Sing-sing en droom-droom

International tenor Michael Renier returns to South Africa in August, to present master classes and evoke music’s golden age during a one-off concert.

South African-born Renier – who is now based in England – has been singing on Europe’s most prestigious stages for the past 37 years. He has built up an impressive repertoire of more than 70 roles, including more than 100 performances as Rodolfo in La Bohème.

Gauteng audiences will also be treated to an exclusive performance by Renier in the concert Sing-sing en droom-droom deur die lewe (Singing and dreaming through life), which will take place at the Pierneef Theatre in Villieria, Pretoria on Sunday, 19 September at 3pm. Incidentally, the theatre is situated on the grounds of Hendrik Verwoerd High School, where Renier matriculated in 1963. 

Audiences can look forward to a relaxed, informal afternoon of anecdotes and song; interspersed with the occasional operetta and opera aria.

The concert’s title – Sing-sing en droom-droom deur die lewe – is also the title of Renier’s recently published autobiography, which will be available to purchase at the concert. This book arose from notes he had made on writing pads in hotel rooms across the world, when, bored with staring at the television, he started jotting down observations and experiences from the opera world. A friend was so impressed by the tenor’s random scribblings that he took the 100 handwritten pages to a publisher, who persuaded Renier to complete this Afrikaans memoir.

Tickets for the concert at the Pierneef Theatre on 19 September cost between R50 and R70, and are available by phoning (012) 329-0709. Don’t miss this opportunity to experience the stirring richness and resonance of Renier’s remarkable voice, nurtured in South Africa and honed on the world’s finest stages.

Booked well into 2012, Renier is returning to Europe to sing the title role in Puccini’s Edgar in the Czech Republic in November 2010, following his three-month South African sojourn.