Thokozani Ndumiso Mhlambi cello
Tommy Archuleta spoken word
Thokozani Ndumiso Mhlambi is a South African composer, cellist and cultural thinker. Mhlambi’s music explores the iconic cultural legacy of the region—the likes of Busi Mhlongo, Princess Magogo, Mazisi Kunene—creatively through new music, combining African and classical elements. He is often seen talking with his audiences while on stage, teaching on African innovative and dramatic forms, while gripping them in mesmeric music textures, of song and declamatory vocal lines. Mhlambi’s compositions are simple and yet musically incisive; they show a deep engagement with the archive (the rich history of southern Africa) whilst wrestling with contemporary forms; they convey the rigours of Western classical discipline, with the imaginative limitlessness of African performance traditions. He is the NRF Postdoctoral Fellow in Innovation at the Archive & Public Culture Research Initiative at the University of Cape Town.