Wits Music

Wits Music is one of South Africa’s most innovative higher education music departments, preparing

Through advancing excellence in research, teaching and learning, the Wits School of Arts combines critical inquiry with artistic practice in ways that engage in transformative ways with our contemporary urban, African and global contexts.

24/04/2026

The Wits School of Arts Music Department is proud to present the inaugural Wits International Vocal & Chamber Music Festival, taking place from 24 April – 2 May 2026.

This landmark festival brings together an exciting programme of vocal, choral, chamber and orchestral music, featuring acclaimed local and international artists, ensembles and collaborators. Audiences can look forward to a rich series of performances across Wits venues, from intimate cello-piano and violin-piano duo concerts to major choral and orchestral works, including Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle and Verdi’s Messa da Requiem.

Festival highlights include performances by Gang Wang and Vera Osina, Rupert Marshall-Luck and Peter Cartwright, Pumeza Matshikiza, Julia Rutigliano, Kananelo Sehau, Njabulo Mthimkhulu, the Maverick Philharmonic Choir, Junger Kammerchor München, Gauteng Choristers, the Wits Music Department Choir, the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra, and many more.

Join us as we celebrate collaboration across borders, institutions and musical traditions, bringing together South African and international voices in a week of exceptional music-making at Wits.

📍 Wits Chris Seabrooke, Wits Atrium & Wits Great Hall
📅 24 April – 2 May 2026
🎟 Tickets: R120
🎫 Available on Webtickets

19/03/2026

Wits Music proudly presents Thakzin Summer School 🎶

Join us for an immersive learning experience with one of South Africa’s most influential producers and DJs, Thakzin. This special event gives aspiring producers, DJs, and music enthusiasts the opportunity to gain insight into Thakzin’s creative process, production techniques, and journey in the music industry. Through interactive discussions, practical demonstrations, and industry advice, participants will explore the foundations of modern electronic and Afro-house music while learning how to develop their own sound.

📍 Seabrooke Music Concert Hall, Wits Theatre, Braamfontein
📅 24–26 March 2026
🕣 08:45 daily
🎟️ Free event

Book here: https://www.webtickets.co.za/v2/event.aspx?itemid=1590442975

04/03/2026

Wits Music is proud and excited to be part of SAMTIC — an Erasmus+ initiative advancing digital music education in South Africa through global partnership, innovation, and capacity-building.

Representing Wits Music: Dr Cara Stacey
, Dr Cameron Harris & Mr Benjamin Jephta.

This collaboration focuses on strengthening teaching and learning in music technology, AI-informed creative practice, and digital education — and we’re grateful to be contributing to this important work.

Learn more: samtic.co.za

27/11/2025

RESonant Spaces | Live performance + exhibition (SOAP Final Student Exhibitions)

You’re invited to Resonant Spaces, the concluding performance/exhibition from a cross-disciplinary collaboration between Wits Architecture and Wits Music staff and students, led by SOAP Artist-in-Lab Dr Warrick Sony. Warrick worked alongside Dr Cameron Harris and Dr Cara Stacey (Music) and Dirk Bahmann (Architecture), together with their students.

Expect a striking fusion of architectural installations, sound designs, and musical compositions/performances—presented throughout the stairwell across multiple levels.

📍 Moffat Building Extension (stairwell), Wits
🗓 Friday, 28 November
🎤 Performances begin after the opening address by Prof Elleh (±16:45)
⏰ Best time to catch the live performances: 17:00–17:30
🗓 Exhibition dates: 28.11.2025 – 06.02.2026

Come through and experience how sound and space can transform each other.

16/10/2025

The Wits Music Department Orchestra Concert
Join us this Sunday, 19 October 2025, for an afternoon of symphonic brilliance at the Wits Chris Seabrooke Music Hall!

🕞 Time: 3:30 PM
📍 Venue: Wits Chris Seabrooke Music Hall
🎟️ Free admission – all welcome!
🎵 Conducted by Adeyemi Oladiran

Come experience the power and passion of orchestral music performed by our talented Wits students and community musicians.

14/10/2025

🎶 It’s a week of incredible music at Wits!

Join us at the Chris Seabrooke Music Hall for three powerful events celebrating artistry, innovation, and performance excellence:

🎵 Andy Narell & Jany McPherson – Performance Lecture
🗓 Wednesday, 15 October | 🕐 13:00–14:00
Experience world-renowned steelpan virtuoso Andy Narell and Cuban pianist/vocalist Jany McPherson in a unique musical dialogue.

🎶 Vice-Chancellor’s Annual Concert
🗓 Thursday, 16 October | 🕖 19:00
✨ Featuring soprano Yael Benjamin, mezzo-soprano Mandisa Sedia, the Wits Music Department Choir & the Wits Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Dr Musa Nkuna.
🎟 Tickets available via Webtickets.

🎻 Dr Thokozani Mhlambi – Performance Lecture
🗓 Friday, 17 October | 🕛 12:00–13:30
Renowned cellist and scholar Dr Mhlambi presents Playing John Knox Bokwe Today — exploring the intersection of heritage, history, and performance.

📍 All events at Wits Chris Seabrooke Music Hall

10/10/2025

🎶 From the Archives — The Adler Collection at Wits Music

We’re proud to see the Adler Collection featured in the October 2025 edition of Wits - University of the Witwatersrand Review. This extraordinary archive of historical keyboard instruments — including rare harpsichords, spinets, dulcimers, and travelling pianos — offers a glimpse into centuries of musical craftsmanship and innovation.

The collection was founded by Hans Georg Adler, a musicologist and classical music promoter who dedicated his life to preserving the history of music. Today, it is cared for at Wits Music by Dr Cara Stacey, lecturer, performer, and researcher at Wits Music, whose work ensures these instruments continue to inform both scholarship and performance.

📖 Read the full feature here: https://www.wits.ac.za/alumni/witsreview/
📸 Photographs by Brett Eloff

31/05/2025

🎶 We're hiring!
Wits Music is looking for a passionate and experienced Lecturer in Jazz Studies to join our team. If you’re committed to developing the next generation of South African musicians and scholars, this could be your next move.

Apply now or share with someone who might be a great fit.
🔗 More info: [https://irec.wits.ac.za/OA_HTML/OA.jsp?page=/oracle/apps/irc/candidateSelfService/webui/VisVacDispPG&IRC_EXT_SITE_VISITOR_APP=IRC_VIS_VAC_DISPLAY&p_svid=104307&p_spid=5069817&_gl=1*132meju*_gcl_au*ODU3NDY4NTA5LjE3NDQzNjI0NjY.*_ga*NTk4NTg0ODYzLjE3NDQzNjI0NjY.*_ga_JPCF6M80CQ*czE3NDczMjc0MjYkbzckZzAkdDE3NDczMjc1MzUkajYwJGwwJGgxNzY1ODg4MjA0]

20/05/2025

Join us this Tuesday, 20 May at 7:30 PM for the Greg Jasperse Residency Concert at Seabrooke Hall!

Celebrate an epic residency finale with performances by Wits students, lecturers, and special guests — including the Greg Jasperse Trio, Just 6, and more.

Free entry – don’t miss it!

14/05/2025

The Wits School of Arts is in full celebration mode for Africa Day!

From visionary panel discussions and storytelling to vibrant musical performances and thought-provoking roundtables, this year’s lineup honours the richness and complexity of Africa’s artistic and cultural legacy.

We will uplifted voices through “Women in Music”, delved into the rhythms and histories of African music, and explored justice through storytelling and the arts.

It all culminates in a powerful final performance:

Mass for Justice, Op. 49
Date: Sunday, 25 May 2025
Time: 15h00
Venue: Linder Auditorium, Wits School of Education, Parktown
Admission: Free to the Public

Featuring a 140-strong ensemble of choirs, soloists, and the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra, this concert is more than a musical experience — it’s a reflection on justice, healing, and the shared history of Africa.

Join us as we close our Africa Day celebrations in unity and song.

Celebrate with us. Celebrate Africa.

11/05/2025

Wits School of Arts celebrates Africa Day with a special public lecture on African Pianism!

Date: Monday, 12 May 2025
Time: 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM
Venue: Chris Seabrooke Music Hall, Wits University (Braamfontein Campus East)
Admission: FREE and open to the public!

Join us for a public lecture by award-winning pianist and researcher Dr Rebecca Omordia, who will explore African Pianism—a unique musical style inspired by traditional African drumming and pioneered by Prof. Akin Euba.

This event shines a spotlight on Africa’s often-overlooked classical composers and challenges the norms of Western concert programming by integrating African musical traditions into contemporary classical spaces.

Dr Omordia will also share her work through the African Concert Series and highlight the contributions of composers such as Mokale Koapeng (South Africa), Girma Yifrashewa (Ethiopia), Ayo Bankole (Nigeria), and many more.

Celebrate Africa Day with us and take part in the conversation about heritage, innovation, and representation in music.

Address

Wits School Of Arts, Private Bag 3, Wits
Johannesburg
2050

Telephone

+27117174663

Website

https://www.wits.ac.za/wsoa/music/

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