Making us proud all the way in Italy! Katleho Mokhoabane, an alumnus of the Department of Performing Arts (Vocal Art), has won the third prize in the Concorso Lirico Internazionale di Portofino (CLIP) competition.
The judging took place by a Facebook voting system to allow followers to vote for their favourite. The final took place on 24 July and was live-streamed on the Youtube Channel of the Associazione Bottesini: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBHKXxNHfsI
The competition started in 2015 to unite the beauty of a symbolic place of Italy with the voices of the most promising young opera singers in the world. CLIP offers young talent the opportunity to win cash prizes and find concrete job opportunities in the most important European opera houses.
The jury is made up exclusively of directors and casting managers of lyrical realities of the highest level, allowing direct contact between the singer and those who have the opportunity and desire to sign contracts without intermediate steps.
The competition ended with a great concert by the finalists accompanied by the Orchestra Filarmonica dell’ Opera Italiana Bruno Bartoletti in the historic Piazzetta of Portofino.
Katleho, who was born in Wesselsbron, Free State, says the experience in Italy was amazing. “The food, people and scenery were breath-taking. Most importantly, the trip gave me an opportunity to sing and introduce myself to directors of some of the biggest opera houses in the world.”
He is currently based in Köln, Germany where he is studying for a Master’s degree at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz.
Asked what his future prospects are, he says: “To complete my Master’s degree and join an opera studio in one of the theatres in Germany, with the ultimate dream/goal to travel the world and sing in the biggest opera houses as a freelance artist.”