglican Church, Parkview, Johannesburg
The St. Francis Music Festival
Byrd to Bach: A Musical Journey through the Renaissance and Baroque
21 and 22 March, Papillion Theatre, Wakkerstroom
The Wakkerstroom Music Festival
The Forgotten Years of the Middle Baroque
21 November 2021, 15:00, Nazareth House, Waterkloof, Pretoria
The Forgotten Years of the Middle Baroque
09 October 2021, St. George’s Anglican Church, Parktown, Johannesburg
The High Baroque
29 May 2021, St. Francis Anglican Church, Parkview, Johannesburg
Temptations of the Renaissance
28 March 2021, St. Francis Anglican Church, Parkview, Johannesburg
A Celebration of the Voice: Vocal Music from the 17th and 18th Centuries.
24 November 2019, St. Francis Anglican Church, Parkview, Johannesburg
Into the Baroque
17 June 2019, Christchurch, Arcadia, Pretoria
Into the Baroque
08 May 2019, St. Francis Anglican Church, Parkview, Johannesburg