One of SA’s longest-standing development programs aimed at equipping songwriters with expertise, ATKV-Crescendo, has selected some of the country’s most undiscovered musical talents to move forward to the next round of this year’s ATKV-Crescendo Mentor Programme.
This program has addressed the need to train and develop talented musicians since 2014.
Participants must submit a song written by themselves. They are encouraged to write and sing in their own dialect, ensuring a constant flow of new talent, songs, voices, and sounds into the Afrikaans music industry.
Auditions were held nationwide, but digital submissions were also accepted.
From hundreds of entries, twenty-two finalists were selected in collaboration with Expression Session to attend this year’s ATKV Mentor Programme from 23 to 27 March at House Theo Pauw, Paarl.
The week consisted of a series of hour-long sessions presented by experts such as Anna Davel, Melissa van der Spuy, Danie du Toit, and Deon Meiring.
In some of these sessions, participants had to write a new song in an hour and perform it afterward.
This was a build-up to the final task of the program: performing one song at the closing concert.
“The Mentor Programme places a tremendous amount of focus on human development,” explains course leader Robin-Dean Fourie.”
“Training is based on the core principles of character and integrity. We want to pass on knowledge and expertise in the disciplines of entrepreneurship and self-management to enable promising talent to grow within the music industry while being self-sustaining as well. “
Twelve finalists were selected after a week of grueling challenges.
These musicians will attend a final workshop in Stellenbosch during the October school holidays.
Members of the public will be able to attend the concert at the end of that week during a major ATKV-Crescendo production.
The Top Finalists
The finalists are:
- Chresville Adendorf, Worcester (24)
- Leigh-Muir Booysen, Worcester (23)
- Annika Boshoff, Cape Town (31)
- Marsha Bothma, Bellville Suné Damons, Worcester (27) Suné Damons, Worcester (24)
- Athina Sue Chanté Jansen, Brackenfell (28)
- Alzanley Noome, Centurion (23)
- Leandi Schmidt, Olifantsfontein, (28)
- MJ Scholz, Middelburg, Mpumalanga, (24)
- Renée van Niekerk, Somerset West (22)
- Worcester’s Selby Williams (29)
- Worcester’s Aidam-John Zekoe (24)
These top-class mentors and industry specialists will continue working with the finalists even after the Mentor Programme.
“We are dedicated to helping them hone their skills in pursuit of a successful music career in South Africa,” says Robin-Dean Fourie. “This is about so much more than just finding talent.
We create opportunities for them to perform their own music while growing their stardom in a very competitive business. “
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