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 performs Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with Munich Philharmonic Orchestra (Nicholas Collon), Tippett’s 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). Rangwanasha performs Verdi’s Requiem at the Wiener Konzerthaus (Daniel Harding), Bergen Philharmonic (Jader Bignamini) and International Maifestspiele Wiesbaden (Leo McFall) and returns to the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia (Daniel Harding). Other highlights this season include Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 with The Hallé (Kachun Wong), Mendelssohn’s Elijah with Oxford Philharmonic (Marios Papadopoulos), Vaughan Williams’ A Sea Symphony with the London Symphony Orchestra (Sir Antonio Pappano), Rossini’s 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 and Poulenc’s Stabat Mater at Teatro Regio Torino, and she returns to the Wigmore Hall.
Last season, Rangwanasha made a string of debuts with Washington National Opera and Hamburg State Opera as Liù in Turandot, a role she also performed with the Royal Opera House Covent Garden on tour in Japan. On the concert platform, Rangwanasha debuted with the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Antonio Pappano and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by James Conlon in Mendelssohn’s Elijah. Further appearances included the Verdi Requiem with Nathalie Stutzmann in her debut with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and returns to the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia with Sir Antonio Pappano and to The Hallé with Sir Mark Elder for Rossini’s Stabat Mater.
In previous seasons, Rangwanasha received critical acclaim for her return to the Royal Opera House Covent Garden as Liù and at Theater Bern as Mathilde in Guillaume Tell and in the title role of Iphigénie en Tauride. On the concert stage, Rangwanasha made her U.S. debut with Washington National Symphony Orchestra in Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915, performing the work again with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (Marin Alsop), Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 2 with the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia (Kazuki Yamada), Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 and Mahler’s Das klagende Lied at Theater Bern, and her Edinburgh Festival debut performing Tippett’s 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 in Don Carlos and Elettra in Idomeneo at Theater Bern, Verdi’s Requiem with the BBC Symphony conducted by Sakari Oramo at the First Night of the BBC Proms, Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 conducted by Ádám Fischer with the Orchestra of the 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