And introducing… Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha 4 March 2022
Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha, our guest soloist in Mahler’s Fourth Symphony and songs from Des Knaben Wunderhorn, is definitely a rising star. Last year she was the winner of the Song Prize at the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition.
Writing for The Arts Desk, David Nice rhapsodised that “in the final, my own tears flowed for the miracle of South African soprano Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha embodying majestic, also nostalgic Elisabeth de Valois in her big summing-up aria from Verdi’s Don Carlos.’
Watch Masabane’s performance in the final of the competition – including ‘Beim Schlafengehen’ (‘Going to Sleep’) from Strauss Four Last Songs and ‘Toi qui sus le neant’ (‘You who know nothingness’) from Don Carlos in the video at the top of the page.
"The outstanding singer here is Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha, whose richly coloured soprano is a luxury... "
Masabane is a former a Jette Parker Young Artist at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. This season, she joins the ensemble of Theater Bern where her repertoire includes Élisabeth de Valois in Don Carlos, Mathilde in Guillaume Tell, and Elettra in Idomeneo. Future seasons will see a series of exciting house and role debuts, including Staatsoper Hamburg and returns to the Royal Opera House.
On the concert platform, as well as performing with us for the first time on 8 March, Masabane will make debuts with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, The Hallé, and give recitals in Edinburgh and at Wigmore Hall.
Masabane completed her PGDip at the University of Cape Town, where she studied with Virginia Davids, and then went on to study Vocal Performance at Tshwane University of Technology. Masabane was the winner of the Audience Prize and two special prizes in the 2019 Hans Gabor Belvedere Competition.
