Neo Muyanga
Neo Muyanga was born in Soweto, into a family of traditional composers and makers of the Mozambican Timbila (tuned wood percussion instrument). He studied the Italian madrigal tradition with choral maestro, Piero Poclen, in Trieste, Italy. In the mid 90's he co-founded the acoustic guitar duo, BLK Sonshine, together with Masauko Chipembere ("Born in a taxi; Soul Smile"), touring extensively throughout Southern Africa, the United States and western Europe.
Neo has composed works and musically directed across a variety of genres including contemporary African dance (Jazzart dance theatre's "Rain in a dead man's Footprints" and "Cargo"); plays (Max Frisch's "the Fireraisers" directed by Magnet Theatre's Mark Fleishman and " the Tempest ", co-produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company, directed by Janice Honeyman and starring John Kani and Sir Anthony Sher); and film ("Land of Thirst" directed by Meg Rickards and "Believe" written and directed by Erica Anyadike).
His artist residency awards have included stints at British theatre director Jude Kelly's Metal Culture and the Drama Department at The University of Cape Town.
Neo composes works for choir and chamber ensemble.
He also continues to tour widely as a solo performer and as a member of BLK Sonshine.
WORKS
albums:
Blk Sonshine (1999), The Listening Room (2003),
Fire Famine Plague and Earthquake (2007), A Good Life (2009)
commissions:
the sweet metal songs - scored for 20 singers, 2006
moya - scored for string quartet, 2007
'ma siphupha siphupha nga manzi (when we dream we dream of water) - scored for violin and harp, 2008
tricolor ankh (a turbulent short-story concerning the love affair between cleopatra and antony) - scored for flute, piano and cello, 2009
