Carnegie Hall

A new and invigorating chapter in the African orchestral music landscape has been ushered in with the establishment of the Africa United Youth Orchestra (AUYO). This groundbreaking ensemble—comprising exceptional young talents who hail from various African countries, including South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Mozambique, and the Democratic Republic of Congo—has been spearheaded by Bongani Tembe, an internationally respected arts leader. The initiative operates under the auspices of Mzansi National Philharmonic Orchestra (Mzansi Philharmonic), South Africa’s esteemed national orchestra renowned for its world-class performances.

“AUYO represents a significant milestone in promoting unity, collaboration, and excellence across Africa’s diverse cultural tapestry,” Tembe says. “By bringing together gifted young musicians from different regions, the orchestra embodies the spirit of harmony and cooperation that knows no borders. Through the shared language of music, AUYO seeks to foster cultural exchange, celebrate Africa’s rich heritage, and inspire the next generation of music prodigies.”

The formation of AUYO not only provides a platform for these talented individuals to showcase their skills on a global stage, but also offers numerous benefits for Africa as a whole. By nurturing emerging talents with a spirit of creativity and innovation, AUYO contributes to the development of a vibrant cultural ecosystem across the continent. The orchestra serves as a beacon of hope and inspiration for young musicians, demonstrating the transformative power of music in uniting communities and transcending sociopolitical boundaries.

William Eddins is music director emeritus of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and a frequent guest conductor of major orchestras around the world. Engagements have included the symphony orchestras of Philadelphia, St. Louis, San Francisco, Boston, Minnesota, Cincinnati, Atlanta, Detroit, Dallas, Baltimore, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, and Houston, as well as the New York, Los Angeles, and Buffalo philharmonics. Internationally, Mr. Eddins was principal guest conductor of the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra in Ireland. He has also conducted the Staatskapelle Berlin, Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, Welsh National Opera, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, Barcelona Symphony Orchestra, and Lisbon Metropolitan Orchestra.

Career highlights include taking the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra to Carnegie Hall in 2012, conducting the RAI National Symphony Orchestra on Italian television, and leading the KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic on tour in South Africa with soprano Renée Fleming. Equally at home with opera, he conducted a full production of Porgy and Bess with Opéra National de Lyon both in France and at the Edinburgh Festival, plus a revival of the production during the summer of 2010.

Mr. Eddins is an accomplished pianist and chamber musician. He regularly conducts from the piano in works by Mozart, Beethoven, Gershwin, and Ravel. He has released recordings on his own label, including Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 29, “Hammerklavier,” and Albright’s “The Nightmare Fantasy Rag.”

Mr. Eddins has performed at the Ravinia Festival with both the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Ravinia Festival Orchestra. He has also conducted the orchestras of the Aspen Music Festival, Hollywood Bowl, Chautauqua Festival, Boston University Tanglewood Institute, and Civic Orchestra of Chicago.

A native of Buffalo, New York, Mr. Eddins attended the Eastman School of Music, studying with David Effron and graduating at age 18. He also studied conducting with Daniel Lewis at the University of Southern California and was a founding member of the New World Symphony in Miami.

Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha won the Song Prize at the 2021 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition and is a current BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist. Most recently, she was awarded the 2024 Herbert von Karajan Prize. In 2023–2024, she has made debuts with Washington National Opera and Hamburg State Opera as Liù in Turandot, a role she will also perform on tour in Japan with the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. In concert, Ms. Rangwanasha made debuts with the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Antonio Pappano and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by James Conlon in Felix Mendelssohn’s Elijah. Further appearances included Verdi’s Requiem with Nathalie Stutzmann in her debut with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and a return to the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia with Sir Antonio Pappano, as well as a return to The Hallé with Sir Mark Elder for Rossini’s Stabat Mater.

Last season, Ms. Rangwanasha received critical acclaim for her return to the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, as Liù in Turandot, and at Bern Theatre as Mathilde in Guillaume Tell and in the title role of Iphigénie en Tauride. On the concert stage, she made her US debut with the National Symphony Orchestra in Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915, performing the work again with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Marin Alsop. She also performed Felix Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 2 with the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia and Kazuki Yamada, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and Mahler’s Das klagende Lied at Bern Theatre, made her Edinburgh Festival debut in Tippett’s A Child of Our Time with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and Sir Andrew Davis, and returned to the BBC Proms for R. Strauss’s Vier letzte Lieder with the National Youth Orchestra.

Previous highlights include Elisabeth de Valois in Don Carlos and Elettra in Idomeneo at Bern Theatre, Verdi’s Requiem with the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sakari Oramo at the First Night of the Proms, Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 conducted by Ádám Fischer with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Vaughan Williams’s A Sea Symphony conducted by Sir Mark Elder with The Hallé, R. Strauss’s Vier letzte Lieder under the direction of Paul Daniel at Opéra National de Bordeaux, and a performance as part of Classic FM Live at Royal Albert Hall.

Goitsemang Lehobye was born in Ga-Rankuwa, South Africa. After finishing school, she followed her dream by joining the Black Tie Ensemble’s “Incubator” Scheme, where she began learning the tools of the trade to become an opera singer. She won a scholarship to study singing with Hanna van Niekerk and Kamal Khan at the University of Cape Town’s College of Music. She has since appeared in La bohème, Postcards from Morocco, Don Giovanni, and most recently Violetta in UCT / Cape Town Opera’s production of La traviata. She has also performed in opera galas with Johan Botha and Neil Shicoff.

In 2015, Ms. Lehobye premiered a new song cycle by South African composer Bongani Ndodana-Breen, conducted by Perry So with the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra. That same year, she was invited to perform in a new opera by David Earl in Cambridge, England. In 2016, she also toured to Argentina as Serena in the Cape Town Opera production of Porgy and Bess.

Ms. Lehobye moved to the US in 2017 to continue her studies at the University of Michigan with Daniel Washington. It was there that she appeared in David Lang’s the difficulty of crossing a field, William Bolcom’s Dinner at Eight, Ira Gershwin’s version of Porgy and Bess, and Mimì in La bohème. Additional highlights include Mahler’s Second Symphony in Cape Town with the Minnesota Orchestra, with which she has also performed Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Vaughan Williams’s Dona nobis pacem, Villa-Lobos’s Bachianas brasileiras No. 5, and Osvaldo Golijov’s Three Songs for Soprano and Orchestra.