Pioneering black conductor Ofentse Pitse has plans to take on the world and work on more curated experiences after her historic collaboration with Kabelo Motha, popularly known as Kabza De Small.
Pitse over the weekend waved her conducting baton passionately at the Red Bull Symphonic, a one-of-a-kind show that brought together classical music and the popular South African genre, amapiano.
Tip of an iceberg
The 31-year-old told Sunday World recently in an interview that this is just the tip of the iceberg, as she plans to do more collaborations with like-minded artists who always show up at the highest level.
“The iconic show that Kabza and I put together was the result of months of meticulous preparation. As a professional, I contributed to a high-level curation of South African excellence, of which I am proud. As black children, what we accomplished this weekend was affirming. We created a seat at the table for two genres that are opposites, but we did it so beautifully because we knew how important it was for the culture,” said Pitse.
Pitse shared that the project felt like it was chosen for both her and Kabza. When the project was first introduced to her and the concept of an amapiano artist was brought forth, she felt strongly that Kabza was an excellent fit, given that he is the king of the genre.
“Given the success of this project, there is a strong desire to do more curated experiences together and with other like-minded musicians, even if they are not from the amapiano genre.”
Brass band foundation
Her family’s strong involvement in the Salvation Army got her involved in the church brass band at just 12 years of age. She was always around music and musicians, and her love for the orchestra stemmed from that.
“It is an amazing achievement to be titled the first young black South African woman to conduct her own orchestra. Although the trajectory of my career has not been organic, in that it has been a long and arduous journey, I always revere the important role I am playing in both the classical and popular music worlds.”
Pitse added that there are not enough opportunities in the orchestra space, and she believes that it is an expensive and elitist industry where opportunities do not present themselves as regularly.
“My biggest challenge is always trying to not be seen as just a pretty face in this male-dominated industry. There is also not enough access for black conductors in the orchestral world. There are a lot of closed doors.”
“My biggest highlight in my career has been conducting a 74-piece global female orchestra, with Alicia Keys. This is where we reimagined her iconic song ‘If I ain’t got you’, for Netflix’s Queen Charlotte series and the 20th anniversary of the song.”
