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Beat Bulletin July 2013

Dear SAMRO Music Creators

First of all, we would like to extend a warm welcome to Sipho Dlamini, the new CEO of SAMRO, who took over the reins from Nick Motsatse at the beginning of July. His tenure kicked off on a high note with the inaugural Wawela Music Awards, which celebrated our country’s top composers and set the tone for what will no doubt be a year packed with further creative highlights.

One of our Wawela award recipients, composer Philip Miller, has done South Africa proud by scooping an Emmy nomination for the score he created for an HBO television movie. Plus, another illustrious Wawela winner, Mbongeni Ngema, paid SAMRO a visit recently to pick up his award in person. You can read more about these stories in this month’s newsletter.

More great news is that SAMRO has opened a new satellite office at Durban’s BAT Centre to serve our KwaZulu-Natal members, and we hope to be launching more such centres soon.

Plus, we profile songwriter and businesswoman Mynie Grové and invite artist submissions for the annual MOSHITO music conference and exhibition – the perfect platform for musicians to network and showcase their music.

Would you like to be profiled in a future newsletter? Do you have any news that you would like to share with fellow SAMRO members? Please contact us at online@samro.org.za – we look forward to your comments and ideas for possible inclusion in The Beat Bulletin.

Enjoy!

Tiyani Maluleke

GM: Marketing

CALL FOR SHOWCASE APPLICATIONS FOR MOSHITO 2013

Musicians are invited to submit proposals to showcase their creativity at MOSHITO, South Africa’s premier music conference and exhibition, taking place from 21 to 23 September 2013 at the Sandton Convention Centre.

CALL FOR SHOWCASE APPLICATIONS FOR MOSHITO 2013

Emerging and established musicians or bands, representing different styles and genres, have until 31 August to motivate why they should be given the opportunity to perform live at MOSHITO 2013.

Successful artists will be chosen based on the following criteria:

1)Their ability to fund their travel and accommodation at MOSHITO 2013;

2)A compelling creative proposal for the event; and

3) Their ability to perform live.

 

Should you wish to apply, kindly submit the following media and documents:

A)Creative proposal;

B)MP3 containing two songs;

C)Biography;

D)Three high-resolution performance or publicity photos; and

E) Press clippings (where available).

 

Email the information to showcases@moshito.co.za for consideration, or deliver it to

10 Henry Nxumalo Street, Newtown, Johannesburg, 2001.

Phone 011 838 9145 for more information.

MBONGENI NGEMA COLLECTS HIS WAWELA MUSIC AWARD

Performing arts icon Mbongeni Ngema visited SAMRO head office in Braamfontein in July to collect his Wawela Recognition Award.

MBONGENI NGEMA COLLECTS HIS WAWELA MUSIC AWARD

At the time of the inaugural Wawela Music Awards ceremony at the Sandton Convention Centre on 28 June 2013, Ngema was at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown performing in his latest play, The Zulu, and could therefore not accept his award in person on the night.

Ngema says: “Collecting the award from SAMRO was a humbling experience. It feels so good to win this – it was a complete surprise. It was important to me to collect this award in person.

“SAMRO is an institution that understands music composition and what it takes for composers to create the music that they do. That’s why my Wawela Music Award means so much.”

Tiyani Maluleke, General Manager: Marketing at SAMRO, says: “On behalf of SAMRO, I was very honoured to present Mbongeni Ngema with the prestigious award.

“SAMRO is also honoured that he made the trek to Johannesburg to receive the award himself. It was a truly momentous occasion for both SAMRO and Mr Ngema.”

Ngema, considered to be a national treasure of South African theatre as a lyricist, composer, director and actor, has made a long-awaited return to the stage for the first time in many years in The Zulu.

Famed for creating and producing theatrical blockbusters through the years such as Sarafina! (which was also made into an international film), Woza Albert! and Asinamali!, in The Zulu, Ngema taps into his own heritage of traditional storytelling.

The Wawela Inaugural Recognition Award was presented to Ngema by SAMRO in tribute to a decorated career that is sure to yield many more highlights, honouring this important cultural ambassador for his contribution to the South African music and musical theatre landscape.

MEMBER PROFILE: MYNIE GROVÉ

Acclaimed singer and television personality Mynie Grové was composing music and playing the piano before she had even learnt to read, and is today forging a successful career that merges her aptitude for both music and business.

MEMBER PROFILE: MYNIE GROVÉ

The talented youngster was a founding member of the Claude Larson Singers, which developed into the duo Mynie & Jan. German producer Larson taught her the basics of studio production, session work, music arrangement and music publishing. Eventually, Grové went solo and later signed with Moonshine Records and formed her own music publishing company.

Over the years, the award-winning songstress has performed and recorded with musicians such as Ringo Madlingozi, Judith Sephuma, Yvonne Chaka Chaka, Brenda Fassie, Anton Goosen, Nataniël and Karen Zoid. She has also shared the spotlight with international superstars like Gloria Estefan, Andy Gibb and Erasure. In addition, her Amagroove Youth Choir has performed with Josh Groban and Diana Ross and toured South Africa with Michael Bublé in 2007.

She also manages a publishing catalogue of her own material, comprising some 450 songs and compositions, and believes that music remains a valuable commodity.

“No industry in the world can operate without music,” says Grové. “Everybody these days has earphones plugged in, as well as smartphones and other devices, listening to music. Music is involved with everything.”

The multi-talented songbird’s Amagroove Music provides a music service to corporates. It is this business sense that has served Grové well in her work with, among others, the Shoprite Checkers group. In an innovative synergy between business and music, she offers Shoprite employees the opportunity to showcase their singing skills. Her company offers competitions, prizes, coaching and motivational talks, using music as the focus.

“Music is the tool to build value in workers – everyone from management to the shelf-packer,” she explains. “We use singing, which is part of the cultural fabric of the African continent. We’ve all grown up with lullabies, hymns, traditional songs and anthems.”

Shoprite allows its workers time to attend these music sessions and events. They are then able to enter the competitions with their own recordings. Grové adds: “They realise that human equity in business is the most important thing. We want to help people realise their own potential and to believe in themselves. It’s also about having fun in a work environment. They get to see themselves in another light.”

•Check out http://myniegrove.wordpress.com.

SA’S PHILIP MILLER NOMINATED FOR EMMY

SAMRO congratulates South African composer Philip Miller on his 2013 Primetime Emmy Awards nomination for his original music score for the television movie The Girl.

SA’S PHILIP MILLER NOMINATED FOR EMMY

His fellow nominees are Lorne Balfe for Restless, Dirk Brossé for Parade’s End and Ivor Guest for Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God.

In June,  Miller took home the prize in the category, Best Soundtrack in a Feature Film or Theatric Documentary at the  inaugural Wawela Music Awards, for his composition in the film Leaving Father.

Miller says of the Emmy nomination: “I am thrilled to have been nominated for an Emmy Award.  It’s great to be recognised for one’s work and affirmed by one’s peers.” He adds: “The Girl was directed by Julian Jarrold for HBO and stars Sienna Miller and Toby Young. It’s about the actress Tippi Hedren and Alfred Hitchcock and the making of The Birds.”

The Emmy nomination is a coup for Miller, who studied music composition at the University of Cape Town Music School and completed his postgraduate studies in electro-acoustic music composition for film and television at Bournemouth University in the UK.

He has worked with some of the most innovative filmmakers and visual artists to emerge from South Africa, and has composed music for the soundtracks to many local and international film and television productions.

Recent film scores include Steven Silver’s The Bang Bang Club (nominated for a Genie Award in Canada) and Black Butterflies (named best film score at the 2012 South African Film and Television Awards). The talented composer has collaborated extensively with internationally acclaimed South African artist William Kentridge. His music for Kentridge’s five-screen multimedia installation, The Refusal of Time, at the Tate Modern in London, received much acclaim.

Miller has also produced many albums, including The Thula Project, and the soundtracks to both Black Box/Chambre Noir and Nine Drawings for Projection by Kentridge.  Some of his best-known soundtracks can be found on the Soundscapes compilation of his compositions. Miller’s latest soundtrack release is The Refusal of Time, which premiered in 2012 at Dokumenta13 in Germany.

The Emmy Awards will be held on 15 September 2013, during which South Africans will be waiting with bated breath to see if Miller scoops the award.

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