FIKILE MVINJELWA, baritone
A late starter in the opera world, Fikile Mvinjelwa has more than made up for lost time. The 36-year-old performer from Cape Town has now added the Young Artist Award for Music to his growing list of prizes.
"It boosts your morale," he says. "It's a very good thing. People always say that opera is a Eurocentric art form. This should make them understand everyone can do opera."
Throughout Fikile's childhood -- "at Sunday school, at church, lower primary, higher primary, in the school choir" -- he sang. "I can remember coming second in a competition in the 70s but had no training and no technique."
In Butterworth, where he completed his secondary education, he joined the Bianca Voices. On moving to Cape Town he became a member of the Princess Square Singers.
"When I first heard the voices of the soloists," he recalls, "I told myself that maybe one day I would be part of opera."
He started to work on his voice, studying under Wendy Fine before entering the University of Cape Town Opera School. In 1993 he became part of the Cape Town Opera Studio.
"Everything was quick, and double the work," he says. "I had only one year to get the techniques. Then in 1995 I sang in La Boheme with an international cast."
Since then, he has never looked back.
"I think opera is a story," muses Mvinjelwa. He notes that "it's still happening every day. Individuals fall in and out of love, suffer illness and torture, become involved in violence, intrigue and passion, and experience a range of conflicting emotions."
Of all the roles he has sung, Marcello in La Bohème is his favourite. "It suits me. It's me, you know. He's a straight guy; he doesn't like funny things. He doesn't beat about the bush, he talks straight. He's very strong."
Going to Europe sometime in the future seems inevitable. "I have to do it if I want to make a career of opera," he says.
He hopes to show audiences that he is worth the attention. "Everyone will be looking at me," he laughs musing over his award, "I respect it; it's a great honour."
