Black Tie Ensemble
Black Tie Ensemble (BTE) was a South African opera company established in 1999 by Neels Hansen and Mimi Coertse.
The company later rebranded as BTE VO1SS in 2012, and as Gauteng Opera in 2013.
Contents
History
Black Tie Ensemble (BTE)
When PACT Opera at the State Theatre in Pretoria ceased to exist as a permanent opera company in 1997, a need arose to develop a programme to educate talented young singers from diverse cultural backgrounds and expose them to the professional opera stage in South Africa and abroad. In order to fill this need, the Black Tie Ensemble was established in 1999 by South Africa‟s diva Mimi Coertse, acclaimed singer of international stature, and the renowned South African opera director and costume designer, Neels Hansen. This unique programme was aimed at developing all talented young singers who were interested in performing Western art music, especially opera.
Black Tie Ensemble Vocal Opera One Stop Shop - BTE VO1SS
In 2012, Black Tie Ensemble rebranded as BTE VO1SS (pronounced 'Voice', an acronym for 'Vocal Opera One Stop Shop') with Marcus Desando as Artistic Director. The rebrand was to allow for a more diverse company, featuring two groups of singing, namely a classical singing group and a lighter musical group – enabling them to still nourish opera while accommodating the demand for other styles.
Gauteng Opera
In 2013, Black Tie Ensemble was renamed Gauteng Opera.
For more information, see Gauteng Opera.
Productions
2001: Rigoletto
2002: Madama Butterfly (April and November)
2004: La Bohème
2005: A Tribute to Mario Lanza, Gianni Schicchi and Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Lucia di Lammermoor
Sources
'Gauteng Opera'. National Arts Council website. https://www.nac.org.za/artisan-post/gauteng-opera/
Antoinette Johanna Olivier. 2014. 'Exploring contributions to opera by The Black Tie Ensemble: a historical case study'. Mini-dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master‟s in Music at the Potchefstroom Campus of the North-West University.
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