Rising star Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha won the Song Prize at the 2021 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition and is a current BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist. Most recently, Rangwanasha was awarded the 2024 Herbert von Karajan Prize.
In 2024/25, Rangwanasha will perform Beethoven Symphony No. 9 with Munich Philharmonic Orchestra (Nicholas Collon), Tippett A Child of Our Time with The Royal Sinfonia (Dinis Sousa) and London Symphony Orchestra (Sir Antonio Pappano) and returns to the role of Liù in concert performances of Turandot with Minnesota Orchestra (Thomas Søndergård). Rangwansha performs Verdi Requiem at the Wiener Konzerthaus (Daniel Harding), Bergen Philharmonic (Jader Bignamini), International Maifestspiele Wiesbaden (Leo McFall) and returns to the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia (Daniel Harding. Other highlights this season include Mahler Symphony No. 2 with The Hallé (Kachun Wong), Mendelssohn Elijah with Oxford Philharmonic (Marios Papadopoulos), Vaughan Williams A Sea Symphony with the London Symphony Orchestra (Sir Antonio Pappano), Rossini Stabat Mater with the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra (Oscar Jockel), Strauss Vier letzte Lieder with Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León and Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Poulenc Stabat Mater at Teatro Regio Torino and will return to the Wigmore Hall.
Last season, Rangwanasha made a string of debuts with Washington National Opera and the Hamburg State Opera as Liù Turandot, a role she also performed with the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden on tour in Japan. On the concert platform, Rangwanasha made her debuts with London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Antonio Pappano and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by James Conlon in Mendelssohn Elijah. Further appearances included the Verdi Requiem with Nathalie Stuzmann in her debut with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and returned to the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia with Sir Antonio Pappano, as well as a return to The Hallé with Sir Mark Elder for the Rossini Stabat Mater.
In previous seasons, Rangwanasha received critical acclaim for her return to the Royal Opera House Covent Garden as Liù Turandot and at Theater Bern as Mathilde Guilliame Tell and in the title role of Iphigénie en Tauride. On the concert stage, Rangwanasha made her US debut with Washington National Symphony Orchestra in Barber Knoxville: The Summer of 1915, performing the work again with Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (Marin Alsop), Mendelssohn Symphony No. 2 with the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia (Kazuki Yamada), Beethoven Symphony No. 9 and Mahler Das Klagende Lied at Theater Bern, and her Edinburgh Festival debut performing Tippett A Child of Our Time with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra (Sir Andrew Davis) and a return to the BBC Proms to perform Strauss Vier letzte Lieder with the National Youth Orchestra.
Previous highlights include; Élisabeth de Valois Don Carlos, and Elettra Idomeneo at Theater Bern, Verdi Requiem with the BBC Symphony conducted by Sakari Oramo at the First Night of the BBC Proms, Mahler Symphony No. 4 conducted by Adam Fischer with the Orchestra Age of Enlightenment, Vaughan Williams A Sea Symphony conducted by Sir Mark Elder with The Hallé Orchestra, Strauss Vier letzte Lieder under the direction of Paul Daniel at Opéra National de Bordeaux, and a performance as part of Classic FM Live at the Royal Albert Hall.
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Photo Credit: Elma Vacek