#METAMORPHOSIS is UJ Arts & Culture’s 2018 programme of change.

“Looking at our creative programme through this thematic lens is the ideal stimulus for alignment with the University’s drive to participate meaningfully in decolonisation and transformation,” says Pieter Jacobs, Head of Arts & Culture (a division of the Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture) at the University of Johannesburg.

Drawing inspiration from the theme of #METAMORPHOSIS has seen UJ Arts & Culture plan to change more than its content. The 2018 programme features two brand new festivals as well as new partnerships that will increase opportunities for the university community, creative industries and the public to experience and participate in the arts. The programme is diverse, ranging from jazz, poetry and youth arts festivals to a music concert series, stand-up comedy shows, drama and dance seasons and an exhibitions programme.

"It is a great responsibility to play a role in shaping leaders of the future. And what better tool than the arts to develop the emotional and cultural intelligence to harness the knowledge and skills we acquire as we go through life,” says Jacobs. To this end, UJ Arts & Culture offers students and staff a robust programme to participate in the arts. Through the UJ Arts Academy, students, alumni and staff have access to a range of free dance and acting classes, poetry and drumming sessions or they could audition for theatre productions, the UJ Choir, UniJoh Chorale, jazz band, wind band or orchestra. Its student offering would not be complete without the hugely popular student talent competition presented annually and group tours to festivals and celebrations.

A key component of UJ Arts & Culture’s activities is its annual interdisciplinary collaborative FADA programme, launched in 2017 by the Dean of the Faculty, Professor Federico Freschi. Once again, this programme will see more than 300 students from departments across the faculty get involved in different design aspects of a UJ Arts & Culture-produced play as part of their course work.

“UJ Arts & Culture’s #METAMORPHOSIS programme is designed to advance the University’s vision of an international institution of choice, anchored in Africa, dynamically shaping the future. Bolstered by PhD residencies, local and international performing arts residencies, lectures, workshops and conferences, the Division strives to offer world-class opportunities to experience, participate in, and for empowerment through the arts,” concludes Jacobs.

#METAMORPHOSIS promises to appeal to art lovers with diverse interests:

VISUAL ART

Exhibitions Programme
For the fourth year in a row UJ Arts & Culture’s exhibitions programme will feature the PPC Imaginarium Awards. These awards, established by PPC Ltd, offer emerging designers and artists a platform to showcase their talent and creativity through the use of cement as a primary medium.

In May, the 300 Art Ornaments exhibition will showcase over 250 pieces collected by the UJ Jewellery Design and Manufacture Department over the past 10 years.
UJ Art Gallery in partnership with the Bag Factory will play host to Brazillian curator Daniella Géo, who delves into the Bag Factory’s alumni archives. TRANS will showcase the impact Bag Factory’s alumni have had on the art scene and the role it played in connecting the Johannesburg with the rest of Africa and the world.
UJ Arts & Culture, in collaboration with the MTN Foundation SA, presents Continuing Conversations, following the 2017 collaborative Shifting Conversations exhibition. The conversations continue in 2018, with works derived from both the MTN and UJ art collections as well as emerging artists with an addition of a mentorship and educational programme.
The 2018 UJ Arts Gallery calendar is set to close on a high with the celebration of 21 Years of The Ampersand Foundation, which rewards excellence in the visual arts by granting fellowships to young professional South African contemporary visual artists. Curator Gordon Froud brings works completed by such fellows together in this exhibition.

MUSIC

UJ Concert Series
Kicking off the UJ Concert Series is the re-launch of the University’s Steinway Concert Grand with Steinway artists Christopher Duigan, Charl du Plessis and Jill Richards featuring the rising star, Sulayman Human, in concert.

Presented in partnership with Pro Helvetia Johannesburg, Swiss group Hildegard Lernt Fliegen (Hildegard Learns to Fly) is a Swiss formation of avant-garde jazz, headlined by singer Andreas Schaerer. In 2014, the band received the BMW Welt Jazz Award, and subsequently toured Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Estonia, Lithuania, Russia, Luxembourg, China, Italy, Finland, UK and France.

The programme will culminate in FADA’s major fundraising drive in support of the Dean’s Bursary Fund. Presented annually on the first Saturday of November, A Grand Night for Singing will feature familiar and new voices, the UJ Choir and the Johannesburg Youth Orchestra.

UJ Choir

In addition to performing at more than 20 graduation ceremonies and special events, the UJ Choir will perform alongside Hope College (USA) at the Rosebank Catholic Church and with Akustika Chamber Singers at SABC's M1 Studio in May. The highlight for UJ Choir's 2018 calendar includes, competing in the much-anticipated World Choir Games in early July.

UJ Choir, Tuks Camerata, and Puk-Koor will be performing in Koorkaleidoscope at the University of Pretoria's Musaion in August. UJ Choir's annual programme wraps up with its customary end year Celebration Concert at the end of October.

FESTIVALS

UJ Weekend of Jazz
Presented in celebration of Africa Day, the inaugural UJ Weekend of Jazz, is scheduled to take place at the UJ Art Centre from 24-26 May. This urban jazz experience, is set to cast a spotlight on exceptionally skilled emerging jazz musicians who are not afraid to experiment or disrupt the notion of jazz.

National Arts Festival
Keeping up the tradition, UJ Arts & Culture will present a substantive programme at the National Arts Festival with the translation of Reza de Wet’s iconic African Gothic (translation of Diepe Grond) headlining the UJ programme, which includes Choir Boy by Tarell Alvin McCraney, a music concert and STAGED, a new play development showcase.
UJ Youth Arts Festival
The new festival will cast a spotlight on some of the best new creative voices with students from other institutions, colleges and youth groups joining UJ Arts & Culture students in a showcase of acting, singing, dancing and making music. The festival will be hosted at the UJ Art Centre as well as at the Con Cowan Theatre in August.

Izimbongi Poetry Festival
UJ Arts & Culture’s grand finale after a year-long slam poetry programme with students, school learners and the public will take shape in the form of a week-long poetry festival featuring performances by professional and amateur spoken word artists, book launches, lectures, forum discussions and workshops.

THEATRE

Out the Box Comedy
Back by popular demand, UJ Arts & Culture will again team up with POPArt and Goliath & Goliath to present the Out the Box Comedy shows, culminating in a marathon of 20 comedians performing 5-minute sets each.

Choir Boy
Comprising a combination of student and professional actors, the play tells the story of a young man who wants nothing more than to take his rightful place as leader of the school's legendary gospel choir. Can he find his way inside the hallowed halls of this institution if he sings in his own key? After its premiere at the National Arts Festival, Choir Boy will be performed at the UJ Youth Arts Festival in August.

African Gothic
Set against the backdrop of a farm in desolate ruin, Reza de Wet’s, African Gothic (translation of Diepe Grond), tells the story of the complicated, passionate, and troubled relationship between two siblings. Presented in partnership with Joburg Theatres, the play will be presented at The Fringe following its run at the National Arts Festival in July.

Metamorphosis
As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect. The staging of the play will be the culmination of a year-long process that involves more than 300 students and lecturers from different departments in the Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture (FADA) working on various design and development aspects of the work as part of their course work. Kafka’s Metamorphosis, adapted by Steven Berkoff will be tested in October with a view of undertaking full runs in 2019.

DANCE
MIDM’s 40th Anniversary Celebration Season proudly hosted by UJ Arts & Culture at the UJ Art Centre will comprise two programmes – the first will run from 14 to 16 September 2018 and the second in the following week from 20 to 22 September 2018.

SWAN, inspired by the famous ballet, Swan Lake, and the Japanese social phenomenon Hikikomori, the dance piece was built by Hannah Ma and Kesuke Mihara on Tchaikovsky’s music. SWAN will perform at the Con Cowan Theatre from 21 to 23 September 2018.

For more information visit UJ Arts & Culture’s new user-friendly website and booking system at www.uj.ac.za/arts

About UJ Arts & Culture

UJ Arts & Culture, a division of the Faculty of Art, Design & Architecture (FADA) produces and presents world-class student and professional arts programmes aligned to the UJ vision of an international university of choice, anchored in Africa, dynamically shaping the future. A robust range of arts platforms are offered on all four UJ campuses for students, staff, alumni and the general public to experience and engage with emerging and established Pan-African and international artists drawn from the full spectrum of the arts.

In addition to UJ Arts & Culture, FADA (www.uj.ac.za/fada) offers programmes in eight creative disciplines, in Art, Design and Architecture, as well as playing home to the NRF SARChI Chair in South African Art & Visual Culture, and the Visual Identities in Art & Design Research Centre. The Faculty has a strong focus on sustainability and relevance, and engages actively with the dynamism, creativity and diversity of Johannesburg in imagining new approaches to art and design education. 

Hip Hop musician Delta The Leo has released her latest single Hold Me Down. This single is a twist on the sound from previously released singles Zaga, What’s In It For Me and Let It Be. Hold Me Down, produced by Vava Deceptikonz, comes after the success of her single Let It Be which was featured on the Coast to Coast Reggae international mix with the likes of Vybes Kartel.

The single will be available on all digital download platforms a week from release. Delta The Leo is making the single available to the public for free download via her website.  Her single promotion tour kicks off in the heart Johannesburg and the place that gave birth to her love for music, Alexandra and wraps up in Durban.

AchievementsBeing chosen to open for hip hop rapper and singer The Weeknd in New York in June 2017 has been a notable moment in Delta’s career. “Just being selected out of thousands of talented musicians came as both a surprise and an honour.”“Having esteemed professionals in the creative industry decide that out of hundreds of submissions to the Hello Ambassador Creative Awards in 2016 the ‘Zaga’ video stood out, was a humbling experience for me,” says Delta.Some of Delta’s other career highlights include having her music featured on the TV soap opera Rhythm City and hit drama series Ayeye. She has also had the privilege of working with some notable names in Hip Hop; from producers such as Kevin Provoke (from Kenya), female rapper Wangechi and South Africa’s HHP.

The idea behind “Hold Me Down” Delta The Leo sets out to show off her skills as a singer and not just a hard core rapper. Through this single she touches on the vulnerability of being in love and the experiences that come with it. “I wanted to show that I’m not just my hard exterior, I also have a soft side. Who hasn’t been turned into a marshmallow because of the people they love?” says Delta of the single.

About Delta The Leo“Delta The Leo” Choshi is a multi-talented, all round entertainer. Born in rural Limpopo and raised on the lively streets of Alexandra Township, Johannesburg. With a strong background in the dance industry; the self-taught, world champion dance sensation is sharing some of her other talents as a musician, public speaker (MC) and creative strategist. As a musician, her music has bridged the divide between local and international music lovers alike. For more information visit www.deltatheleo.co.za.

Sy’s maar stil sedert sy in 2012 nie een, maar twee musiek albums vryggestel het, met ‘n derde (Kleine Gode) reg op hul hakke in 2013. Maar sy’t nie stilgesit nie! Sedert 2013 het Rozanne Gewaar San Francisco toe getrek, haar aanstaande trou- en musiekmaat ontmoet, stil-stil verskeie nuwe videos gemaak (insluitende Kleine Gode (https://youtu.be/ssKGiJVhTXQ) , Karoo (https://youtu.be/RWGsPMBpw4o) , Vanaand (https://youtu.be/i147TmzYKo4) ) - en nou deel sy en Josh Beemish ‘n nuwe stel ambisieuse musiekvideos vir hul opkomende EP.

Kyk die video hierso:  https://youtu.be/Nmicu3F2hMA  

“Alles Wat Ek In My Het” skets ‘n Afrikaner meisie wat vanaf die 1600s in Amsterdam deur die eeue trek … per boot, stoomtrein, sneltrein, en dan die toekoms in! Die liedjie vra groot vrae oor identiteit en nasionaliteit … “vat my land, hier staan ek nog, vat my vlag, vat my huis … alles wat ek in my het, sleur ek met my mee”. Kyk die video hierso: https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=Nmicu3F2hMA Daar’s nog videos aan die kom vir Stilwater … dramatiese beelde vir “When We Were Water”, illustrasie-animasie vir Josh se “Blue” … en ‘n lekker SA-toervideo vir die twee se moderne verwerking van “Suikerbossie”.

Die volle EP sal vroeg Desember beskikbaar wees.

In die tussentyd blom daar ook ander projekte, stadig-rustig-seker. Rozanne werk aan ‘n opname vir “Camissa”, ‘n liedjie wat die Camissa waterstelsel in die Kaap verken. Vir ‘n ander liedjie “Eyeliner” (wat die patriargie sagkens aanvat) nooi sy vroue orals uit om video aan te stuur van hul grimeerroetine. Haar groep, “Blue Ocean Collective” speel in San Francisco … en as twee musikante trou, moet die troue seker ‘n musiekprojek he! Volg al hierdie avonture by www.facebook.com/rozannegewaar OF www.gewaarwordings.co.za of email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. om met Rozanne te gesels.

The Friends of the Helderberg Nature Reserve are proud to announce our incredible line-up for the coming 2017/2018 summer sunset concerts series  The Helderberg #SunsetConcerts series is an opportunity for music lovers to enjoy their favourite artists perform live in nature while contributing to the conservation of our much loved Helderberg Nature Reserve in Somerset West.  Over three months from December 2017 to February 2018, ten incredible bands will perform at this beautiful open-air venue, bringing a variety of genres and sounds right to the Helderberg Community’s doorstep.  

The first performance for the #SunsetConcerts Series is scheduled for Saturday, 16th December 2017 and sees the chart topper and rocker Mark Haze grace the stage with his original rock sounds. Known for his unbelievable versatility as a vocalist and high energy performances, Mark Haze has been on music lovers’ lips since his impressive success at the 2011 Idol’s competition where he was crowned 1st runner up and from which arose his record deal with Universal Music. Since then, Mark has toured locally and Internationally building a fantastic following. Impressively, he has shared the stage with rock greats such as Seether and Bon Jovi. Mark Haze promises a performance like no other. Expect soaring vocals, dynamic guitar work, pulsing rhythms plus plenty of crowd participation. 

Audiences are encouraged to pack a picnic basket and blanket, bring the whole family and settle on the lush lawns for an evening of amazing local music and a superb sunset in a remarkable venue.  

Supporting the Helderberg Nature Reserve, local artists, culture and businesses 

This year, Friends of the Helderberg Nature Reserve have outdone themselves with a brilliant line-up, including local legend, Koos Kombuis, international touring artists Raoul, ‘Lonesome’ Dave Ferguson and Mark Haze, Cape Town’s most sought-after act - Coda Africa. And local favourites Shiraz   This year The Friends of the Helderberg have also invited local schools Parel Vallei High School and Somerset College to showcase their young talented bands as opening acts for the headline artists.     

Tickets for the Sunset Concerts  

Tickets to the #SunsetConcerts Series are available online via http://tickets.tixsa.co.za/events/25889 or directly at the Visitor Centre at the Helderberg Nature Reserve.

This year Season Tickets for all concerts are also on offer at discounted rates.  

Ticket Prices

• Adult Single Ticket - R80 p/p
• Scholar Single Ticket - R50 p/p
• Adult Season Ticket - R350 p/p (all 5 shows)
• Scholar Season Ticket - R200 p/p (all 5 shows)
• Under 5 Years - Free

The Helderberg #SunsetConcerts are proudly sponsored by local businesses Ex Solar, who offer a bespoke solution for all your solar needs and Borehole Drilling Solutions who offer environmentally-friendly water solutions for your property.  

The Friends of the Helderberg Nature Reserve is an NPO which was established in 2008 and raises funds and assists with various projects that aid the management of the Helderberg Nature Reserve All Concert Committee Team members and crew are unpaid volunteers giving of their time to this worthy cause.

Artwork designed by graphic designer and volunteer Ian Whalley. Mandala artwork by volunteer and artist Marguerite MacRobert 

Full Line-Up 2017/18 Sunset Concerts at Helderberg Nature Reserve 

Sat, 16th Dec 2017 - Main Act: Mark Haze (Rock/Pop)
Opening Act: Parel Vallei High Show Band 

Sun, 14th Jan 2018 - Main Act: Shiraz (Covers 60’s to now)
Opening Act: Somerset College Band: The Disciples of Swest 

Sun, 28th Jan 2018 - Main Act: Coda Africa (Classical/Jazz/Afro Fusion)
Opening Act: Parel Vallei High Show Band 

Sun, 11th Feb 2018 - Double Bill: Dave Ferguson & Raoul (Blues/Rock)
Special Guest: Natalie Chapman

Sun, 25th Feb 2018 - Main Act: Koos Kombuis (Afrikaans)
Opening Act: Parel Vallei High Show Band 

The Bands are available for live and telephonic interviews   

SPONSORS AND PARTNERS Friends of the Helderberg Nature Reserve
ExSolar Solar Solutions & Borehole Drilling Solutions
The Local Element
Tixsa  

WEBSITE LINKS

Main Artists

• www.markhaze.co.zawww.
• www.CodaAfrica.co.za
• www.shirazband.co.za
• www.raoulroux.com
• www.facebook.com/davefergusonofficial
• www.nataliechapman.com
• www.kooskombuis.com

Friends of the Helderberg Nature Reserve

• www.helderbergnaturereserve.co.za
• www.facebook.com/helderbergnaturereserve 

Ex Solar and Borehole Drilling Solutions

• www.exsolar.co.za
• www.boreholedrillingsolutions.co.za 

Artwork Designer and Artist Volunteers

• www.ianwhalley.com
• www.facebook.com/MargueriteMacRobertCreative

For more information on tickets, contact the Helderberg Nature Reserve on

+27 (0)21 851 4060, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or go to http://tickets.tixsa.co.za/events/25889  

For press related enquiries, interviews and images, please contact:  

Natalie Chapman
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Mobile: 072 355 7009   

The country found itself in an unprecedented period of change when David Alexander in 1996 founded Sheer Publishing, laying the foundation to what has become the largest independent music publisher today, ranking among the top five SA publishing companies by market share. Sheer Publishing, a full-service Music Publisher provides expertise in African music copyright ownership, international copyright management, film and television music, clearance and supervision, Jingle and songwriter representation and library production music management.His goal was to share South African music and exploit a gap in the local jazz scene to the world. True to its roots, after 21 dynamic years, the name Sheer Publishing stands for a globally active publisher dedicated to the advancement of music enterprise, putting its authors and composers at the heart of the company’s publishing activities.

While representing African-based composers seeking representation for licensing of music on TV and film, commercials and radio, Sheer Publishing also represents international music publishers such as Kobalt Music, Downtown Music, Songs Music Publishing, Mushroom Music, Mute Song, Freibank Music and Saragema Music of India.With a catalogue of more than 150 000 copyrights, ranging from songs by iconic songwriters such as Zimbabwean music superstar Oliver Mtukudzi, the Grammy award-winning Miriam Makeba, Chimurenga music pioneer Thomas Mapfumo, Kenyan afro-pop band Sauti Sol who have won both the MTV Africa & Europe Awards, rock band The Parlotones and South Africa’s hip-hop ace Cassper Nyovest and the great Busi Mhlongo to mention a few.  Sheer Publishing continues to transport Africa’s musical treasures to the rest of the world and is further making a penetration into key markets on the continent as Nigeria, Kenya and Ghana, which over the years have developed very sophisticated media industries–to exploit its domestic and international catalogues.

Sheer Publishing’s Managing Director David Alexander says: “Sheer Publishing is about innovating, exploring new markets, territories and networking on platforms that can scale and offer clients opportunities. Our brand is steeped in excellence, thanks largely to our stakeholders who are a resource in our value proposition and thus perfecting a publishing solution becomes a treasured partnership in these diverse music economies."

In 2011, Sheer Publishing invested in a local music library catalogue, buying Skumba Music that had 1500 tracks and have built it to an entity that today houses more than 300 000 pieces of high quality music , most of them instrumental, background music for TV, making this the largest diverse African music library that is available under the blanket license and has thus seen music placements in films such as “District 9,” “Tsotsi,” and “Searching for Sugarman” “Miners Shot Down” and television shows such as “Private Practice,” “Jacob’s Cross,” and “Isibaya,” and in commercials for Castle Light, Vodacom, MTN, Cadbury’s PS, Wimpy, Engen, and Ackerman’s.With a full-time staff of 15 in Johannesburg, Sheer Publishing also has part-time agents in Accra, Yaoundé and Nairobi, with roles ranging from royalty manager, library and commercial music staff, accounts and copyright administration. “Music and business is our passion. We are happy to have reached such a milestone as a company and look forward to doing more in the future” ends Sheer Publishing’s General Manager, Karabo Motijoane. 

For media queries, interview requests and access to high-resolution pictures contact JT Comms on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 011 788 7632.Issued by JT Communication Solutions on behalf of Sheer Publishing 

Note to Editor

Sheer Publishing

Sheer Publishing is one of Africa’s largest independent Publishing houses and is currently looking to expand its client base within the African diaspora and seek to provide a comprehensive range of copyright services to their clients, domestic, continental and international.A full-service, mid-sized independent publishing company that is quickly growing its market share, Sheer Publishing has well over eighteen years’ experience of administration of intellectual property rights nationally and globally. Sheer Publishing has close links with collecting societies based all over the world. Sheer Publishing is also a direct member of SAMRO, MCSK and COSON, the copyright collection societies in South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria respectively.www.sheerpublishing.co.za 

Die Walkure Live with Neil Atlantis and the maturation of SA Hip Hop 

Media, music lovers and everyone on the cutting-edge of the alternative artistry that Africa has to offer, are all invited to join the listening session of Die Walkure by Neil Atlantis. This journey into another era of South African hip hop takes place on Thursday, 23 September 2017 at the Market Theatre’s Market Lab in Newtown, Johannesburg. 

South Africa’s seasoned hip hop artist and spoken word veteran, Neil Atlantis has invested the past seven years into crafting his latest work that can be engaged with in its entirety on 23 September in Johannesburg. Die Walkure is a hip hop and spoken word album that is steeped in story, fresh acoustic sound and the depth that can only be found in a live band that spends hours working to perfect their art. 

The official video of Die Walkure is available on YouTube: http://bit.ly/NA-DW 

Neil Atlantis made his indelible mark on the local hip hop scene with the release of his debut album titled Magic In My Mouth with his then stage name, Blindfold. Released in 2007, Magic In My Mouth generated commentary on the state of the local industry as well as the value of underground hip hop getting mainstream airplay. In his latest album, Die Walkure which Neil created as a take on the Norse Mythology of female figures who were said to decide which soldiers lived or not in the battlefield. He takes the listener through a multi-sensory journey with the craftsmanship of a mature artist with a team of equally seasoned instrumentalists, whom he handpicked and built a unique sound with. 

When listening to the sound of Neil Atlantis and the band you get a sense that he competes and thinks at a global level, not just as a local artist. He believes that hip hop, although there are nuances by locality, is a culture that in itself has a global outlook and should reach out beyond the artist. “In essence, we strip the culture of its true nature by referring to it as South African hip hop, when we never say American or European hip hop” says Atlantis. 

Event details 

Date: 23 September 2017
Time: 19:30 for 20:00
Venue: Market Lab at the Market Theatre
Address: 138 Lillian Ngoyi Street, Newtown, Johannesburg
Tickets: R100 online before the event, R120 at the door

Get tickets now: http://bit.ly/NA_tx Please follow and use

#DieWalkure for spot prizes and to share.

For media contacts and more information please contact Mongezi on: Phone: 083 757 3163 | Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. us: @Mongezi or @NeilAtlantis

Edtech startup aims to make STEAM lessons more engaging with new functionalities. Available exclusively from RS Components 

Johannesburg, South Africa, 1 August 2017 - RS Components (RS), the trading brand of Electrocomponents plc (LSE:ECM), the global distributor for engineers, launches the new pi-topPULSE from pi-top, the makers of the world’s most affordable Raspberry Pi based computer. The sleek, HAT compatible, pi-top add-on board functions as a high-end Raspberry Pi Speaker, features a vivid LED matrix and includes an inbuilt microphone that integrates to give you your very own interactive Raspberry Pi assistant. 

The pi-topPULSE is an integrated solution for music, lights and sound that can be used by makers, students and educators alike. Measuring only 60x67mm, it’s easy to transport and deploy in any classroom. It can be used both as an add-on for pi-top or pi-topCEED, and additionally as a HAT for the Raspberry Pi 3. Useful in projects as a LED array, speaker and microphone, the pi-topPULSE can be used for games, to listen to music, sample music recordings and be programmed as a voice controlled Raspberry Pi.  

Jesse Lozano, Co-Founder of pi-top explains, “Although children love technology, there is often a difficulty when it comes to keeping them engaged for long periods of time without an interactive and creative based exercise. Therefore, the inclusion of Art within STEAM is vital. Arts encourage the development of visual-spatial skills, an increased practice in problem solving, and collaboration as kids contribute to creative projects.

Aiding in this pi-topPULSE adds a depth of perseverance, focus and creativity to the classroom.” Suitable for beginners and experts alike, the pi-topPULSE is a fun, educational tool that helps bring the Arts into STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths) projects with added visual and creative elements. pi-topPULSE offers a plethora of projects across the board, including classic games such as Snake, which can be easily programmed and brought to life. 

Dr. Kerry Freedman, Head of Art and Design Education at Northern Illinois University says, “Children need to know more about the world than just what they can learn through text and numbers. Art education teaches students how to interpret, criticize, and use visual information, and how to make choices based on it.” The pi-topPULSE’s key features include;  7x7 RGB LED matrix array, speaker and microphone Fully HAT-compatible - can be mounted on top of a standalone Raspberry Pi 3, or used inside the pi-top module rail like a normal add-on board Comes fully assembled and ready to go - includes magnetic stand-offs that can be added to the Raspberry Pi if used as a HAT A suite of python libraries is provided to make usage simple and easy - lots of example programs, demos and pi-top lesson plans (pi-topOS only) available to get you started with the LEDs, speaker and microphone Integration with Amazon Alexa a cloud-based voice control pi-topPULSE is exclusively available from RS Components http://www.rsonline.co.za Rob Maycroft, Global Product Manager at RS Components, says: “The pi-topPULSE is an exciting new addition to the growing family of products that augment the powerful capabilities of the Raspberry Pi.

This new innovative board combines science, technology, engineering and mathematics education with the arts, delivering an all-in-one portable solution for music, light and sound for use in the classroom and elsewhere.”  

 -Ends-  

About pi-top

Created in 2014 by two friends crowdfunded on Indiegogo, pi-top is a rapidly growing company, revolutionising the education sphere with coding, computing and hands on experience with hardware. Using Raspberry Pi Technology and making it easily deployed, the pi-top teaches people how to programme languages such as scratch and Python, and also teaches its users to get hands-on constructing their laptops or desktops from purchase.  pi-top simplifies use of the Raspberry Pi for makers and educators and has grown into a world-leading platform that enhances learning for children across the world. It gives educators a well-rounded tool to teach complex STEAM subjects to students in an effective and engaging way with great hardware and revolutionary software suite, pi-topOS. To learn more about pi-top please visit: https://pi-top.com/  

About RS Components 

RS Components is the market leader in the high service level distribution of electrical, electronic, mechanical, tools and industrial products. Operating in 26 countries whilst serving a further 100 through third-party distributors, RS serves every sector of industry in the procurement of their products relating to maintenance, repair, operations, low volume production, research and development.   

With over 500 000 products across 2500 leading brands, the company is committed to ensuring that their 1,5 million customers have fast access to a broad, as well as deep range, of products and technologies, all under one roof. RS’s customers, whether ordering single or multiple items, experience a quick, easy, secure, painless and cost effective process. 

The RS catalogue, available at za.rs-online.com, offers full colour pictures with extensive clear product specifications.  Free access to thousands of datasheets ensures the correct product choice.  Order placement is easily facilitated through za.rs-online.com, the call centre, e-mail, fax and trade counter.  Locally held stock is delivered to customers within 24 hours, and products held internationally, within four to six working days.    

It is proven that departments traditionally spend 80% of their time sourcing products that account for only 20% of their total procurement spend. RS is focussed on reducing the customers “total cost of product ownership” by reducing the need to make multiple calls to various companies to source products, reducing supplier related administration and allowing for the amalgamation as well as consolidation of supplier bases.  Through this process, procurement efficiency is improved and time is freed up to concentrate on the more important business decisions.  For more information, please visit the website at za.rs-online.com  

Press Office
Le-andra Olivier
PR and Communications Specialist
RS Components South Africa
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
+27 11 691 9345 

Further information is available via these links

• Twitter: @rsonline_SA; @DesignSparkRS
• Facebook: facebook.com/rssouthafrica/RS Components on
• LinkedIn - http://www.linkedin.com/company/rscoms 

Relevant Links
RSPro
RS Components South Africa
www.electrocomponents.com
DesignSpark Magazine - http://www.designspark.com

How much do South African’s love beer? 

A LOT!!! 

So, we bring you the first ever International Beer Day Music Festival held right here on South African soil. 

International Beer Day Music Festival, will be happening on Saturday 5 August 2017, at the beautiful Cradle Moon Lakeside Game Lodge.

The best local and loved breweries from around the country. Festival goers will get to taste hops from Darling Brew, The Brew Bus (an old VW van converted into a moving tap) will serve 5 Skippas, Eish Tea and Growler Brewing Co., Leaky Tap Brewery, RIOT Beer, Dragon Brewing Co., Hazeldean Brewing Co., Brewhogs, Drifter Brewing Co. and Garagista Beer Co.

Not only Beer but also the funkiest food trucks around; Snorting Boar Smoker, The Knickerbocker Ice Cream Co., Pizza Stroller, The Gatsby Station, Al’s Chuck Wagon and Coffee from Mobile Coffee Café.

Entertainment will be taken care of by some of the country’s most popular band’s, including SAMA winners GOODLUCK, Ross Jack, Crash Car Burn, The Kiffness (SAMA23 nominees), Monark, Keystate and Jaryd Smith.

The International Beer Day Music Festival will be a day of beer, food, music and friends.

Tickets are available from Quicket.co.za now starting at R100.00.

Contact: Edward Whitehead
Mobile: +27 (0)76-797-5137
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Website: www.internationalbeerday.co.za
Facebook: www.facebook.com/intlbeerday
Twitter: twitter.com/intlbeerdayfest
Instagram: www.instagram.com/internationalbeerday

#zajazzawards01 Today we are excited to announce the kick off of the first Mzantsi Jazz Awards (MJAs) season which will culminate with awarding the deserving South African jazz artists.

If you are fan of Jazz, you will know that South African jazz has grown in leaps and bounds and we also know that the jazz music even in its richness doesn’t enjoy the same publicity as its contemporaries within the South African music industry. The purpose of the awards is an effort to remedy the aforementioned situation.

The MJAs will be an annual event that recognises and appreciates Jazz music in the country. Artists and recording companies are invited to submit work produced during 1 April 2016 to 31 March 2017 for an award. Nominations may be submitted online by completing a nomination form on www.zajazzawards.co.za or download nomination form and email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Nominations are open from 19 May 2017 to 7nd of June 2017.
An official announcement of nominees will be made through direct communication with the artist, recording labels, producers and also announcement through media and website publishing by 27 of June 2017.

The AWARDS are scheduled to take place on the 11th of August 2017. All nomination process enquiries can be directed to Douglas Maximus at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 012 751 7608.

Afrikan Freedom Principle presents

Composers Workshop and the Living Legacy Concert Series

8 – 28 May 2017Mbabane (Swaziland), Maputo (Mozambique) Johannesburg (South Africa)The Afrikan Freedom Principle is a concert series that was initially set up in Cape Town in 2013. In recent years, it has functioned as an umbrella movement under which collaborations with luminaries such as Louis Tebogo Moholo Moholo (the last remaining band member of the highly influential Blue Notes and Brotherhood of Breath), Shabaka Hutchings (UK, winner of the 2013 MOBO award for Jazz), Dizu Plaatjies (founding member of Amampondo) and Errol Dyers (pioneer of Goema music) have taken place. In its 2017 incarnation, the Afrikan Freedom Principle travels to Mbabane (Swaziland), Maputo (Mozambique) and Johannesburg, specifically to investigate how these types of collaborations can be rearticulated into educational models for learner musicians.

 COMPOSERS WORKSHOP

From the 8th to the 28th of May 2017, the Afrikan Freedom Principle presents a program facilitated by musicians Matchume Zango (Mozambique), Cara Stacey (Swaziland) and Mandla Mlangeni (SA). These three regional composers of different musical backgrounds will meet to create music together and to facilitate workshops and performances with local students. In these, the importance of experimentation, improvisation, research techniques and local-derived foundational compositional methods will be emphasised in keeping with the focus of the Afrikan Freedom Principle: respectfully drawing on local, southern African cultural legacy to inform new, innovative musical practice. Spread out across various venues and educational institutions across Johannesburg, Mbabane and Maputo, Afrikan Freedom Principle aims to facilitate cultural participation at all levels through music and the arts. The Afrikan Freedom Principle Composers Workshop is generously supported by Concerts SA and the SAMRO Foundation, the ANT Funding Grant from Pro Helvetia and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). 

We invite you to join the journey of a unique musical offering between Cara Stacey, Mandla Mlangeni, and Matchume Zango.

Johannesburg Programme Schools Workshops

• Cape Gate MIAGI Centre for Music, 15 - 19 May, 14:30 - 16:30
• Wits Music Department, 15 - 19 May, 17:30 - 20:00S
• acred Heart College Music Department, 22 - 24 May, 10:00 - 13:00
• Soweto Theatre School Music Program, 22 - 24 May, 14:30 – 16:30

Project Partners:

MIAGI

The MIAGI Cape Gate Centre for Music (MCMC) runs an early music development program located at the historic Morris Isaacson High School. Afrikan Freedom Principle has partnered with MCMC in facilitating daily workshops and performances for schools and communities predominantly based in and around Soweto. Our artistic intervention is to create opportunities for communities, schools and institutions to experience and participate in cultural activity.In the build up tot he peformances, the daily program will include free public access to rehearsals and wokshops at MIAGI in Jabavu, Soweto. These workshops and rehearsals run between 15:00 to 16:00 and are facilitated by Matchume Zango, Mandla Mlangeni and Cara Stacey. A highlight of our program includes a teacher-student performance on Saturday 20 May 9:00am.

WITS SCHOOL OF THE ARTS: MUSIC DEPARTMENT

The Wits Music department is one of South Africa’s most innovative higher education music institutions, preparing students for diverse careers in music in the contemporary world. The visiting composers will present new works to be performed by students at venues across Johannesburg such as Niki’s Oasis and The Orbit Jazz Club. The Afrikan Freedom Principle will play host to facilitating an intensive performance program dedicated to exploring new musical territory. Young and established musicians will share their talents alongside regular and constant engagement with audiences. This will take place in the form of open rehearsals at venues where the public can freely access the music-making process.

SOWETO THEATRE

Soweto Theatre will host the Youth Development Program with students in Soweto. This  endeavour will feature the younger and older musicians providing workshops and advice to aspiring musicians. Multi instrumentalist Siya Makuzeni, the iconic Khaya Mahlangu and pioneers in the new SA jazz Marcus Wyatt and Steve Dyer will together team up with Louis Moholo to provide this unique and much needed intervention.  

THE ORBIT HOME OF JAZZ

Johannesburg’s premier jazz venue the Orbit will also play host to the eclectic music program offered by the Afrikan Freedom Principle. Acclaimed saxophonist Barney Rachabane will be accompanied by some of the city’s finest jazz musicians in the form of Yonela Mnana on piano, Amaeshi Ikechi on piano and Lungile Kunene on drums. You can also expect an equally compelling delivery from students of the Wits Music program together with resident composers, Zango, Stacey and Mlangeni.For further information:http://www.theorbit.co.za/tickets/http://www.amandlafreedom.com/tour-1/www.carastacey.comhttps://www.matchumezango.com/

About the Afrikan Freedom Principle:

We aim to create an incubator that will facilitate and encourage:

• Young and older established musicians to share their talents in the form of regular and constant engagement with audiences in the form of open rehearsal at venues where the public can freely access the music making process.
•  Access to Industry specific information presented in the form of seminars and workshops.
• Promote transnational collaboration through the sharing of expertise and networks with the focus of channeling new way of distributing quality music content.
• Increased public exposure of high quality music from established practitioners.
• A very integral part of our program is focusing on developing new material. Showcase the cross border collaborations to local audiences ,communities and schools. CMCM  in particular will be the point acces where disadvantaged and marginalised  communities and schools can  experience our offerings at discounted prices. 
• Afrikan Freedom Principle  through the Living Legacy Project aims to expose new and interesting work to people  who would otherwise have no access to a live performance showcase of the eclectic offerings .

Sponsors

Pro Helvetia Johannesburg has for some time been investing in transnational collaborations, exchanges and joint projects among organisations and creative practitioners operating across the SADC region, with support from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). Their investments are focused on projects, networks and platforms that have a shared interest in building a stronger regional creative fabric.

Concerts SA are a joint South African/Norwegian live music development project housed within the SAMRO Foundation. Concerts SA receive financial, administrative and technical support from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, SAMRO, the SAMRO Foundation and Concerts Norway. Working with musicians, promoters, venue owners and audiences, and providing support to the sector through research and skills development for music professionals, the project aims to build a vibrant and viable live music circuit in southern Africa. It also aims to develop an interest in and appreciation of live music by showcasing music performances and conducting workshops at schools.

For interview requests and access to high res photos please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or (011) 788 7632 and speak to Dee’s Issued by JT Communication Solutions on Behalf of Afrikan Freedom Principle