On the 18th of July, I had the honour of curating my own Performance Masterclass together with The Performance Agency, for African Bank’s ‘50 year celebration of audacity’.

As compelling as my story is, I thought this to be an almost impossible act to follow from former President Thabo Mbeki, Siya Kholisi, and Eliud Kipchoge; all of which are giants who are celebrated the world over.

The masterclass was structured into three movements titled – The Dreamer, The Conductor, The Performance.

Movement 1 paid homage to my grandfather, Otto Pitse, who founded ‘The Jazz Maniacs’ in 1930 Sophiatown and helped shape the sound and careers of South Africa’s most iconic jazz legends. It is from him that I inherited my deep connection to music, identity, and serving my community.

My mom, Matshidiso Pitse was a trailblazer in her own right, who instilled the courage to dream beyond our circumstances, and to never settle.

Movement 2 was a turning point in my life where Mam’ Judith Sephuma and Bob Mabena restored my belief in my gift, purpose, and power; by inviting me to The Power of Dreams concert in 2019.

This catapulted me to various bold collaborations, the most career-defining one being that of reimagining ‘If I ain’t got you’ with Alicia Keys and a 74-piece global female orchestra for Netflix’s ‘Queen Chatlotte’.

The final movement was a celebration of my most recent audacious collaboration, an electrifying fusion of orchestra and amapiano

It was an honour to have my brother Kabza de Small, be there to help tell this pioneering part of my story, oh his album launch day. Ngiyabonga, Don Papta

I would also like to extend a huge thank you to my mentor and coach, Maestro Brandon Phillips for preparing me for this event. I will continue getting better and better because of how you hold me accountable to my ultimate dreams.

Lastly, this masterclass was an invitation to orchestrate the performance that organisations need. Every one of you is a conductor in your own right. Be it leading a team, a project, or just making a decision – we are all responsible for creating the conditions for performance.

To more of audacity 🐘🎻

📸: awizy mudau