Award-winning singer, Msaki has become one of South Africa’s leading voices, thanks to the Live Music Lab which has become a springboard to launch the careers of emerging artists as well as sound, stage and lighting technicians. | Simphiwe Mbokazi Independent Newspapers
Over the past two decades, the Live Music Lab has become a springboard to launch the careers of emerging artists as well as sound, stage and lighting technicians.
Some of these include, Morena Leraba, Msaki, BCUC, Zoe Modiga, Nakane and many others.
This flagship initiative, staged and managed by Bassline and the French Institute of South Africa (IFAS), is celebrating a 25-year partnership with the support of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
As a platform to promote local musicians, IFAS and Bassline’s collaboration, through Fête de la Musique, has supported more than 240 bands since 2015.
Festival organisers have also called on emerging artists and bands as well as young people interested in gaining skills in live event staging who want to gain skills in event management, concert promotion, marketing within the music industry and technical production to come out in their numbers.
Presented by Bassline and IFAS, the Live Music Lab is a fresh and innovative career development programme which through the Bassline Festival taking place on May 25 and the Fête de la Musique on June 22, has been designed to incubate 15 youths with event and live music theoretical and practical training and work experience.
“While they are known to promise a good time, it takes a lot to bring these events to life. The best concerts rely on professionals with varying skills working collectively to deliver a fantastic occasion,” the organisers say.
To produce a concert or festival, it takes teams of lighting operators, sound engineers, artist coordinators, publicity personnel and production managers working proficiently in their roles and in unison with the performing talent which is why this initiative ensures that young people are trained and given a life-long skills in a variety of specialised settings.
According to the organisers, learners who participate in training sessions will be be introduced to a range of music industry-related training including sound, design, lighting and stage.
These sessions will be followed by training in focused modules chosen based on the organic strengths and interests of the learner.
It is a win-win for everyone as trainees will be taken through their paces in a detailed in-depth manner where they will gain knowledge of a specific aspect of the event management ecosystem where they will learn from some of the best, experienced and professionals in the industry.
The Star
siyabonga.sithole@inl.co.za