Levy Sekgapane

The young tenor Levy Strauss Sekgapane – winner of the 1st price of OPERALIA 2017 - was born in Kroonstad in South Africa. Already as a child, he sung in different choirs and started in 2006 his education at Tirisano School Eisteddfod. Furthermore, he was member of Fidentia South African Youth Choir and received in 2007 a scholarship for Stellenberg High School in Cape Town. He studied at the South African College of Music at the University of Cape Town by Kamal Khan and Hanna van Niekerk.

During this time, he acted as soloist in different opera performances in South Africa, amongst others La Boheme, The Rake´s Progress and Les Contes d´Hoffmann . In addition, he was member of the choir of Schleswig-Holstein-Musikfestivals and attended master classes by Kobie van Rensburg.

In concert, he sung Mozarts Requiem in the Cape Town City Hall, John Strainers Crucifixion with the Philharmonia Choir of Cape Town and the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra, as soloist on the side of Bryn Terfel under Kamal Khan. Since 2012 he participated as tenor at the International Choir Academy in Lübeck/Germany, where he sung the solo in Bach`s Johannes-Passion with Helmuth Rilling.

In the operatic repertoire, he debuted as Conte d’Almavia/ Il Barbiere Di Siviglia and as Chevalier de la Force/Dialogues des Camélites. Recently he sang Songs of Friendship at the Scottish Opera Glasgow, Graf von Libenskof/Il Viaggio a Reims Cape Town Opera, Don Ramiro/La Cenerentola as well as Vierter Knappe/Parsifal at Opera Chemnitz. At the theater in Krefeld, he sung again Conte d’Almaviva/Il Barbiere Di Siviglia.

Besides Operalia, he won within the years several prices, amongst them the first price of the Belvedere singing competition as well as the first price at the Montserrat Caballé competition in Spain. During the season 2015/16, Levy was member of the Young Ensemble of Semperoper Dresden.

In the season 2016/17, Levy debuted as Conte d’Almavia/Barbiere di Siviglia at German Opera Berlin and at Aalto Theater Essen. He gave his house debut as Don Ramiro/ La Cenerentola at Hamburg State Opera and Munich State Opera. Furthermore, Levy debuted as Conte di Libenskof/Il Viaggio a Reims at Copenhagen Opera and at Opera di Roma.

The season 2017/18 will bring Levy for the first time to Liceu Barcelona, where he will sing Conte di Libenskof/Viaggio a Reims again. He will debut at Oslo Opera House and at National Opera Paris in Il Barbiere Di Siviglia. In Palermo, he will sing Lindoro/Italiana in algeri and will give his debut at State Theatre Wiesbaden, singing Nemorino in Elisir d´Amore.

source: www.primafila-artists.com