Background
He was born in 1975 in Queenstown, South Africa and is a member of the Xhosa clan.
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Bongani Ndodana-Breen
Edit ProfileEducation
He was educated at Saint Andrew"s College and Rhodes University in Grahamstown and studied composition in Stellenbosch under Roelof Temmingh.
Career
He is often referred to by his Xhosa paternal ancestral name(isiduko), as Rhadebe. His music is a blend of African and classical styles. He has received commissions from across the globe from the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra the Miller Theatre of New York, Vancouver Recital Society, Madame Walker Theatre, Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, Ensemble Noir/MusicaNoir, Southern African Music Rights Organisation (SAMRO), National Arts Council, Haydn Festival Eisenstadt, Johannesburg International Mozart Festival, The Emancipation Festival of Trinidad & Tobago and Wigmore Hall, London.
He has written operas, orchestral and chamber works, including the opera based on anti-apartheid activist Winnie Mandela.
South Africa"s liberation struggle seems to be a major theme in his orchestral works such as his piano concerto Mzilikazi: Emhlabeni, the short opera Hani on the anti-apartheid activist Chris Hani and more recently the oratorio Credo, a musical testament to the Freedom Charter. Ndodana-Breen is also an advocate for cultural diversity, various African efforts including gay and lesbian rights.
