Friends of Cape Town Opera FOCTO

17/09/2026

That is an incredible milestone, and FoCTO has every reason to beam with pride! Opportunities like this—where young artists get to collaborate directly with world-class international creatives like Peggy Wu, Talia Stern, Allegra Bernachioni, Eric Hunt, the list goes on—are transformative.

The energy in Room C6 comes through clearly in these photos. Seeing the students engaged in the presentation and actively singing through the Don Giovanni sketches in front of the screen shows just how much talent, dedication, and heart are being poured into this upcoming production.

What a wonderful testament to the incredible work being done to support and elevate the next generation of operatic talent.

12/09/2026

🎭 SAVE THE DATES: MOZART’S DON GIOVANNI 🎭

Opera UCT proudly presents Mozart’s legendary opera, Don Giovanni, at the Pam Golding Theatre at The Baxter.

Directed by Talia Stern and conducted by Jeremy Silver and Peggy Wu, this production features the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra and promises an unforgettable evening of magnificent music and theatre.

📅 Performance dates:

Thursday, 22 October 2026 at 19:00
Friday, 23 October 2026 at 19:00
Saturday, 24 October 2026 at 19:00
Sunday, 25 October 2026 at 15:00

📍 The Pam Golding Theatre at The Baxter
🎟️ Bookings through Webtickets

Opera Friends Cape Town is delighted to share this exciting production and encourages all opera lovers to book early!

05/09/2026

🎉 HUGE CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE WINNERS OF THE 25TH SCHOCK FOUNDATION PRIZE FOR SINGING! 🎉

What a spectacular evening of talent at the Baxter Concert Hall! We are bursting with pride for our FoCTO family and all the outstanding performers who graced that stage. 👏🎶

A very special MASSIVE CONGRATULATIONS to SISA MJEKULA – the OVERALL WINNER of this year's competition! 🏆✨

Sisa, a former FoCTO bursary winner, has done us incredibly proud. Not only did he take home the top prize, but he also swept the Best Opera Aria and Best Oratorio Aria categories! And to top it all off, Sisa has just completed a four-month Young Artist residency at Garsington Opera in the UK – a prestigious partnership between Garsington Opera and Opera UCT. What an extraordinary journey! 🌍🎤

02/09/2026

🎶 DON’T MISS THE 25TH SCHOCK FOUNDATION PRIZE FOR SINGING! 🎶

This is THE voice competition of the year – and it’s a milestone anniversary! 🥳🎤

Join us on Friday 4 September 2026 at 7pm at the Baxter Concert Hall for an unforgettable evening of world-class vocal talent. Our brilliant SACM and OperaUCT students will be battling it out for top honours, including:

🏆 Best South African Song
🎭 Best Opera Aria
🎵 Best Art Song
⛪ Best Aria from an Oratorio
❤️ And the ever-popular Audience Prize!

With R55 000 in prizes up for grabs, you can expect nothing less than extraordinary performances from some of the most promising young voices in the country.

We are especially proud to cheer on our very own FoCTO students taking to that stage – you’ve worked so hard, and we are behind you all the way! 💙👏

And to all our supporters – come out in full force, fill those seats, and show your love for your favourites! This one is going to be a full house, so book your tickets ASAP via Pick n Pay or through Webtickets.

Let’s pack the Baxter and celebrate the power of song, the spirit of competition, and the future of opera and classical music in South Africa! 🇿🇦🎶

See you there! WALALA WASALA! 🎟️✨

21/08/2026

🎭 Can you spot our star? ⭐

What a wonderful evening of music and celebration at the Baxter Theatre on Tuesday!

Among these talented young singers is someone very special to FoCTO—an artist we are proud to support. Can you guess who it is? 👀🎶

Study the photographs carefully and write your answer in the comments below. Let’s see who gets it right! 😄

We’ll reveal the answer soon…

17/08/2026

🎉 What a Soiree to remember!
A huge thank you to everyone who came and made Sunday 16 August so special. Your support means the world to us.
And a very special congratulations to our incredible student – we are all so proud of you! 🌟
Another special thank you to Mr. Kieswetter for sharing his opera love and passion with us (even treating us to a few songs at the piano!). Let us admit, he can still share a stage with ours 🥰
Here are just a few snapshots from the afternoon at 3 Dunkeld Avenue, Bishops Court.
Stay tuned for more updates from FoCTO!

11/08/2026

Eight years may pass, but a voice—and a spirit—like George’s remains unforgettable. His extraordinary talent set a standard on stage, but it was his generous heart, humor, and warmth off-stage that left a lasting mark on everyone who had the privilege of working alongside him.

Here is a tribute draft you can share, capturing his artistry and the deep warmth he shared with friends, colleagues, and the opera community:

Honouring the Memory of George Stevens 🌹🎶

Eight years ago, we lost a true light in our musical family, the wonderful George Stevens.

To the world, George was an extraordinary artist—a voice of profound strength, beauty, and expression that resonated through every hall he performed in and moved audiences deeply. But to those of us who shared stages, rehearsals, and quiet moments behind the scenes with him, George was so much more than his brilliant craft.

He was a cherished friend and colleague whose warmth, generosity, and genuine kindness made everyone feel seen and welcomed. His laughter was infectious, and his presence brought a natural grounding light to every space he entered.

While time moves on, the gift of his vocal mastery and the warmth of his spirit remain woven into our hearts. May George’s incredible legacy continue to inspire young voices, uplift music lovers, and remind us of the power of true artistry paired with a noble heart.

Forever remembered, dearly missed, and always held in our fondest memories. 💕🙏🏼🌸

26/07/2026

26/07/2026

🎶 When your peers sing your praises...

We love seeing Mziwamadoda Sipho Nodlayiya celebrated not just by audiences, but by the incredible artists he shares the stage with.

Keith Klein, a fellow member of the Staatsoper Hamburg studio program, recently shared this beautiful tribute to their time together in Hamburg – naming Mziwamadoda among a group of "good, kind, and earnest people" in this industry.

"Transformative is really putting it lightly," Keith wrote of his two years in the program. And we couldn't be more proud that our Mziwamadoda is part of that transformative journey.

It takes a village to raise an artist, and seeing this level of mutual respect and camaraderie among these young stars is truly heartwarming. 🤝✨

Keep soaring, Mziwamadoda! The world is watching. Hhalala!👏

24/07/2026

🎭 Mziwamadoda Sipho Nodlayiya – Making Waves in Hamburg!

Yet again, one of our FoCTO-sponsored Mziwamadoda is flying the flag high on the international stage! 🌍✨

We're incredibly proud to share that Mziwamadoda recently made his Tamino debut at the prestigious Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg, in a beautiful production directed by Christian Poewe and conducted by Willem Wentzel with the Symphoniker Hamburg.

Taking on the iconic role of Tamino in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte is no small feat, and he describes it as a journey that "challenged me in ways I never could have imagined and taught me so much along the way."

From Cape Town to Germany – our talent continues to shine bright! 👏

Join us in congratulating Mziwamadoda on this incredible milestone. Here's to many more Taminos to come! 🎶