Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on People of Note this week is a man who is something of an institution in Afrikaans music. Jannie Du Toit is a singer songwriter who has had a long and distinguished career in the world of music. He enjoyed a 25 year collaboration with the accompanist Christa Steyn and has been won numerous awards. He remains hugely involved in shows and composing with a long list of productions on the go at the moment.

David Kramer’s hugely successful musical Orpheus in Africa is being repeated at the Artscape Theatre and David has reworked it to be produced with Cape Town Opera. It’s now called Orpheus McAdoo and stars Brittany Smith and Conroy Scott with the Cape Town Opera Chorus and opens on 18 October. Rodney Trudgeon invited David Kramer into the People of Note studio to talk about this exciting project.

A book which is proving to be invaluable to lovers of contemporary music in South Africa is called History of Contemporary Music of South Africa. Similar to an encyclopaedia, the book has a wealth of information on artists, bands, composers and performers with many photographs. It was written by Garth Chilvers and Tom Jasiukowicz and I invited Garth Chilvers to the People of Note studio to discuss how he went about researching and putting the book together.

The fascinating way our ears operate is the subject of this week’s People of Note. I’ll be talking to James Loock, Professor of ENT at Tygerberg Hospital, and Jenny Perold an audiologist also at Tygerberg about the remarkable technology of Cochlear Implants, that allows severely and profoundly deaf people to hear again.

Four of the concerts in the current symphony season with the Cape Town Philharmonic are being conducted by the Dutch conductor Arjan Tien. Arjan is no stranger to South Africa and, apart from the concerts he’s conducting, he is one of the judges of the 6th SA Conductor’s Competition. Arjan has selected an unusual and very interesting series of programmes for the season and Rodney trudgeon invited him to the People of note studio to discuss his concerts, which include the might Mahler 7th.

Opera UCT is going to be the first opera company in the world to present a fully staged performance of a lost opera by Donizetti, Dalinda. The score was only discovered in 2019 and has been meticulously reconstructed As my guest on People of Note this week, the conductor Jeremy Silver will explain. Jeremy is globally recognised for conducting lesser-known Donizetti masterpieces and he was especially selected by Opera Co-Pro to bring the full opera to life in a world premier right here in Cape Town.

I wonder if you remember the name Gordon Oliver. Among other things he was Mayor of Cape Town from 1989 to 1991 during which he was privileged to welcome Nelson Mandela to the Cape Town City Hall the day he was released from prison. He also took part in the famous September 1989 march in Cape Town. Gordon has written a book called Overcoming Life’s Challengers – a personal memoir of a Cape Town Mayor and I invited him into the People of Note studio to talk about his life which includes being a minister in the Unitarian Church.

Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on People of Note this week is Adele Kirsten, who is the director of a Gun Free South Africa. Adele was a founding member of Gun Free South Africa, but she has been a non-violent, social justice activist in South Africa for some 40 years and has also written various books on the subject.

Tennessee Williams’s famous play, A Street Car Named Desire will open at the Theatre on the Bay on the 14th August. It is being presented by Lamta – The Luitingh Alexander Musical Theatre Academy who’s recent success with Spring Awakening brought the amazing success story of this company to a wide audience. The director of Streetcar is Prof Christopher Weare and I invited him to the People of Note studio to talk about this iconic play .

Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on People of Note this week is a South African academic currently working in Norway. Alene Mari Holder is a writer, musicologist and opera singer and her interests include feminist studies of 17th and 18th Century opera including the operatic trouser role tradition and on cross gender casting in Vivaldi’s operas. Alene is also an Afrikaans novelist and poet.

One of the most dramatic of the Gilbert and Sullivan comic operas is The Yeoman of The Guard, which is set in the Tower of London in the 16th Century. It was premiered in London in 1888 and ran for a record 423 performances causing it to be called a true English, Dramatic Opera. G&S Cape Town will be staging this opera at the Artscape Opera House from 10 August and I invited the music director and Production Co-ordinator, ALISTAIR COCKBURN into the People of Note studio to talk about the production.

Agatha Christie’s play Witness to the Prosecution is pulling in the crowds at Theatre on the Bay. And rightly so because not only is it a superb play, but it is an excellent production with a large cast. In this week’s edition of People of Note, Rodney Trudgeon spoke to a member of the cast, Sharon Spiegel Wagner who plays the role of Romaine Vole, the wife of the accused. Sharon talks about how thrilling it is to be in the play and about the wonderful cast, as well as her many other activities in theatre.

Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on People of Note this week is the South African based documentary photographer, author and professional speaker Matthew Wilman who, in 2003 was commissioned to archive and document the life and times of Nelson Mandela for the Nelson Mandela Foundation. This allowed him to develop an intimate relationship with Mandela. But Matthew has also published a beautiful book of black and white photographs of ballet dances in unusual industrial settings.

My guest on People of Note this week, is a doctor who has written a book called Ice Cream – A Doctor’s Journey to Discover what Matters. This is an engaging memoir about the highs and lows of working as a medical doctor in South Africa and how, with a little help from ice cream and heavy metal music, he was able to struggle on. He’s Alistair Mcalpine and you may find his choice of music a little unusual for FMR, but he was insistend that we gave him a chance.

One of those irresistible Agatha Christie murder mysteries is about to open at the Theatre on The Bay. Witness for the Prosecution is in the form of a gripping court room drama, leaving the audience gasping with surprises as the case proceeds. The director is Alan Swerdlow and Rodney Trudgeon spoke to him on People of Note about both the difficulties and the fun of directing one of Christie’s mysteries.

I wonder whether or not you remember the tragic fire that swept through the mountain in April 2021, in the process destroying the iconic Mostert’s Mill and leaving an awful, burnt out stump. Well, three years later and with considerable support from the public as well as from overseas companies, Mostert’s Mill has been completely restored and it opened in April and will be open on each third Saturday for the public to visit. The Chairman of the Friends of Mostert’s Mill and one of the restoration team is John Hammer and I spoke to him about this exciting project.

In People of Note this week, Rodney Trudgeon has an inspiring young guest in celebration of Youth Day. He is Charles Jansen who has risen from a life of crime, prison and drugs to become the Art centre Coordinator and training Materials Develop at the Butterfly art Project He has developed therapeutic art projects and art classes with children aged from 5 to 21.

On People of Note this week, Rodney Trudgeon will be talking to the conductor and pianist Kamal Khan who is In Cape Town to conduct Donizetti’s opera Lucia di Lammermoor for Cape Town Opera. Kamal enjoys an international career as a teacher and conductor and he has worked with most of the world’s leading opera singers at most of the world’s leading opera houses. He was also head of Opera at UCT for many year. Lucia opens at the Artscape Opera house on Friday 14 June.

Rodney Trudgeon's guest on People of Note this week is the distinguished jazz musician and saxophonist Mccoy Mrubata who is in Cape Town doing a series of concerts for the Cape Town Music Academy to celebrate a special birthday. Mccoy has a long career of writing and performing both here and internationally. He was discovered as a young artist by Sipho "Hotstix" Mabuse who took him to Johannesburg and helped to launch his career.

With the election coming up, Rodney Trudgeon invited Professor Hugh Corder into the People of Note studio to discuss issues such as the 3 ballot papers and the South Africa’s first Bill of Rights which became part of the transitional constitution. They discussed issues such as the accommodation of independent candidates for the first time and the role of the courts and judiciary in our constitutional democracy.

With the election coming up next week on Wednesday, Rodney Trudgeon invited Professor Hugh Corder into the People of Note studio to discuss issues such as the 3 ballot papers and the South Africa’s first Bill of Rights which became part of the transitional constitution. They discussed issues such as the accommodation of independent candidates for the first time and the role of the courts and judiciary in our constitutional democracy.

Opening this week at Theatre on the Bay is a show called Any Dream Will Do – My Pad Met Webber. In this show, Andre Schwartz explores his relationship with all that is Andrew Lloyd Webber since he encountered his music for the first time at the age of 12. Andre is well known to theatre audiences through his many stage appearances, both in hit musicals and his solo shows. The narrative of this show weaves together well known songs as Andre tells his own life story.

Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on People of Note this week is the distinguished singer and author Margaretha Deysel Stemmet. Apart from her hugely successful singing career in places such as Vienna and Graz, Margaretha returned to South Africa to sing all over the country for the various arts councils. She also started the Songmaker’s Guild in 1994 with Albie van Schalkwyk. In 2014, Margaretha travelled some 2,700 kilometers through Germany and Austria to listen to South African opera singers who have made it internationally. The result is her book South African Envoys of Opea.

Paulina Malefane is a Cape Town born opera singer, who studied at UCT’s College of Music with Virginia Davids. Later she became co-founder and co-Music Director of Isango Ensemble and has worked with members of the company since 2000. She was also an advocate for The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

The focus on People of Note this week is jazz and sound. Rodney Trudgeon’s guest will be a veteran sound engineer, Akbar Khan, who is the CEO and most seasoned Sound Engineer and Sound Designer of Eastern Acoustics. Aki, as he is known, has a passion for passing on his skills to the younger generation and has a host of stories to tell about his concerts during the apartheid era and working on big concerts such as the annual Cape Town International Jazz Festival.

Peter Shaffer’s award winning play Amadeus has just opened at Theatre on the Bay starring Alan Committie as Salieri and Aidan Scott as Mozart. This thrilling drama received worldwide acclaim with the film Amadeus and is always an incredible experience in the theatre, even though the theory Shaffer puts forward about Salieri murdering Mozart is not true. My guest on People of Note this week is Alan Committie who talks about his experience with this coveted role.

My guest on People of Note this week is the distinguished actor, director, writer, scenic and costume designer, Marcel Meyer who, with Fred Abrahamse, is co directing a newly written opera by the South African composer Conrad Asman. It’s called Trial by Media and concerns the Oscar Pistorious murder trial. It is one of three short operas in Cape Town Opera’s season called Shorts – the others are La Voix Humaine by Poulenc and Mozart’s Impressario.

Birds and birding feature in this week’s People of Note. I’ll be talking to Mike Buckham who has been passionate about bird watching since he was six years old. Now he is the Chairman of the Cape Bird Club and continues to attract new members and young people to the joy of bird watching.

Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on People of Note this week is Chantel Coetzee, who is an artist, feminist historian, speaker and radio presenter. Her current series of artworks is called African Queens: Restoring History and is her passion project. Her giant paintings are portraits of African Queens whose lives she has meticulously researched.

Lara Foot’s highly acclaimed production of Shakespeare’s OTHELLO is about to open at the Baxter. In the lead role is a son of John Kani, Atandwa Kani who is enjoying a hugely successful career based in New York with television, film and acting careers running side by side. Atandwa has won numerous awards locally and internationally and is very excited about this exciting new production of Othello in which he plays the title role.

My guest on People of Note this week is a highly respected and award winning journalist, author, broadcaster who has covered major events such as the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of Communism. His recent book with the provocative title, Why The Germans Do It Better was a best seller and his latest book is called In Search of Berlin. John is fascinated by Germany, although he is English, and has harsh words to say about Brexit.

The Luitingh Alexander Musical Theatre Academy, LAMTA, is presenting the highly anticipated musical “Spring Awakening”, the ground-breaking musical which garnered 8 Tony Awards on Broadway. On People of Note this week, Rodney Trudgeon will be talking to the two directors of Lamta, Anton Luitingh and Duane Alexander abou the show and about the success of their academy.

My guest on People of Note this week is a true philanthropist. In the face of dwindling or no sponsorship from national, regional and local governments, ALEXANDER VALENTIN has embraced the Cape Town Philharmonic orchestra’s Composer’s Competition and an exchange of students between Germany and South Africa which he will sponsor. Alexander is a German lawyer and investment consultant with business ties in South Africa and is my guest on People of Note this week.

A new play premiered at the Baxter Theatre to rave reviews. It’s called "Expelled" and focuses on the largely ungoverned world of social media in which a matric pupil at an elite school gets caught up in a viral scandal and is suspended. On People of Note Rodney spoke to the husband and wife team of Rosalind Butler, who wrote the play and Craig Freimond who directed it.

A new ballet has opened at the Baxter Theatre. It’s called The Gold Rhino of Mapungubwe and it has truly imaginative choreography by ANGELA REVIE and is described as a fusion of classical and afro ballet and contemporary dance, enhanced by poetic narration. In People of Note this week, Rodney Trudgeon spoke to Angela Revie about his new ballet which has a powerful storyline that connects the mythical world with an ancient African civilisation.

In People of Note this week, Rodney Trudgeon will be talking to BIANCA AMATO who you may remember from the long running cast of Isidingo, but Bianca also had a stint in the American series Sex In The City. Now Bianca is directing a new production at the Theatre on the Bay called LUNGS, in which a young urban couple consider whether or not to have a child in today’s toxic and insecure environment.

Cape Town City Ballet has announced the appointment of David Nixon CBE as its new Artistic Producer with immediate effect. The appointment coincides with the company’s 90th anniversary. Rodney Trudgeon spoke to David about his long and distinguished career both as a dancer, artistic director and choreographer in his home in Canada and in Europe. He was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2022.

My guest n People of Note this week is the British guitarist Michael Watts who is in South Africa to collect a brand-new guitar which has been specially made for him by Casimi Guitars, a duo with an international reputation as two of the greatest guitar makers of their generation. Michael brought his new guitar to the studio and demonstrated it during the programme. We also took pictures of it which are available on our Facebook page and on Instagram.

People of Note this week features news of the UCT Summer School which opens this weekend. I’ll be talking to Medee Rall who is the Director of the Centre for Extra-mural Studies at UCT and who is also responsible for arranging the Summer School. UCT is celebrating 100 years of continuous , life long learning with the Summer School being established in 1950.

On People Of Note this week, Mike Mills stands in for Rodney Trudgeon to chat with Jonathan Crossley who is a renowned South African guitarist in the fields of both Classical music and Jazz. He's also an acclaimed musical innovator and experimenter, exploring new technology and techniques in creating music. He's now a lecturer at Liverpool University. He explains the latest trends in music.

On People Of Note this week, Mike Mills stands in for Rodney Trudgeon to chat with Jonathan Crossley who is a renowned South African guitarist in the fields of both Classical music and Jazz. He's also an acclaimed musical innovator and experimenter, exploring new technology and techniques in creating music. He's now a lecturer at Liverpool University. He explains the latest trends in music.

People of Note is brought to you each week by PTP and this week my guest is ROBYN TAYLOR , the recently appointed Executive Manager of Cape Town City Ballet. Robyn has had a long and distinguished career in ballet and various other forms of dance and she is one of 3 Founding Trustees of the South African National Dance Trust. She also spent some 15 years raising funds and creating awareness for various South Afican dance organisations.

On this week’s edition of People of Note, brought to you by PTP, I’ll be talking to a recent visitor to South Africa, the Canadian born, Berlin based cellist Bryan Cheng who stunned us with his performance of Elgar’s Cello Concerto with the CPO under Robert Moody. Bryan has won a number of major international awards and made his sold out debut in Carnegie Hall when he was only 14. He plays the Dubois Stradavarius Cell from 1699.

On People of Note this week I’ll be talking to Brent Van Rensburg who is the co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of the Zip Zap Circus which was launched 30 years ago and which has had more than 20,000 students passing through it and which has been on numerous international tours. It was formed to bridge socio-economic gaps and to inspire and empower young people to build a new culture of peaceful co-existence in South Africa. It’s a fascinating story and you can hear it in this week’s edition of People of Note, brought to you by PTP.

On People of Note this week, brought to you by Pieter Toerien Productions, my guest will be the children’s author Lesley Beake, whose latest book is called The Time Trackers and tells the story of the child Tana who lives in the Tankwa Karoo. The book is brought alive with illustrations by Michael Pattison and expert input by archeologist Emily Hallinan. Lesley began writing when she was 6 and now has over a hundred of her books published.

People of Note on Fine Music Radio is brought to you by Pieter Toerien Productions and my guest this week is Virginia Davids, one of this country’s most distinguished and respected singing teachers. Virginia studied at Stellenbosch University and made her debut at CAPAB with the title role in Verdi’s Aida. After a long singing career, during which she won all the major awards, Virginia is now Associate Professor in Singing at UCT and among her many successful students are Pretty Yende and Pumeza Matshikita as well as my guest last week Brittany Smith.

Arguably the most famous family musical of all time is The Sound Of Music and in this week’s edition of People of Note, brought to you by Pieter Toerien Productions, I’ll be talking to Brittany Smith who will be singing Maria in the production which opens here at Artscape on December 14th for a month’s run during the festive season. Craig Urbani will play Captain Von Trapp. Brittany has just stunned opera lovers with her glittering performance in Verdi’s La Traviata and I asked her about moving from grand opera to the world of musicals.

In this week’s edition of People of Note, brought to you by Pieter Toerien Productions, I’ll be talking to the well-known and much love South African pianist Rocco De Villiers who will be collaborating with the guitarist James Grace in a new show called 5 Nights In November at the Theatre on The Bay from 15 November. James and Rocco couldn’t be more different in personality, style, dress, hair and age, yet they meet in the middle of the theatre and music landscape to bring you this show.

During the recent Baroque Festival, I was lucky to be able to attend a recital of music played on harpsichords, spinets and organs in a small concert hall in Noordhoek on the property of Bill Robson who actually built all the instruments we heard. Bill is a well known maker of organs and harpsichords which he carefully and loving builds with his bare hands using tools that used to belong to his grandfather. He gets orders from South Africa and all over the world for his instruments and the small concert hall on his property was restored by him from plans and foundations he discovered on his property. I invited Bill to the People of Note studio this week to talk about his fascinating operation.

In this week’s edition of People of Note, brought to you by Pieter Toerien Productions, I’ll be talking to travel writer, author, poet and photographer JUSTIN FOX who has just had a new book published called Place. This is a gripping travelogue in which Justin sets off to explore the places of his favourite books. All the big names are there – Olive Schreiner, Sir Percy Fitzpatrick, JM Coetzee, Zakes Mda among others. Justin calls his book a love letter to South Africa, merging literature and landscape.

There’s an unusual and exciting production happening in the trees and bushes at the Spier Wine Estate in November. It’s called Constellations and is directed by Brett Bailey who invites you to expect a unique cultural experience in the forested wilderness at Spier where atmospheric encounters await in the dark woods under a starlit sky. I spoke to one the performers , Megan Choritz on People of note this week about this unique theatrical experience.

Cape Town Opera and the UCT Opera School invite you to step into a world of passion, tragedy, magnificent melody and visual extravagance in their production of Verdi’s timeless masterpiece, La Traviata. The opera will be conducted by Jeremy Silver and directed by Mari Borstlap. Mari is an established theatre director, designer, actor and playwright. She is also a film maker and promises something exciting in this La Traviata. Mari will be my guest on People of Note this week.

On People of Note this week, Rodney Trudgeon will be talking to Zoe Beyers, who has established a reputation as one of the finest and most versatile violinists based in the UK. Zoe is also an accomplished chamber musician and is a member of the internationally famous Dante Quartet, which has just arrived in Cape for a series of concerts both in the city as well as in Stellenbosch and Johannesburg. Zoe is also passionately interested in education.

This week’s People of Note takes on a somewhat different format. Pieter Dirk Uys has had a lifelong love affair with the great Sophia Loren. They have remained close and dear friends over many years. Sophia Loren has just turned 89 and only a week or so ago, she fell in her bathroom, broke her hip and had to have it replaced. Pieter suggested we pay tribute to this great actress and singer by playing some of her songs and with Pieter reminiscing about their friendship.

During the recent Baroque Festival, I was lucky to be able to attend a recital of music played on harpsichords, spinets and organs in a small concert hall in Noordhoek on the property of Bill Robson who actually built all the instruments we heard. Bill is a well known maker of organs and harpsichords which he carefully and loving builds with his bare hands using tools that used to belong to his grandfather. He gets orders from South Africa and all over the world for his instruments and the small concert hall on his property was restored by him from plans and foundations he discovered on his property. I invited Bill to the People of Note studio this week to talk about his fascinating operation.

This week’s People of Note focusses on orchestras in South Africa, specifically the Cape Town Philharmonic and new and somewhat controversial plans to fund orchestral music. My guest will be Louis Heynemann, who is the CEO and Artistic Director of the Cape Town Philharmonic and has been for some 23 years guiding the orchestra through various difficulties including the Covid disaster.

Two years ago a production at the Baxter Theatre was so successful during its debut run that it has been brought back to the Magnet Theatre. It’s called SNAPPED and it was written by Jennie Reznek and directed by Mark Fleishman. The play explores the relationship between fathers and daughters and it tackles loss and grief, and how to overcome these. The play intersects two stories – that of a woman stuck in grief over the loss of her father and of a young South African stretcher-bearer who was killed in action during World War 2. I spoke to Jennie Reznek about her play on People of Note this week.

This week Cape Town Opera’s magnificent production of Puccini’s Tosca opens at the Artscape Opera House. The production, which is directed by Magdelene Minnaar, has just moved from Johannesburg, where it enjoyed rave reviews. Rodney Trudgeon spoke to the conductor, Bjorn Bantock, about Puccini’s magnificent and opulent score and about the many challenges that face the orchestra and soloists, as well as a large children’s choir.

For many people, the opera The Tales of Hoffman is Jacques Offenbach’s masterpiece. It was written right towards the end of his life and in fact he died during the rehearsals. The opera is being presented by the UCT Opera School with an exciting cast and Jeremy Silver is conducting the Cape Philharmonic. The director of the opera is Steven Stead who has many credits to his name including opera, musicals and plays. I spoke to Steven in People of Note this week and asked him about his approach to this magical opera.

In what promises to be one of the most thrilling theatre highlights of the year, the stage production of Damon Galgut’s Booker Prize winning novel The Promise has been adapted for the stage and will have it’s world premier in Cape Town on 14 September. The dazzling cast line up includes Rob van Vuuren, Kate Normington, Frank Opperman and Chuma Sopotela. The production will be directed by MULTI award-winning director SYLVAINE STRIKE AND Rodney Trudgeon caught up with her between rehearsals to fin out more about the play.

In celebration of Women’s Month, Abrahamse and Meyer Productions are presenting the world premier of a new play called “Why Do Moths Fly Like Crazy in the Night”. The play was written by award winning actress Sue Pam-Grant who stars in it as well. It’s a one woman show inspired by the work of Louise Bourgeois, one of the most prolific and fascinating visual artists of the 20th century. Rodney Trudgeon spoke to Sue Pam-Grant about her life-long fascination for Louise Bourgeois and about how her life story and thinking have been influenced by her.

At the Mzanzi National Philharmonic concert next Saturday at which the main work will be Mahler’s Fifth Symphony conducted by Marin Alsop, the first half will feature dramatic soprano arias sung by Masabane Cecilia Rangwanashe who is based in Europe and who has been dazzling audiences with her radiant voice. She has just sung the Four Last Songs of Richard Strauss at a Proms concert in London and works regularly with Antonio Pappano at the Royal Opera House. Masabane has given solo recitals at the Wigmore hall and has appeared in Washington, Hamburg, Dresden, Atlanta and Chicago. I managed to get her on a zoom connection for this week’s People of Note.

On People of Note this week, Rodney Trudgeon will be talking to Charmaine Weir-Smith who is directing a play which has won 5 Naledi Theatre awards called The Beauty Queen of Leenane. The play was written by the Tony Award Nominee Martin McDonagh and has been described as a masterpiece and a darkly comic tale about the turbulent, dysfunctional and often savage relationship between a mother and daughter. The play opens at The Baxter Theatre on the 2nd August.

The first think I thought when I saw Darrel Bristow-Bovey’s latest book called ENDURANCE was do we need yet another book about Shackleton’s attempt t reach the South Pole. Yet, once I’d started reading it, I realised that Darrel has unearthed all sorts of new material and that he carefully intertwines the story with his own life and family – especially his father. The result is a truly gripping story that takes us deep into the frozen ice and all the incredible obstacles Shackleton and his team faced, all written in Darrel’s beautiful and evocative prose.

PROUDLY SPONSORED BY PIETER TOERIEN PRODUCTIONS. People of Note is broadcast on Sunday evening at 6 pm on Fine Music Radio with a repeat on Thusday afternoon at 1 pm, presented by Rodney Trudgeon. Says Rodney: “There are a number of fascinating people who pass through Cape Town and I’ve always felt there to be a need for a programme that allows an in-depth discussion with these personalities. Whether their fields are music, literature, theatre, dance, opera or even politics and economics, we’ll invite them into the studio to talk about their lives, inspirations and role models, among other things. “Rather like the famous BBC programme, Desert Island Discs, I’ll ask my guests to bring with them their six or seven favourite pieces of music to share with us.” Among the long list of guests on the programme so far have been people such as Rhoda Kadalie, Lord Robin Renwick, Petronel Malan, Pieter Dirk Uys, Ruby Wax, Jonathan Roxmouth, Imam Rashied Omar and many more.

A NEW PRODUCTION OF Willy Russell’s classic comedy Educating Rita has just opened at the Theatre on the Bay. It’s produced by Tally Ho productions and the original music is written by Jonathan Blair. I invited Jonathan to the People of Note studio to talk about his score and also about his many commissions which include, opera, concertos, chamber music, song cycles and stop motion film scores. Although Jonathan was born in San Diego California, he new lives in Cape Town where he has collaborated with some of this country’s most important artists.

We’ve been telling you about the forthcoming production of Cinderella here at Artscape which opens next week. It’s an operatic production presented by Cape Town Opera in association with Abrahamse Meyer productions and the director is Fred Abrahamse. I caught up with Fred earlier this week to talk about what promises to be an enchanting, family friendly production and he will be my guests on People of Note this week.

My guest on People of Note this week is one of the international judges at the 10th South African International Ballet Competition. Javier Monier Jr is from Cuba and is currently a member of Mzansi Ballet in Johannesburg. Javier is a hugely talented and well-travelled dancer who brings a wealth of experience to the competition, which runs from the 23 to the 26 July at the Artscape Opera House and attracts dancers of the highest caliber from across the globe.

Have you ever thought of including the Cape’s local wild foods in your recipes? My guest on People of Note this week is LOUBIE RUSCH who is a food system entrepreneur and who aims to develop the production of indigenous plants and to teach consumers how to use them. Her project is called Making KOS and because there are virtually no indigenous ingredients available to buy she is exploring ways to achieve more widespread growing of this kind of food.

PROUDLY SPONSORED BY PIETER TOERIEN PRODUCTIONS. People of Note is broadcast on Sunday evening at 6 pm on Fine Music Radio with a repeat on Thusday afternoon at 1 pm, presented by Rodney Trudgeon. Says Rodney: “There are a number of fascinating people who pass through Cape Town and I’ve always felt there to be a need for a programme that allows an in-depth discussion with these personalities. Whether their fields are music, literature, theatre, dance, opera or even politics and economics, we’ll invite them into the studio to talk about their lives, inspirations and role models, among other things. “Rather like the famous BBC programme, Desert Island Discs, I’ll ask my guests to bring with them their six or seven favourite pieces of music to share with us.” Among the long list of guests on the programme so far have been people such as Rhoda Kadalie, Lord Robin Renwick, Petronel Malan, Pieter Dirk Uys, Ruby Wax, Jonathan Roxmouth, Imam Rashied Omar and many more.

PROUDLY SPONSORED BY PIETER TOERIEN PRODUCTIONS. People of Note is broadcast on Sunday evening at 6 pm on Fine Music Radio with a repeat on Thusday afternoon at 1 pm, presented by Rodney Trudgeon. Says Rodney: “There are a number of fascinating people who pass through Cape Town and I’ve always felt there to be a need for a programme that allows an in-depth discussion with these personalities. Whether their fields are music, literature, theatre, dance, opera or even politics and economics, we’ll invite them into the studio to talk about their lives, inspirations and role models, among other things. “Rather like the famous BBC programme, Desert Island Discs, I’ll ask my guests to bring with them their six or seven favourite pieces of music to share with us.” Among the long list of guests on the programme so far have been people such as Rhoda Kadalie, Lord Robin Renwick, Petronel Malan, Pieter Dirk Uys, Ruby Wax, Jonathan Roxmouth, Imam Rashied Omar and many more.

Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on People of Note this week is MELANIE VERWOERD, a former Member of Parliament, South African Ambassador to Ireland and Executive Director of UNICEF. Melanie is a political columnist and has written a number of books. Her latest book has the intriguing title “Never Waste A Good Hysterectomy” and I spoke to her about the book, her career and her famous surname.

I’m excited to bring you a special edition of People of Note this week which I recorded on board Queen Mary 2 somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. On board was the man who actually designed the ship, the Nautical Architect DR STEPHEN PAYNE OBE and he gave a fascinating series of lectures on board which I found completely satisfying. So I approached him and asked him to share some of his achievements with this massive ocean liner on People of Note. He agreed and we had a fascinating conversation which you can hear on People of Note this week.

PROUDLY SPONSORED BY PIETER TOERIEN PRODUCTIONS. People of Note is broadcast on Sunday evening at 6 pm on Fine Music Radio with a repeat on Thusday afternoon at 1 pm, presented by Rodney Trudgeon. Says Rodney: “There are a number of fascinating people who pass through Cape Town and I’ve always felt there to be a need for a programme that allows an in-depth discussion with these personalities. Whether their fields are music, literature, theatre, dance, opera or even politics and economics, we’ll invite them into the studio to talk about their lives, inspirations and role models, among other things. “Rather like the famous BBC programme, Desert Island Discs, I’ll ask my guests to bring with them their six or seven favourite pieces of music to share with us.” Among the long list of guests on the programme so far have been people such as Rhoda Kadalie, Lord Robin Renwick, Petronel Malan, Pieter Dirk Uys, Ruby Wax, Jonathan Roxmouth, Imam Rashied Omar and many more.

Aviva Pelham is one of South Africa’s most gifted and most loved artists. She sings an exceptionally wide range of music from the repertoire of opera, musicals, operetta and cabaret. And more recently, she’s been directing Community Spectaculars with the Cape Town Philharmonic and a range of artists. Now Aviva has released a coffee table book called “Aviva – A Musical Odyssey” and it is a treasure trove of memories of her career with photographs, reviews and programmes.

Lift airlines is known as the “flexible” airline and Rodney Trudgeon spoke to the brand manager of Lift, Haydn Henning, who shares his love of flying with his love of opera, having studied opera at UCT.

Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on People of Note this week is the recently appointed Director of the South African College of Music at UCT., Prof Andrew Lilley. This is the first time a jazz musician has been appointed to this post and Prof Lilley is highly regarded both as a player and an educator having played with everyone and anyone in the South African jazz scene. His latest release for solo piano is called “Silhouette”, which will be featured as our CD of the week next week.

Cape Town Opera has announced the appointment of Maestro ADAM SZMIDT as the company’s Resident Conductor and Head Coach. Adam has conducted extensively around Europe and has had masterclasses with Neeme Jarvi, Ben Zander, Nicolas Pasquet and Jorma Panula, among others. Adam will be conducting Rossini’s Stabat Mater in Paarl on Saturday 8 April as well as Bizet’s The Pearl Fishers in May.

Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on People of Note this week is twice nominated Naledi Award actor SCHOEMAN SMIT whose credits include major musicals such as Sweeney Todd, The Producers and Evita. Schoeman Is staring in a new South African production called Devil Song, which is described as a glittering cabaret of villainous proportions. This one man show was inspired by Audra McDonald’s song cycle The Seven Deadly Sins and is directed by David Fick.

Undoubtedly, one of Cape Town’s most beautiful, tranquil gardens is the ARDERNE GARDENS in Claremont. With its shady glades, romantic nooks and Japanese style ponds it’s been a place for Cape Tonians to bring their children and relax away from the increasing hubbub of city life. A man whose name is inextricably linked to the Gardens is Hank Lith who devoted his time to curating the gardens and to getting them worldwide acknowledgement. Sadly Hank died suddenly earlier this year, so Rodney Trudgeon invited CLARE GIBBON, a founding member of the Friends of Arderne Gardens to talk about Hank’s legacy and to play music that was special to Hank.

Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on People of Note this week is one of South Africa’s most versatile and popular actors, JONATHAN ROXMOUTH, who’s new show Key Change is about to open at Pieter Toerien’s Theatre on The Bay after a hugely successful run in Johannesburg. Jonathan has travelled the world with productions such as Phantom of the Opera, Cats, Jesus Christ Superstar, and has wowed local audiences with his appearances in West Side Story, Grease and, famously, a Handful of Keys.

I’m sure you may know what a wine sommelier is? Those experts in restaurants and hotels who advise you which wine to select with which meal. Well, have you ever heard of a honey sommelier? My Guest on People of Note this week is in fact a honey sommelier – in fact South Africa’s first honey sommelier. NATASHA LYON is also a bee keeper and bee guardian who studied in Italy and who quickly established herself as a leading authority on honey bees and bee conservation in South Africa. We’ll be talking about tasting honey and we’ll also taste some honey in the course of the programme.

Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on People of Note this week is RAYMOND GOLDSTEIN who is a distinguished musician, composer and arranger, born in South Africa and who now lives and works in Jerusalem. He’s been on the faculty of the Jerusalem Faculty of Music and, since the opening of the Jerusalem Great Synagogue in 1982, he has held posts of music arranger and associate conductor of its world famous choir, travelling internationally. We discussed Jewish music both folk and liturgical.

Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on People of Note this week is Johaar Mosaval, a retired South African ballet dancer who has just turned 95 and who rose to considerable prominence as a principal dancer of the Royal Ballet in England. Apartheid prevented Johaar from pursuing a dance career here in Cape Town but in 1950 he was noticed by visiting ballet celebrities who invited him to London. He spent 25 years with the Royal Ballet and retired and returned to Cape Town on 1976.

What promises to be a fascinating and absorbing play opens at the Theatre on the Bay 0n 20 February. It’s called Masterclass and it stars Sandra Prinsloo as a retired Maria Callas giving master classes to young opera singers at Juilliard School in New York in 1971. The production is in collaboration with Cape Town Opera and features singers from the company being taught by Callas who is both witty and, at times quite harsh. I spoke to Sandra Prinsloo about this challenging new role for in this week’s edition of People of Note.

Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on People of Note this week is Professor Joan Hambidge who is a celebrated Afrikaans poet, literary critic and author. Joan is known to FMR listeners as a regular reviewer on our programme Boekkeuse and has two doctorates, one under Andre Brink and a second in cultural studies focusing on gender constructs in Afrikaans literature.

It’s all about prima ballerinas on this week’s edition of People of Note where Rodney Trudgeon talks to Principal Dancer at Cape Town City Ballet, KIRSTEL PATERSON. Kirstel will be dancing the title role in the upcoming production of Cinderella here at the Artscape Theatre. Kirstel started training as a ballet dancer when she was 5 and in the course of her career, she has won many awards including, very recently, a number of awards at the Friends of Cape Town City Ballet 2022 Awards.

Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on People of Note this week is MERVYN WILLIAMS who has just celebrated 36 years with Cape Town City Ballet. Mervyn has been making magic both on and off the stage for all those years – first as a dancer and now as Head of Wardrobe, as well as managing education skills. He also performs as a character dancer and will be appearing in the forthcoming production of Cinderella as one of the Ugly Sisters.

I’m very excited to introduce you to my guest on People of Note this week. Tracy Edwards MBE is a British sailor who, in 1989, skippered the first all-female crew in the Whitbread Round The World Yacht Race and went on to become the first woman to receive the Yachtsman of the Year Trophy. Now days she’s a highly competent and resourceful leader, manager, project professional, fund raiser, team builder, motivational speaker and writer. Tracy is in Cape Town briefly to visit her yacht Maiden and its crew.

Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on People of Note this week is the former diplomat Glenn Babb whose new book called “In One Era and Out Of The Other” has recently been published. As most people are aware, the mid-1980s Was a very difficult time internationally for South Africa. Demands for sanctions against South Africa were becoming more and more intense with the country’s diplomats at the forefront of resistance. Glenn Babb’s new book tells a fascinating story of trying to sell South Africa abroad and trying to persuade the government to follow up on its commitment to change, despite the catastrophe of PW Botha’s Rubican speech.

For his first guest on People of Note for 2023, Rodney Trudgeon has invited the concert pianist Gustavo Romero into the studio. About a year ago, Gustavo performed all 32 Beethoven piano sonatas for the Cape Town Concert series at the Baxter Concert Hall. Now, from 7 January, Gustavo is back, this time with the 13 completed piano sonatas of Schubert over 4 concerts. We discussed the differences between these two great composers and the various difficulties of their piano sonatas.

Fine Music Radio has a veritable treat for you on Christmas Day. The guest on People of Note on Sunday is probably the most famous guest Rodney Trudgeon has interviewed - the internationally famous conductor MARIN ALSOP. Classic FM in London voted Marin Alsop as one of the top 18 conductors of all time. Quite an accolade because others on the list include Karajan, Abbado, Klemperer and Bernstein. In fact Marin was a pupil of Bernstein’s and then had to fight an immense battle to conquer the male dominated world of conductors. Marin was in Cape Town to conduct the Mzanzi Orchestra in Beethoven’s 9th.

Imagine being a bee lover ad research and yet you are violently allergic to bee stings. This is the situation with Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on People of Note this week, GEOFF TRIBE. Despite the ever present danger of an anaphylactic attack, honey bees have been a perpetual source of fascination for Geoff during his 40 year career in entomology. He has just published a fascinating book called Honey Mountain. This is the story of the Heuninberg since ancient times – its history of occupation, exploitation, development and the miraculous Cape honey bees who survived it all.

Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on People of Note this week has a remarkable story to tell. His name is Guy Deacon and. 10 years ago he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. He realised how lucky he was in the UK with access to neurologists and medication, in contrast to many people across Africa who don’t. So, he set out in his VW Camper and travelled from Sussex in England, down the west coast of Africa, to Cape Town to disseminate his knowledge of the disease.

It’s always exciting when a new musical opens and this is what will happen on the 8th December when the Abrahamse and Meyer production of Star Crossed opens at the Artscape Arena. It tells the story of the eccentric Elizabeth Klarer who, in 1910, alleged that she was abducted by aliens where she had a son. The music was written by the South African composer and music director Wessel Odendaal and Rodney Trudgeon spoke to him about his score for the musical and about his many musical activities.

Arguably South Africa’s most famous cartoonist is Zapiro, whose real name is Jonathan Shapiro. His cartoons have the ability to make us laugh but also to make us cringe and feel uncomfortable as he snipes at our politicians, including international figures, and, as he says, even in his crazy mind he couldn’t invent a country with our curious goings on. Zapiro has just released his 27th annual collection called It’s Not How It Looks and it makes for fascinating browsing.

Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on People of Note this week is a very brave and very passionate opera singer. Sarita Stern was the victim of a tragic incident in 1974 when an intruder threw acid into her face just a few days before she was due to make her debut as Carmen. Gradually she regained some sight in one of her eyes and went on to sing and to becoming a much sort after singing teacher. Many of her students are now singing internationally and, at 91, her passionate search for beautiful sound along with her hunger for spiritual fulfilment is a story of triumph over setbacks. All this is now published in her memoir called The Inner Voice of Sound.

Arguably one of South Africa’s best known performers and songwriters is Coenie De Villiers. He has released 22 albums of his own works, received a huge number of awards, he’s written and opera and a ballet and he anchored the kykNet flagship magazine programme Kwela for 17 years. Coenie began his career as an announcer on several radio stations after lecturing in Media and Communication Sciences at the University of the Free State. The play he does with author Deon Meyer, Karoo Suite 2, has just ended a hugely successful run at the Theatre on the Bay.

Cape Town Opera in collaboration with the UCT Opera School are presenting Handel’s exciting, fantasy opera ALCINA at the Artscape Theatre from the 12th to the 16th of November. The opera is being directed by Matthew Wild who is widely recognised as the leading music theatre and opera director of his generation in South Africa and he is now increasingly in demand in Europe where his productions are earning praise for their conceptual intelligence, visual bravura and musicality.

The world of bikers takes centre stage on People of Note this week. Not the noisy, aggressive type, but a group of friends who have fun riding their Harley Davidson motorcycles to interesting places together. They are members of First Free Chapter Cape Town, who number about 58. Apart from their twice monthly breakfast and lunch rides, they attend rallies around the country but, most importantly they do an enormous amount of charity work, focusing on at least 3 bigger a year. Rodney Trudgeon spoke to LISA CUMBERLEDGE who is the organisations charity officer.

Since its inception in 2009, the Ndlovu Youth Choir has become one of the world’s most treasured ensembles. Their unique musical arrangements, powerhouse vocals, combined with mesmerising choreography and infectious energy have inspired millions across the globe. They were the first choir in history to make both America’s Got Talent and Britain’s Got Talent finals. Their dynamic conductor is Ralph Schmitt, a South African musician, conductor, composer and producer who has led the choir to great heights locally and international and he will be Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on People of Note this week.

An important and powerful play is opening this week at the Baxter theatre. The play is called THE UNLIKELY SECRET AGENT and it has been adapted by Paul du Toit from Ronnie Kasrils’ Alan Paton Award novel of the same name. The play explores the brave journey of Ronnie’s wife, Eleanor, who was also a clandestine agent for the underground ANC, and who survived torture and a mental hospital and then navigated her escape from apartheid South Africa. Playing the lead role of Eleanor is Erika Marais and Rodney Trudgeon spoke to he about the production.

Arguably one of the most charming operas in the repertoire is Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’Amore and you'll have a chance to see a production of it at the Theatre on The Bay from the 13th of October. It’s a Cape Town Opera production with the music performed on a piano by the music director Jose Dias. Rodney Trudgeon invited Jose into the People of Note studio to talk about this innovative production and about his career as soloist, chamber musician and vocal accompanist who is in great demand locally.

One of the spectacular operatic success stories from South Africa is the exciting young tenor LEVY SEKGAPANE WHO STUDIED IN Cape Town, won the Belevedere Singing Competition, the Montserrat Caballe competition as well as the Placido Domingo competition known as Operalia. Levy has gone on to sing at the world’s leading opera houses and dazzling people with his sparkling, high tenor in roles by Rossini , Donizzetti and Mozart. Rodney Trudgeon caught up with him on a brief visit to Cape Town and he will be this week’s guest on People of Note.

An exciting and unusual exhibition is on at the Southern Guild gallery at the Waterfront. It is the first exhibition by Congolese artist PATRICK BONGOY and is called “Unseen Dimensions of the Known”. Patrick works predominantly with waste materials such as inner tubes from tyres, industrial packaging, hessian sacking and textiles. And his works are often trapped in dense, knotted webs of rubber and jute strips, a visual metaphor for the abuses Congolese people have suffered from corrupt regimes.

This week on People of Note, Rodney Trudgeon will be discussing PETS AS THERAPY, A COMMUNITY BASED, VOLUNTARY OUTREACH ORGANISATION THAT COORDINATES ANIMAL ASSISTED ACTIVITIES IN A RANGE OF SETTINGS SUCH AS HOSPICES, FRAIl Care facilities, special needs schools and many others. The Chairperson of Pets as Therapy is clinical Psychologist Dr Leigh Adams Tucker and Rodney spoke to her about the work of this

Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on this week’s edition of People Of Note is a composer, musician, director and philosopher. His name is NEO MUYANGA, WHO WAS BORN IN Soweto and grew up during the hard years of student protests. He began studying natural sciences and Philosophy in Italy but he was soon introduced to a teacher who acquainted him with choral music and the tradition of madrigals. Since then, Neo has written a number of operas as well as plays, chamber music and large choral works.

I wonder if you know what “magic realism” is in literature? Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on People of Note this week uses this technique to enhance her novels and poems. PATRICIA SCHONSTEIN is an author, poet and publisher whose latest book called Thrown Among The Bones is her memoir in which she gives us an intimate glimpse of her life experience and introduces us to her amazing skill with words and atmosphere. Extracts from her 7 novels are included as end notes.

A new play is opening at Pieter Toerien’s Theatre on the Bay this weekend. It’s called Fordsburg’s Finest and it was written by and stars PAUL SLABOLEPSZY who is a well- known, award winning South African playwright who has the ability to reflect an authentic South African landscape with its turbulent political background, vibrant cultures and inhabitants. One of his most famous plays was Saturday Night At The Palace. Fordsburg’s Finest also stars Chi Mende and it was directed by Bobby Heaney.

Cape Town City Ballet’s spectacular production of Prokoviev’s Romeo and Juliet Ballet is pulling in the crowds at the Artscape Opera House. The Cape Town hilharmonic is being conducted by a dynamic young conductor Jonathan Lo who was born in Hong Kong but who now lives in England. Jonathan is in great demand internationally as a ballet conductor and in fact Dance Europe calls him “the greatest ballet conductor we have in the UK”. Jonathan has certainly made his mark with our CPO who sound magnificent in the pit with this difficult and colourful score. Rodney Trudgeon invited Jonathan Lo into the People of Note studio to talk about his career.

On People of Note this week, Rodney Trudgeon will be talking to JUDY BEKKER, whose new book, Calling The Daughters, has just been published. The book invites us to step into what is described as a sacred wisdom circle of mothers, elder women and daughters as they journey together and dive into the essential and often difficult conversations of womanhood.

Prof Mike Bruton a renowned Ichthyologist (the science of fish) his book, "When I Was A Fish", has been hailed for its accessibility. Mike was born in East London, where the first coelacanth was discovered, and studied at Rhodes University in South Africa. Mike’s research on the freshwater fishes of Africa and the Middle East lead to entanglements with crocodiles, hippopotami, giant snakes and military operations but also allowed him to contribute to international efforts to conserve wetlands and endangered fish species.

It’s all about birds and birdwatching on People of Note this week when Rodney Trudgeon talks to the CEO of Birdlife South Africa MARK ANDERSON. Birdwatching is an incredibly popular hobby and the organisations has well over 5000 members, many of whom belong to more than 40 affiliated bird clubs. Birdlife’s vision is to promote the enjoyment, understanding, study and conservation of wild birds and their habitats. They are also involved in a number of projects for the sustainability of birds.

People of Note this week takes on an interestingly different format. My producer and I went to Ian Burgess Simpson’s Piano Shop in Lakeside where he had just taken delivery of a Fazioli Concert Grand for a local buyer. I invited Francois du Toit and three of his award winning piano students to come along with me and we discussed this amazing piano and all the music in the programme was played by the three students. When they had finished their pieces, I asked each of them what they thought about the piano. Ian Burgess Simson also contributed valuable insights into what makes the Fazioli pianos unique.

This Rodney Trudgeon and my guest on People of Note this week is the distinguished editor and author TONY HEARD whose latest book called 8000 Days – The Inside Story of an Editor in the Corridors of Power. The book traces the career of Tony after he’d been invited to be a special advisor to Mandela and Mbeki as well as other prominent politicians. Tony Heard was famously fired as Editor of the Cape Times in 1985 after he published an interview with Oliver Tambo who was banned at the time. The book is a fascinating record of how the government works from the inside and I invited Tony into the PoN studio to talk about the book and about his career.

On People of Note this week, Rodney Trudgeon will be talking to one of the three editors of a major new book called New History of South Africa. Since the last illustrated history of South Africa was published, far-reaching changes have affected not only the country, but the writing of history itself. In this new volume, 31 leading south African writers share fresh insights and new approaches to the story of this country. The three editors are Herman Giliomee, Bernard K Mbenga and Bill Nasson. Rodney Trudgeon spoke to Bill Nasson about the huge undertaking that resulted in this magnificent book.

On People of Note this week, Rodney Trudgeon will be talking to the outgoing manager of Fine Music Radio, Mark Jennings who has decided to go to England with his wife to be with his children. Mark became station manager of FMR in 2015 after nearly 40 years of having lived, worked and slept radio. Not only did Mark introduce live broadcasts of the Symphony Concerts from the Cape Town City Hall, but he also worked tirelessly to ensure FMR’s survival during the Covid pandemic.

Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on People of Note this week is the veteran and much admired former editor of the Cape Times, column writer and author JOHN SCOTT. His long career in journalism included assignments in Britain, Europe, the United States and Israel and he covered the historic fall of the Berlin Wall. John is probably best known as a satirical columnist and his PS column will turn 50 next year.

Cape Town Opera’s production of Mozart’s great opera The Magic Flute opens this coming weekend at the Artscape Opera House. The opera is directed by Magdeline Minnaar and the conductor is the young South African SCHALK VAN DER MERWE, who was the 2019 winner of the Len van Zyl Conductor’s Competition and who has a very busy life conducting orchestras and teaching conducting in Pretoria. Schalk conducted his first opera, Mozart’s The Magic Flute when he was only 23 and is delighted to be conducting The Marriage of Figaro.

On People of Note this week, Rodney Trudgeon will be talking to the violin professor and world renowned teacher JAN REPKO, who is in South Africa, courtesy of the Cape Town Philharmonic, to conducted a series of lessons and masterclasses. Jan was born in South Africa and studied the violin with the famous Jack de Wet before continuing his studies in Amsterdam where he also performed as a soloist and in chamber ensembles. But he soon decided to concentrate on teaching.

The Drama Factory in Somerset West has become the vibrant and exciting destination for patrons to enjoy quality entertainment across a range of genres in a relaxed environment. The venue also offers creative platforms to workshop performances and it provides a number of training initiatives. The founder of the Drama Factory is SUE DIEPEVEEN who is also an actress, director writer and teacher. On People of Note this week, Rodney Trudgeon speaks to Sue about her numerous projects.

The Cape Town Big Band Festival is back with a bang and opens this week on the 25th and runs to the 28th at the Baxter Concert Hall. The festival was started in 1999 by Dennis Barr and, after his death, his wife ANN BARR took over the rains. Ann is also a board member of SAJE, the South African Jazz Educators. In this week’s edition of People of Note, RT spoke to Ann Barr about the festival and what we can expect this year.

The magical art of making and blending whisky will be in the spotlight on People of Note this week when Rodney Trudgeon talks to ANDY WATTS , master founder and distiller, who has just been inducted into Whisky Magazine’s Hall of Fame. This is a huge honour bestowed on just a handful of iconic people since its inception on 2004 as a permanent tribute to their lasting contribution to the whisky industry. And, who knows, Andy may well bring in a couple of his award winning whiskies to taste.

Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on People Of Note this week is the novelist and poet Finuala Dowling, whose latest book, “The Man Who Loved Crocodile Tamers”, has been receiving rave reviews. It is a fascinating book, written in an unusual but fascinating style and which traces the family history. The book weaves fact and fiction together and Rodney asked her about her writing style and about how important poetry is to her. Reviewers speak about the book making them laugh and cry.

Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on People of Note this week is DES LINDBERG part of the iconic South African folk duo with Dawn Lindberg who died tragically a year ago. They enjoyed a 55 year career – singing, composing, dancing and even being activists. A new book has just been published called “Every Day is an Opening Night”, written by Des and Dawn and which is both a deeply personal memoir as well as a glimpse into their socio-political activism. The book is filled with over a hundred photographs chronicling their extraordinary careers.

An exciting and thought-provoking permanent exhibition has just opened in Cape Town. It’s called “Truth To Power: Desmond Tutu and the churches in the Struggle Against Apartheid”. The exhibition is curated in partnership with the Apartheid Museum and celebrates the life and legacy of Archbishop Tutu. A man who has been very closely associated with Archbishop Tutu since 1986 is John Allen, who has written a number of books including a much acclaimed biography of The Arch called Rabble Rouser For Peace. On People of Note this week, Rodney Trudgeon spoke to John Allen about the exhibition and also about the work he did with Desmon Tutu.

This week on People of Note, Rodney Trudgeon will be discussing PETS AS THERAPY, A COMMUNITY BASED, VOLUNTARY OUTREACH ORGANISATION THAT COORDINATES ANIMAL ASSISTED ACTIVITIES IN A RANGE OF SETTINGS SUCH AS HOSPICES, FRAIl Care facilities, special needs schools and many others. The Chairperson of Pets as Therapy is clinical Psychologist Dr Leigh Adams Tucker and Rodney spoke to her about the work of this

Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on People of Note this week is ELIZABETH FOLGEN who is the founder and one of the directors of an organisation called Redrhino, which designs and sells exquisite wilderness-inspired scarves specifically for the corporate gift market as well as for selected boutiques. Importantly, all net profit goes to the Lapalala Wilderness School in the Waterberg for the nurturing and mentoring of the conservation leaders of the future. A recent bespoke scarf features the octopus as seen by Craig Foster in his award-winning documentary My Octopus Teacher.

Rodney Trudgeon will have a husband and wife team in the People of Note studio this week. Mike Rossi is an Emeritus Professor in Jazz at the University of Cape Town who performs regularly at jazz clubs and jazz festivals and who has made numerous recordings and international stage appearances. His wife, Diane, is the recipient of the 22nd Standard Bank Joy Of Jazz Honours and is a highly regarded music event organiser and booking agent. This most influential couple in the jazz scene are leaving South Africa at the end of March to go and live in Italy.

This is Rodney Trudgeon and I’m very excited to introduce you to my guest on People of Note this week. Her name is KIRSTEN NEUSCHAFER and she is a hugely experienced solo yachtsman who has spent the last 5 years cruising the Southern Ocean alone while working for Skip Novak, including sail training and deliveries. Now she is about to undertake her biggest challenge as the only woman taking part in the notoriously difficult and dangerous Golden Globe Race which sets off from France in September. It is a solo race which means Kirsten will be completely alone at sea for some 7 months and the competitors are not allowed to call into a port at any stage of the race.

As we watch the humanitarian tragedy unfold in Ukraine, we are reminded of the horrors of war. In People of Note this week Rodney Trudgeon spoke to DZVINKA KACHUR, who is the co-founder and honorary president of the Ukrainian Association of South Africa and who is passionate about promoting Ukrainian culture, uniting Ukrainians and building strong, resilient communities. Dzvinka is traumatised by what’s happening in her country and Rodney spoke to her about the plight of the Ukrainians, day to day life in Ukraine and how she feels about the county’s future.

At a glittering event at the V&A Waterfront last week, Cape Town Opera announced a diverse, innovative and creative programme for 2022, encompassing both the artistic and educational. Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on People of Note this week to discuss the programme, is the newly appointed Artistic Director of Cape Town Opera, MAGDALENE MINNAAR. Magdalene is a celebrated South African operatic soprano, director and producer, well known in the music industry locally and abroad for setting new trends and challenging conventional boundaries.

On People of Note this week, Rodney Trudgeon will be talking to FEE HALSTEAD who has made an extraordinary name for herself living in the Natal Midlands at her home called Ardmore. Here, Fee teaches a group of talented rural people all about ceramics. Fee’s home bustles with over 70 African artists whose ceramic works have been recognised as modern day collectables by such distinguished auction houses as Christies, Bonhams and Sotherbys. More recently, the group has extended to making wallpaper and scarves. Fee was awarded the Order of Ikhamanga by President Ramaphosa in 2021.

Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on People of Note this week is the South African pianist and composer PAUL HANMER who is perhaps best known for South African Music Award winning jazz albums such as Trains to Taung and Tananas, but he was also chosen as composer in residence for the 2012 Johannesburg International Mozart Festival. Paul is almost as active in classical music as in jazz and in fact he had a song cycle premiered at the Baxter Concert Hall a few days ago. His new show Homecoming premiers here at Artscape on 1st March.

Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on People of Note this week is Dr Jean Moorcroft Wilson who was in Cape Town recently to present a series of lectures called “Literature For Troubled Times”. Dr Wilson is a leading authority on British poets of the First World War and has been described as the doyenne of war poet biographers. She has written highly acclaimed biographies of, among others, Siegfried Sassoon, Isaac Rosenberg, Charles Hamilton Sorley and Edward Thomas.

Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on People of Note this week is one of South Africa’s most successful crime writers both locally and internationally. DEON MEYER has published 11 novels, collections of short stories and film scripts and his latest crime thriller, The Dark Flood, is a page turner in the truest sense of the phrase with the most unexpected twist at the end. The book is filled with the incredible characters for which Deon is famous, including his flawed but empathetic police officer, Benny Griesel.

A ‘Sprig of Rosemarie’ is an unusual cookery book as each recipe connects with a memorable story of my cooking career. Savour the likes of the classic Coq au Vin or titillate your guests with Florentine Nutty Tart or whip up a batch of Jonah’s Gingers for a teatime treat, whatever recipe you try it will be a winner. Elegant or homespun, within these covers are a lifetime of magical meals that are in themselves a memoir. With their beautiful photographs and the accompanying stories that make you laugh out loud, you will turn the pages in anticipation of the next adventure. From prepping in hangars, restoring power or ducking under garden sprinklers – I’ve seen it all. Making a plan is my mantra, even if it does means sending legs of lamb to friends in the French countryside to be cooked in their home ovens when the power tripped: there is a solution for everything. As with all good parties the guests sometimes overindulge – whether it be the vodka trip while playing bridge or a g-string floating in the pool after a wedding – slightly saucy but for ever discreet.

I recently had a book published and part of the excitement and challenge involved, I found myself fascinated by the whole publication process. So I decided to invite Jeremy Boraine, the publishing director of Jonathan Ball Publishers, to be my guest on this week’s edition of People of Note. Jeremy has worked with a number of South Africa’s top authors and Jonathan Ball Publishers specialises in South African history, politics and current affairs as well as publishing some fiction.

Rodney Trudgeon's guest on People of Note this week is violinist David Juritz. He is in demand as a chamber music artist and is a prolific arranger. His career has taken him to many interesting places. In 2007, he travelled around the world. On the 60 000 mile journey through six continents, he paid for the entire trip with his busking earnings by playing Bach on the street. David will be opening the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra's Summer Symphony Season when he performs Mozart’s Violin Concert No. 5 in A, K 219 on 20 January at 6 pm. People of Note is on Sunday at 6 pm with a repeat broadcast on Thursday at 12 noon.

Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on People of Note this week is the internationally renowned concert pianist GUSTAVO ROMERO. Critics talk of his exceptional technical brilliance and his interpretive depth with a wide variety of composers. Gustavo is currently lecturing at the College of Music at the University of North Texas, but is enjoying a holiday in Cape Town where he has performed before. He is hoping to present a complete cycle of the 32 Beethoven Piano Sonatas here in Cape Town if a venue and dates can be secured.\\Gustavo Romero on People of Note this week. Sunday at 6pm and again on Thursday at midday.

A magnificent new coffee table book has just been published called Cape Town’s Dockland. It has been written and compiled by the well know shipping correspondent BRIAN INGPEN and aprt from a host of personal reminiscences, it has numerous beautiful photographs, both in black and white, and in colour, of a host of dockland memories, from the iconic Union Castel ships to the hard work tugs, the massive cargo and container ships, war ships and trawlers to the actual harbour itself and its development over many years. Brian Ingpen will be Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on People of Note this week.

This week on People of Note, Rodney Trudgeon will be talking to the 2021 Booker Prize winner, the South African DAMON GALGUT. His novel The Promise won the coveted award and he joins the likes of Nadine Gordimer and J M Coetzee as a Booker Prize Winner. The book is a many layered novel of great complexity and is beautifully written. Damon will talk about the technique he used in writing the book and also about his life as a writer

Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on People of Note this week is the Chief Executive Officer of Tygerberg Hospital DR MATODZI MUKOSI. He is the former CEO of the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital but he is also the Pastor of the Jesus The Saviour Church and is the author of 2 books – Leading The Flock and Key to an Extraordinary Life. Dr Mukosi chats about his role at the head of one of the country’s biggest hospitals and the many challenges facing medicine today

On People of Note this week, Rodney Trudgeon will be chatting to NANCY RICHARDS, an independent journalist with a good few years’ experience in both radio and print. Nancy also founded Woman Zone and the Women’s Library at Artscape Theatre Centre. She produces many podcasts and has written books, the latest of which is called The Skipper’s Daughter, which tells the story of her mother going to sea and, later on, a family tragedy.

One of Cape Town’s most well-known and enduring musical partnerships is that of the husband and wife team of Albie and Hanna van Schalkwyk. Hanna is a highly regarded and successful singing teacher – some of her pupils have won international competitions and are enjoying international careers. Albie is a highly respected piano lecturer at UCT and is held in the highest esteem as a chamber musician and voice accompanist. They are also responsible for the formation in 1994 of the Songmaker’s Guild.

This is the second year that our matrics are writing exams in masks! In fact FMR has dedicated our Keyboard Classics to our matrics during the month of November. Rodney Trudgeon invited Marc Falconer into the People of Note studio to discuss the plight of education and how it has changed during the pandemic. Marc is the principal of Herzlia High School and he is passionate about the role of reading, music and arts in schools. He has also facilitated FMR’s Book Choice Teen Podcasts.

In this uncertain world we are living in - what with the global Covid pandemic and global warming to name a few of the existential crises we seem to be facing - it's often said that "the next great war will be fought over water". Somebody who has spent much of his professional life considering this most valuable of resources, is UCT's Dr Kevin Winter. Senior Lecturer in Environmental and Geographical Sciences, Dr Winter is also lead researcher at UCT's Future Water Institute, and is widely published on urban water management. He sprang to public prominence in the approach to the near calamitous "Day Zero", a couple of years ago, when Cape Town almost became the first major city in the world to run out of drinking water. Dr Winter is my guest on "People of Note"......

Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on People of Note is the well-known and much respected author and columnist TOM EATON. Tom is a Business Day and Times Select columnist and the author of the bestselling novel The De Villiers Code, among other books. His latest book has the following intriguing title: “Is It Me or Is It Getting Hot In Here? – Great Expectations and boiling frogs in South Africa.” You can find out all about this book on People of Note this week

Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on this week’s edition of People of Note is a truly multi-talented South African composer, musician and teacher. LIAM PITCHER is known primarily for blending elements of classical, electroacoustic and electronica music as well as for his distinctive piano improvisations. In fact he has just released a 10 CD set of his improvisations, and apart from his piano works, he is a percussionist, orchestrator and teaches music theory and aural training. Liam will be featuring some of his work during the programme

Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on People of Note this week is the highly acclaimed South African singer Niel Rademan who covers genres from folksong to opera. He is also a dynamic theatre producer and his annual festival called Hessequa Harmonie has gone for from strength to strength in the beautiful setting of Heidelberg. This year’s festival, which is almost fully booked already, runs from the 21st to the 25th of September. Niel talks about his incredible enthusiasm for this festival as well as the wide variety of artists whom he manages to attract to the festival each year.

The Children of Willesden Lane is a multi-layered programme that was presented this past week in collaboration with the Cape Town and Johannesburg Holocaust and Genocide Centres. The programme was devised by the concert pianist MONA GOLABEK, whose book called The Children of Willesden is the moving story of her mother, Lisa Jura. Lisa was one of more than 10,000 Jewish children brought to England during World War 2 as part of the kindertransport – a mission to rescue children threatened by the Nazis.

One of South Africa’s iconic sportsmen, Ryk Neethling will be Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on this week’s edition of People of Note. Famously, Ryk won an Olympic Gold Medal in the 2004 Summer Olympics followed by a number of other prestigious international awards and medals. He went on to study in Arizona in the United States and currently works with athletes and swimmers setting them up for life after competitive sport and is CEO of the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation South Africa which focuses on safety in the water. Ryk is now shareholder and marketing director of Val de Vie Estate – a luxury property development in Franschoek

Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on People of Note this week is the award winning author Thomas Harding whose latest book, LEGACY, is described as a panoramic new history of modern Britain as told through the story of one extraordinary family and one ground breaking company. That company is called J. Lyons and it grew to become the largest catering company in the world. It’s the story of an ascent from rags to riches in the face of poverty, hatred and anti-Semitism.

On People of Note this week, Rodney Trudgeon speaks to Peter Soal who was a Member of Parliament for 12 years. After the 1994 elections, Nelson Mandela sent him to New York where he served as the South African representative on the Human Rights Committee of the United Nations

Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on this week’s edition of People of Note is the internationally famous South African tenor and now opera director in Berlin, KOBIE van RENSBURG. His career has taken him to all the world’s major opera houses and he is in Cape Town for an exciting venture with the project called “SHANDE”. The Songmaker’s Guild in collaboration with Umculo will present two performances of Schubert songs for four singers, piano and video in this new and innovative production described as a dramatic journey in search of atonement and acceptance. Kobie van Rensburg will direct the production.

Rodney Trudgeon will be talking to Dr John Hanks who has over 45 years of experience in a wide variety of conservation management and research projects. Among his many important posts have been Chief Professional Officer for the Natal Parks Board and Professor and Head of the Department of Biological Sciences. Over the last few years, Dr Hanks has been deeply involved with Operation Lock which has been fighting rhino horn poaching in Africa. His recent book about Operation Lock has revealed a number of fascinating controversies surrounding Rhino poaching.

Music lovers in Cape Town were treated recently to a musical feast and feat when Francois Du Toit played all 5 Beethoven Piano Concertos over 2 nights in the City Hall with the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra. The concerts were a stunning success and demonstrated just why Francois is such a superb musician and why he is so loved and admired by Cape Town audiences. The cycle was presented to celebrate his 50th birthday.

Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on People of Note this week is the author and journalist BRENT MEERSMAN. Brent is also co-editor of the news organisation Ground Up and his work has been published internationally. One of his latest books is called A Childhood Made UP – Living with my mother’s madness. The book has been described by Zapiro as “cathartic, insightful, funny and most of all, courageous” as it traces his mother’s battle with schizophrenia and his father’s alcohol-fuelled depression.

On People of Note this week I’ll be talking to the author and photographer JOCELIN KAGAN, whose new book, Africa’s Wild Dogs – A Survival Story, is a collection of spectacular photographs of these fascinating animals, a celebration in fact of one of the continent’s most charismatic and endangered predators. Jocelin made it her mission to bring the extraordinary lives of these often misunderstood and maligned animals into the spotlight. The result is a magnificently produced coffee table book with photographs that are truly riveting in their vividness.

Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on this week’s edition of People of Note is the distinguished South African actor JOHN KANI. John’s extraordinary career has led to countless awards and honours both locally and internationally and in 2015 the Market Theatre in Johannesburg re-named their main theatre the John Kani Theatre. In 2004 John Kani was voted as among the Top 100 Great South Africans. His latest play Kunene and the King – a co-production with the Royal Shakespeare Company and Fugard Theatre – has just completed a hugely successful and critically acclaimed season at the Fugard with Sir Anthony Sher starring opposite John.

Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on People of Note this week is someone well known to FMR listeners as presenter of Boek keuse, AMANDA BOTHA. Amanda is a writer and journalist who has had a long and distinguished career In the world of art, music, literature and the performing arts in general. She broke the story of the world’s first heart transplant as well as of the birth of the Rosenkowitz sextuplets and has also been at the forefront of two of South Africa’s most notorious murder stories – Robin Cohen and the so-called Scissors murder.

Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on People of Note this week is the award winning theatre director and playwright MALCOLM PURKEY. In a long, distinguished career, Malcolm has served as the Artistic Director of the Market Theatre in Johannesburg, he formed the Junction Avenue Theatre Company and he is heavily involved with AFDA as researcher on Syllabus development and writer in residence. He has directed and written many famous productions, perhaps the most famous of which was Sophiatown.

This week on People of Note, Rodney Trudgeon will be talking to MARIA BOTHA who is the founder of an exciting project called MUZUKIDZ that is committed to teaching children from all sorts of backgrounds and cultures musical instruments. To date, more than 350 primary school pupils have been given the opportunity to receive free violin tuition. Maria has a fascinating story to tell about how this project was set up, what the Suzukin method is all about and the sheer joy of seeing the youngsters from townships revel in their playing.

Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on People of Note this week is one of South Africa’s most versatile musician. KUTLWANO MASOTE is a cellist, conductor and broadcaster who has spent many years at Classic FM in Johannesburg and who now presents classical music programmes on SAfm. Kutlwano has conducted concerts across the genres of symphonic, opera, jazz and popular music. He has worked with most of the country’s orchestras and leading soloists and has received many awards.

Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on People of Note this week is a rather unconventional lawyer. BARRY VARKEL has his own legal practice but he also writes books with a comedy flair and in fact, was a stand up comedian once upon a time. His two latest books are called Nigiri Law and Goy Vey which has as its subtitle A Gentile’s Guide to Judaism. Barry feels that we are all far too serius ans that what we need is to laugh more.

Many people in Cape Town know and are shocked by the fire that destroyed the historic Mostert’s Mill on a few weeks ago. The remains of the mill are now covered with plastic and rope netting to save it from rain damage. On People of Note this week, Rodney Trudgeon will be talking to the Chairman of the Friends of Mostert’s Mill, JOHN HAMMER, about the extent of the damage, the history of this 300 year old windmill and the exciting plans to completely re-build it to its original glory.

Kom kuier saam met my, Otto van der Walt, in FMR se People of Note ateljee, wanneer oud-regter en skrywer, Andries Buys, ons vertel van sy liefde vir musiek, en sy bekroonde boek, Die dao van Daan van der Walt, wat beskryf word as die mees bekroonde Afrikaanse debuutroman, en waarvoor 'n luisterboek reeds opgeneem is wat gelees word deur Suid-Afrikaanse veteraan akteur Chris Van Niekerk. People of Note met Andries Buys word Sondag om 6 namiddag, en die daaropvolgende Donderdag om 12 namiddag hier op FMR

Interesting and exciting news for music lovers right around South Africa is the formation of a brand new orchestra The MOTHER CITY ORCHESTRA has just been launched. It is a full time, professional touring orchestra that will have its home base in Cape Town but will be travelling with popular concerts such as a Strauss Gala, a night at the opera, a Mozart even and so on. The conductor is XAVIER CLOETE who was the 2013 winner of the Len Van Zyl Conducting competition and who has spent the past 6 years teaching orchestral conducting as well as being resident conductor of the Odeion School of Music orchestra.

Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on People of Note this week is the exciting young, South African born opera director VICTORIA STEVENS. Victoria is based in Mannheim and her recent production of Hansel and Gretel has achieved major critical acclaim, as did her Italian directing debut with a new and innovative production of The Marriage of Figaro. She collaborates across a wide scope of artistic disciplines to re-imagine the operatic idiom from a fresh perspective and to make it more accessible to a younger audience

On People of Note this week, Rodney Trudgeon will be talking to the painter Jeremy Day, someone who is fascinated with the sinking of the Titanic 109 years ago on April the 14th. All sorts of theories continue to swirl around this famous and tragic sinking including some bizarre conspiracy theories. As part of the programme, the music featured will be selections from the music that was played on board, including as the ship went down.

I wonder if you have seen that extraordinary documentary called My Octopus Teacher? It is making waves around the world and has already won a number of prestigious awards. Now it has been nominated for an Academy Award in the Documentary category and so I thought it would be interesting to repeat the People of Note programme with the composer of the music to the film. It tells an amazing story of a form of friendship that develops between a diver and film maker Craig Foster and an octopus just off Simon’s Town. The music score was written by KEVIN SMUTS who is an award winning film score composer who continues to impress with his ability to understand and enhance the emotional intensity of the films he works on.

Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on People of Note this week is radio presenter, poet and music aficionado SHILOH NOONE, known to many FMR listeners for his long running series called Song Catcher. Shiloh has also written a history of rock called Seekers Guide to the Rhythm of Yesteryear, which won a Rolling Stone award. His latest book is called A Bicycle, A Chess set, an African River and tells an exciting story of teaching chess to poor children in the bush across a crocodile infested river near the Mozambiquan border.

There’s a touch of LP buying nostalgia on People of Note this week. Rodney Trudgeon invited Peter Kramer into the studio to talk about his long life in the record business, dating back to his father’s famous shop “Hans Kramer’s The Home Of Music”, and including his singing career with Capab and with the Gilbert and Sullivan Society. Peter is well known to FMR listeners for the programmes he used to do as well as for his regular CD and DvD sales.

Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on People of Note this week is songwriter and record producer Patric van Blerk who is also a presenter on FMR. Patric has had a long and distinguished career In the music industry in South Africa and abroad and two of his most well-known songs celebrate anniversaries this year – 40th anniversary of Paradise Road and the 50th anniversary of Charlie, the hit song which helped launch Rabbit. Patric has won a number of awards and he is also well known for his theme tune to the series Shaka Zulu.

This week’s edition of People of Note, which was first broadcast last year, features an interview with one of South Africa’s most loved musicians. RICHARD COCK is not only a popular conductor, but he is known as a superb choral trainer and conductor, organist and entrepreneur. His annual Last Night of the Proms concert and Starlight Classics draw vast audiences and he also appears at many of the festivals that take place around the country.

A new and fascinating CD has just been released called “Echoes of Sophiatown”. It is a re-creation of a number of the songs which became famous in the jazz clubs of Sophiatown before the apartheid machine declared it a white area. The CD is dedicated to preserving, celebrating and reviving the original music and dance of South Africa’s swing era. The project has been initiated by Cape Town Swing, a non-profit organisation run by a volunteer team of local dancers. The project co-ordinators are Brendan Argent and Sarah Boyd and Rodney Trudgeon invited them into the People of Note studio to talk about the project and to plays some of the music from the new CD.

Mandla Langa (born 1950 in Stanger, Durban) is a South African poet, short story writer, and novelist. He grew up in KwaMashu township.[1] His novel The Lost Colours of the Chameleon won the 2009 Commonwealth Writers' Prize (Africa region).[2][3] Langa studied at the University of Fort Hare, graduating in 1972 with a B.A. degree in English and Philosophy.[4] In 1976, he went into exile and has lived in different countries of Southern Africa as well as in Hungary and the United Kingdom.

Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on People of Note this week is Western Cape High Court Judge Owen Rogers who is as adept with the violin and piano as he is with the law, according to his many supporters. He is also a member of the choir Vox Cape Town. Judge Rogers has recently had a book published called Lawyers In Turmoil – The Johannesburg Conspiracy of 1895 which has been described as a lively and, at times, provocative account of the Jameson Raid Lawyers. He will be talking about his passion for Law and his love of music in People of Note. Sunday at 6pm and again on Thursday at Midday.

This week on People of Note, Rodney Trudgeon’s guest is the well known and much respected musician Dizu Plaatjies whose latest album, “Ubuntu The Common String” has just been nominated for a SAMA award. Famously, Dizu was the founder of the celebrated marimba group Amampondo and he has travelled the world introducing his unique blend of African and western instruments and styles, and for his passion for the development of our youth. Dizu also teaches at the Music College at UCT.

Honeybees travel the equivalent of twice around the world to produce that half kilogram jar of honey we pluck off the supermarket shelf. One in every three mouthfuls of food we eat is pollinated by honeybees. But humanity's greatest friend among the insects seems to be in trouble. Dwindling forage, new generation pesticides and a host of other problems are taking a toll on these busiest of creatures. South Africa's only full-time honeybee scientist, Mike Allsopp will be this week's guest on 'People of Note' with Chris Nicklin.

or the first edition of People of Note for 2020, Rodney Trudgeon has decided to repeat an edition of the programme done some years ago which created great interest at the time and in fact many listeners have asked us to repeat it. The interview was with JOHN HAMER who is a senior pilot in Cape Town Harbour and who has had the experience of guiding massive ships into the harbour in all sorts of weather conditions, including the iconic Queen Mary 2. John talks not only about the job of a pilot in the harbour but also about the unique topography of Table Bay.

The 16th of September marked the death in 1977 of one of the world’s most famous and iconic singers, Maria Callas. Fine Music Radio has been paying tribute to her in a series that was presented by Anton Smit over the past 2 weeks and in People of Note this week, we’ll be repeating an interview which I recorded with Robert Sutherland who was Maria Callas’s chosen accompanyist for many years.

Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on this week’s edition of People of Note is Jeremy Day who is a painter well known for his paintings of ships for the Ship Society’s annual calendar. The 2021 calendar has just been published with yet another beautiful, detailed and atmospheric painting by Jeremy of the war ship The Prince of Wales in Cape Town harbour in 1941. But Jeremy also paints greetings cards and has a number of other interests both mechanical and artistic.

This week we have a repeat broadcast which I hope you’re going to enjoy, especially in this Beethoven year. It is the interview I recorded in the Philharmonie in Berlin when I was there for the cycle of 9 Beethoven symphonies with the Berlin Philharmonic conducted by Sir Simon Rattle. I was lucky enough to spend some time with the principal flute of the Berlin Philharmonic, Emmanuel Pahud and we had a relaxed chat about the Beethoven symphonies, the newly appointed conductor of the BPO and a host of other related matters.

My guest on people of note this week, is the author and academic Dr Dean Allen, whose new , Empire War and Cricket in South Africa, traces the story of Matjiesfontein and of James Douglas Logan, Dr Dean has produced a remarkable book with fascinating archival photographs of the early days of Logan, in Matjiesfontein and about the unbelievable origins of cricket in South Africa. PON this Sunday just after 6pm news and again on Thursday at midday brought to you by Pieter Toerien Productions,

I wonder if you’ve heard our new programme on a Sunday evening at 7.30 called Just The Ticket? It an adaptation for radio of a fascinating book of the same name by Percy Tucker. The book chronicles the life in theatre and show biz of the man who invented Computicket and is a fascinating chronicle of theatres, actors, directors and audiences over many years. Some time ago I interviewed Percy for People of Note and I thought it would be interesting to repeat that interview this week in view of the new series.

On this week’s edition of People of Note, Rodney Trudgeon’s guest will be Advocate Deon Irish, who, apart from his work as Senior Council, is the Titular Organist and Choirmaster at St Micheal’s Church in Observatory, a post he has held since 1972. Deon has contributed substantially to the community in South Africa as an organ teacher, a mentor for young choral conductors, an opera and music critic as well as through his financial and legal work for the Diocese of Cape Town. And now Dean has just been made an Associate of the Royal School Of Church Music in recognition of his contribution to church music in South Africa.

I wonder if you have seen that extraordinary documentary called My Octopus Teacher? It is making waves around the world and has already won a number of prestigious awards. It tells an amazing story of a form of friendship that develops between a diver and film maker Craig Foster and an octopus just off Simon’s Town. The music score was written by KEVIN SMUTS who is an award winning film score composer who continues to impress with his ability to understand and enhance the emotional intensity of the films he works on.

A photographic exhibition called “The Other Side Of Christmas” opened at the Deepest Darkest Art Gallery in Cape Town on 7 November 2019. The works document every day scenes across the American south during the 2014 mid-term elections in the USA which were the precursor to the divisive 2016 Presidential elections. The photographer is Barry Salzman, an award-winning contemporary artist who was born in Zimbabwe and brought up in South Africa and who now lives in the United States. Barry works with photography, video and mixed media and is the recipient of the 2018 International Photographer of the Year Award in the Deeper Perspective category.

Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on People of Note this week is Africa Melane, a broadcaster who hosts the Early Breakfast Show on Cape Talk and 702 and who has interviewed leading personalities, politicians and business leaders both in South Africa and abroad. Africa is currently the Interim Managing Director and Board Member of Cape Town Opera and is also the Chair of the panel of judges for the Fleur du Cap Theatre Awards

On People of Note this week is a repeat broadcast of the interview with the Executive Director of Pick n Pay Stores, WENDY ACKERMAN. Among Wendy’s many achievements and awards is the Inyathelo Award for Family Philanthropy as well as being recognized as one of Africa’s most influential women. Wendy Ackerman has also been recognized by the SA Nature Foundation for outstanding achievement and contribution to environmental conservation and has been acknowledged by the World Wildlife Fund, South Africa, as a Diamond Custodian of Table Mountain. With a hugely busy schedule, Wendy still finds time to assist the community, and among many other interests, she is a Patron of FMR and is on the board of the Cape Town Opera Trust.

The month of November sees the 10th anniversary of the exciting daily, on line newspaper, The Daily Maverick which has become a major player in the media in South Africa and which has attracted some of the country’s finest journalists and influential readers. Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on People of Note this week is the Co-founder and CEO of the Daily Maverick, Styli Charalambous who talks about building a successful media organisation in this country and which has been behind some of the most ground-breaking investigative journalism stories in the country.

The sterling work of St Luke’s Hospice is the subject of this week’s People of Note interview. Rodney Trudgeon will be talking to RONITA MAHILALL who is the Chief Executive Officer of St Luke’s Combined Hospices, a well-known and much loved organisation which provides palliative care to people diagnosed with a terminal illness and facing the end of life. They also provide medical care, social work, spiritual care and bereavement care.

Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on this week’s edition of People of Note is the multi-award winning South African flautist Wouter Kellerman, who is also the winner of a Grammy Award. Not only is Wouter a flautist, but he is also a producer and composer and part of his mission is to work with and uplift children. His 2018 collaboration with the Ndlovu Youth Choir became an internet sensation.

Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on People of Note this week is the distinguished, award winning pianist and teacher NINA SCHUMANN. Nina has won most of the Piano Competitions in South Africa and has received international awards as well. Recently Nina has become the curator of an exciting new on-line project called Concerts Connect which is a series streamed in support of local music societies and concert series.

This is Rodney Trudgeon and my guest on People of Note this week is not only an international respected South African viola player, but he is also a master at overtone singing. Gareth Lubbe is a regular guest artist and educator at festivals around the world and prominent composers have written works for his voice as an overtone singer and his extraordinary vocal skills have been recorded for radio, films and even computer games. You may even find him performing on the “compost organ” in the meadows of Germany! Gareth will demonstrate his overtone singing in the course of our interview

One of South Africa's most acclaimed novelists and playwrights, Zakes Mda, has been back in the country to launch his latest book, tantalisingly titled 'The Zulus of New York'. Zakes Mda has led the sort of life that could quite easily fill the pages of one of his books. From formidable political lineage - he spent time as a boy living in Nelson Mandela Soweto home - then years in exile - to a glittering international writing career based in the United States, where he continued to write about his home country, including some biting satire that could be construed to be about our current politics.

Ships and shipping will be in the spotlight on People of Note this week when Rodney Trudgeon talks to Phillip Short who is the vice chairman of the Ship Society of South Africa which is based in the harbour in Cape Town. Not only does the society’s rooms have a large collection of memorabilia to do with ocean liners, tugs, container ships and oil tankers, but they have regular meetings at which talks are given by well-known nautical personalities. Not only that, but a rather impressive books has been compiled and published by Phillip Short feature amazing, never seen before black and white pictures of Cape Town harbour between 1935 and 1955.

Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on People of Note this week is the award-winning director of features and documentaries, ANTHONY FABIAN. Anthony’s first feature film, Skin, won 22 international awards and his first documentary, Township Opera, featured emerging talent from South Africa. Anthony was in South Africa working on a feature documentary called “Good Hope”, which is about a crisis of confidence in South Africa and what the next generation are doing to secure a brighter future for the country.

Children’s stories and children books are in the spotlight on People of Note this week. Rodney Trudgeon will be talking to author ANDREW NEWMAN whose books include breathing meditations, value rich stories and reflection pages meant to help parents and children to spend 20 minutes before bedtime reading. With titles such as The Elephant Who Tried To Tip Toe, The Hug Who Got Stuck and the Boy Who Searched For Silence, the books are truly magical with beautiful illustrations.

Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on People of Note this week is the exciting and dynamic young actress, writer, producer and comedian, SHIMMY ISAACS who has won many awards and became the youngest appointed lecturer at the African Film, Television and Live Performance University. Shimmy obtained an international Certificate from the acting school Black Nexus in New York and has performed alongside some of South Africa’s leading comedians, as well as at international venues.

Rodney Trudgeon inviting you to this week’s edition of people of note where I spoke to Robin Emsley, a man who is an internationally famous and respected psychiatrist and who is also Professor of Psychiatry at Stellenbosch University. But we spoke about a book he has written which, when I first saw it, I though was yet another recipe book. I couldn’t have been more wrong! It’s called “Snoek on the Couch” and is a completely fascinating book about snoek, the people of the West Coast, language, an albino bulbul, mental health and the meaning of life. In fact, when I’d finished reading it I felt I knew myself better and quite a lot more about life!

On People of Note this week, Rodney Trudgeon will be talking to Dr Jamie McGregor of Rhodes University about a lecture he delivered recently at the UCT Summer School. The lecture was entitled “A Composer’s Midlife Crisis: Wagner before and after Schopenhauer”. It is generally thought that Wagner was never the same again after encountering the pessimistic philosophy of Arthur Schopenhauer midway through his greatest work, The RING. Dr McGregor discusses these and many other aspects of Wagner and his music including illustrations from Wagner’s operas

As we continue to repeat some of the People of Note programmes during the lock down, this week it’s the turn of Gerlinda Moser who is described as Cape Town's Leading Property Personality for investment in the City's Premier residential areas. She has an International client base and is a specialist advisor to clients from the German speaking countries. Gerlinda also supports a number of charities like the Reach for a Dream Foundation, the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra, the Cape Town Opera, Public Parks, Animal Rescue, Wild Life programs, recycling and energy saving programs. Gerlinda will talk about her fadcinating life in Vienna and her deep love of music

In August 1991, excited holiday-makers boarded the Oceanos at East London for what was meant to be a trip of a lifetime. Despite treacherous weather, rogue waves and hurricane force winds, the captain decided to set sail and this led to one of the biggest air rescue operations ever as the ship started to sink with 220 passengers on board. A new book called Against All Odds has been published by Jonathan Ball. It was written by ANDREW PIKE, one of the most senior maritime lawyers in South Africa.

Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on a repeat People of Note this week is the young South African soprano Goitsemang Lehobye who is enjoying a hugely successful international career. Goitsemang is currently studying at the University of Michigan and Rodney caught up with her a couple of years ago when she was in Cape Town to perform in Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony as well as to appear with the Minnesota Orchestra to sing in the premier of Harmonia Ubuntu by Bongani Ndodana-Breen

This week’s edition of People of Note will be in the form of a tribute to the Rivonia Trialist and social campaigner DENIS GOLDBERG who died earlier this week at the age of 87. A few years ago, I interviewed Denis about his long and fascinating life and also about his involvement with a music school in Hout Bay.

Repeat Broadcast

This is Rodney Trudgeon and my guest on People of Note this week is not only an international respected South African viola player, but he is also a master at overtone singing. Gareth Lubbe is a regular guest artist and educator at festivals around the world and prominent composers have written works for his voice as an overtone singer and his extraordinary vocal skills have been recorded for radio, films and even computer games. You may even find him performing on the “compost organ” in the meadows of Germany! Gareth will demonstrate his overtone singing in the course of our interview

Repeat Broadcast

As you know, I recently had a book published and part of the excitement and challenge involved, I found myself fascinated by the whole publication process. So I decided to invite Jeremy Boraine, the publishing director of Jonathan Ball Publishers, to be my guest on this week’s edition of People of Note. Jeremy has worked with a number of South Africa’s top authors and Jonathan Ball Publishers specialises in South African history, politics and current affairs as well as publishing some fiction.

This is Rodney Trudgeon and, even though the Jazz Festival has been cancelled, I managed to talk to the founder of the festival all those years ago RASHI LOMBARD, a name which certainly has clout in Cape Town’s music circles. He is the man who put our jazz scene on the world map and for more than a decade he managed to sign up top international and local jazz stars. Rashid is also well known and respected as a jazz photographer and political photo journalist.

Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on People of Note this week is one of the UK’s leading song pianists and, more recently, a conductor as well. Gary Matthewman is a regular artist at London’s Wigmore Hall as well as Carnegie Hall in New York and Vienna’s Musikverein among many other international venues. His recital partners include Dame Kiri Te Kanewa, Joyce DiDonato, Sir Thomas Allen and Sumi Jo. Gary is on a six week coaching residency at Cape Town Opera, largely focussing on coaching the Cape Town Opera Young Artists.

The Woordfees festival opens in Stellenbosch on 6 March and there is a wealth of music on offer apart from many other genres. One of the performers at the festival is the violinist DAVID BESTER who, apart from his recitals and concerts, is senior lecturer in violin and viola at Nelson Mandela University in Port Elizabeth where he founded the Nelson Mandela University String Ensemble. David is passionate about research in string pedagogy and has played with all the major orchestras in South Africa. He has worked closely with people like Pinchas Zukerman, Joshua Bell and Ivry Gitlis.

In this week’s edition of People of Note, Rodney Trudgeon’s guest will be the award winning singer-songwriter and fine artist ARNO CARSTENS. During his career as the lead singer of the Springbok Nude Girls, and subsequently as a solo artist, Arno has released multiple albums in both English and Afrikaans and has headlined every major South African music festival. He has also appeared at many international festivals and has performed with the Rolling Stones, U2 and The Police.

Pieter Toerien’s production of the Mel Brooks comedy musical THE PRODUCERS has opened at the Theatre on the Bay with an all-star cast led by Alan Committee, Earl Gregory and Terrance Bridgett. The show is directed by Joseph Pitcher who has directed major productions in the UK and internationally and who trained as an actor before becoming a director. He is also the creator of an award-winning board game called Game For Fame which reached the top of the Amazon.co.uk’s best-selling board game list.

Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on People of Note this week is the exciting and dynamic young actress, writer, producer and comedian, SHIMMY ISAACS who has won many awards and became the youngest appointed lecturer at the African Film, Television and Live Performance University. Shimmy obtained an international Certificate from the acting school Black Nexus in New York and has performed alongside some of South Africa’s leading comedians, as well as at international venues

Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on this week’s edition of People of Note is the well-known and much respected wine maker BRUCE JACK who shot to fame with his urban brewery called Flagstone but who is now the owner and winemaker of a more boutique enterprise called The Drift Estate in the Overberg. But it is not only wine on which Bruce concentrates. He spearheads an organisation called the Headstart Trust, established in memory of his mother, Elspeth Jack, and which seeks to provide and promote education and outreach programmes for educational enrichment, especially music education.

The next exciting production at Pieter Toerien’s Theatre on the Bay is the musical The Producers, adapted by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan from the 1967 fil of the same name. As in the film, the musical concerns two theatrical producers who decide to get rich by overselling interests in a Broadway flop. Playing the role of Rodger de Bris is the popular actor Terence Bridgett, well known to television audiences for his role in many soap operas such as Isidingo, where he played Chico Booysens, 7de Laan and Backstage.

On People of Note this week, Rodney Trudgeon will be talking to Dr Jamie McGregor of Rhodes University about a lecture he delivered recently at the UCT Summer School. The lecture was entitled “A Composer’s Midlife Crisis: Wagner before and after Schopenhauer”. It is generally thought that Wagner was never the same again after encountering the pessimistic philosophy of Arthur Schopenhauer midway through his greatest work, The RING. Dr McGregor discusses these and many other aspects of Wagner and his music including illustrations from Wagner’s operas.

The UCT Summer School opens this week with the usual vast array of fascinating lectures. Among them is a series of lectures entitle “A Brief History of Harmony, the Universe and Everything” which will be delivered by Grant McLachlan along with performers such as Vox cape Town, Albie van Schalkwyk and Lucia Scott. Rodney Trudgeon invited Grant into the People of Note studio to find out more about his subject which he says will cover 1000 years of music finding common threads which run through the history of music and even delving into physics, psychology, art and architecture

For the first edition of People of Note for 2020, Rodney Trudgeon has decided to repeat an edition of the programme done some years ago which created great interest at the time and in fact many listeners have asked us to repeat it. The interview was with JOHN HAMER who is a senior pilot in Cape Town Harbour and who has had the experience of guiding massive ships into the harbour in all sorts of weather conditions, including the iconic Queen Mary 2. John talks not only about the job of a pilot in the harbour but also about the unique topography of Table Bay.

For the last programme of 2019, Rodney Trudgeon invited one of Cape Town’s most glamourous women into the People of Note studio. Cathy Specific is the undoubted Queen of the elegant supper club known as Gate 69 where she holds court on show nights both in the theatre, on stage and on the red carpet outside where she personally greets every guest with a hug and a kiss! Cathy began life as an air hostess and shortly after deciding on a stage career, she met up with her 2 “Trolley Dollys”. Cathy will talk about her career, the various shows which are presented at Gate 69 with a slightly naughty twist and her plans for the future.

The Rocky Horror show is playing to packed houses here at Artscape with Craig Urbani in the role of Frank n Furter and Kate Normington as the narrator. This all new, fast, Slick production is the London production which has been touring for the last 13 years, but with an all-South African cast here in Cape Town. The director is Christopher Luscombe who began his career as an actor spending 7 years with the Royal Shakespeare Company and then moved to directing where he has directed many successful shows. In this week’s edition of People of Note, Rodney Trudgeon spoke to Christopher Luscombe about his career and about his approach to this cult and iconic musical.