Paulina Malefane

(1976-) Opera singer, actor, screenwriter and musical director.

In some sources, written as Pauline Malefane.

Biograhy

Married to Mark Dornford-May. Their daughter is actress Chumisa Dornford-May.

She is an advocate for The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

Training

She graduated from the University of Cape Town’s College of Music with a Performer’s Diploma in Music.

Career

She saw world-wide success playing the role of Carmen, both on stage and in the Golden Bear-winning feature film U-Carmen eKhayelithsa, for which she won a Golden Thumb from Roger Ebert.

In 2006, she was featured soloist at the BBC proms at London's Albert Hall with the songs of Kurt Weill. In the same year, she sang the role of Bess in Porgy and Bess at both Umea and Malmo in Sweden.

In 2007/8 she appeared in The Magic Flute - Impempe Yomlingo played in repertory with A Christmas Carol - Ikrismas Kherol at the Young Vic before transferring to the Duke of York's Theatre.

In 2008, she was invited to give a series of master classes to the theatre and music students at UCLA.

In 2009 she became the first black African singer to perform in the New Year's Concert in Berlin with the Berlin Philharmonic under the baton of Sir Simon Rattle.

In 2012, Paulina played the role of Venus in Isango's Venus & Adonis, which opened the Globe to Globe season at Shakespeare's Globe in London. Following its success, she and the production returned to the Globe in May 2013.

In 2013, she also played Noah in Unogumbe, an adaptation of Benjamin Britten’s Noye’s Fludde and in 2015, the role of Zoleka in Breathe - Umphefumlo.

On Isango’s USA Tour in 2015, she once again played Carmen and sang Titania in the new adaptation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

In 2016 Paulina created and played the roles of Yindy and Sadicya in A Man of Good Hope at London’s Young Vic and New York’s BAM.

Paulina performed with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra again in 2017 in The Cunning Little Vixen (conducted by Sir Simon Rattle), semi-staged by Peter Sellars.

During November of 2020 Paulina reprised her role as Yindy in Isango Ensemble’s A Man of Good Hope at the National Theatre of Catalonia in Barcelona, Spain. In 2022 she played the role of Monisha in Isango's version of Scott Joplin's Treemonisha.

Paulina has also taught at the University of Cape Town’s College of Music.