Winner of the ATKV Muziqanto 2012 Competition, soprano Hlengiwe Mkhwanazi , is a post-graduate student at the University of Cape Town under the direction of Kamal Kahn. Hanna van Niekerk is her singing teacher.

She has been on the Deans’ Merit list every year since she started her studies.She comes from a very musical family where both her parents are involved in choral music. In 2009 Hlengiwe sang her first major role as Adina in Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’amore under the direction of Kamal Kahn. In May 2010 she sang the role of Madama Cortese in Rossini’s Il Viaggio a Reims as well as the role of Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro in College of Music production under the direction of Angelo Gobato.

In 2011 she sang Ann in The Rake’s Progress and Constanze in Die Entführung aus dem Serail.  She has sung the role of Fiordigligi in Cosi fan Tutte and will be seen as Antonia in Les Contes d’Hoffmann in November 2012.

Earlier this year she won the Second Prize in the prestigious Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition in Vienna. She also received the Audience Prize, Media Jury Prize and an audition with the Salzburg Opera Festival.

Published 11 November 2012