Niël Rademan

Niël Rademan (19**-)

South African singer, director, producer and arts manager, working across cabaret, art song, folk music and music theatre.

Biography

Rademan grew up on a farm outside Heidelberg in the Western Cape and boarded at the school in the town from sub A, at the same school and hostel his father had attended. His mother is Cecil Rademan. He took a master's degree in drama at the University of Stellenbosch, directing André P. Brink's Die Hamer van die Hekse for students of the Stellenbosch University Drama Department in the H.B. Thom Theatre in 2003.

Contribution to SA theatre, film, media and/or performance

Rademan made his name as a freelance musician after completing his master's degree. His adaptation and direction of Die avonture van Wilde Willemientjie, from the children's story by Riana Scheepers, won a Kanna at the Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees. He also adapted Scheepers's Die melkweg het 'n ster laat val as a woordkuns programme, and has since worked with her on Clara, on the life of the composer and pianist Clara Schumann, and on the music-theatre production Vivaldi en die vondeling.

He founded the groups The South African Sopranos and 5MAESTROS!, and produces under his own name. On the family farm, Dasjesdrift, between Heidelberg and Witsand, he and his mother restored a 1933 manor house as a theatre where Jan Blom, Randall Wicomb and Rory Rootenberg, among others, have performed, and where he runs his own festival, the Hessequa Harmonie. He was appointed executive head of the Suidoosterfees on 23 April 2014, in succession to Niel le Roux, and held the post until 2018, when Jana Hattingh took over.

His larger directing projects include the Fleur du Cap Theatre Awards ceremony, the Die Burger Suidoosterfees concert, the Western Cape parliament opening concerts of 2009 and 2010, and the US Woordfees Koorfeesgala. In 2010 he sang the national anthem at the opening of the Western Cape provincial parliament at the Cape Town stadium. He has performed with Lynelle Kenned, Elna van der Merwe, Petronel Baard, Charlene Truter, Philip de Vos and Zorada Temmingh among others; with De Vos and Temmingh he staged Die fluitspeler van Hamelin at the arts festival in Bloemfontein in 2011.

At the US Woordfees he coordinated the Sanlam nagKAT cabaret venue in 2010 and 2011, and appeared in Van klassiek tot kabaret with Johann Enslin and Winand Grundling (2010); Niël Rademan in konsert with Rika Vermeulen, singing settings of Melt Myburgh, Hennie Aucamp and Louis Jansen van Vuuren (2011); Because, launching the album of that name with Elna van der Merwe (2015); Heimwee, with Lucas Heinen, Zorada Temmingh and the Rhenish Girls' High choir (2020); and (Ge)stroop (2024). He also presented Ver van hier at the Atelierteater, Vienna, on 8 June 2013.