On 20 March UJ Arts & Culture, a division of the Faculty of Art, Design & Architecture (FADA) invites audiences to be mesmerised by Some Enchanted Evening, a celebration of opera, operetta and musical theatre, with soprano Yolisa Ngwexana and baritone Federico Freschi and directed by Steinway pianist Christopher Duigan.
With many favourites on the programme, Some Enchanted Evening promises an elegant and emotionally rich musical journey. Audiences can look forward to celebrated duets including Mozart’s “Là ci darem la mano” from Don Giovanni, the sparkling “Lippen schweigen” from Franz Lehár’s Die lustige Witwe (The Merry Widow), and the enduring classic “All I Ask of You” from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera.
The evening is highlighted by the extended Act II duet from Verdi’s La Traviata, the moving confrontation between the courtesan Violetta Valéry and Giorgio Germont, the father of her beloved Alfredo. This poignant exchange forms the opera’s emotional turning point and offers singers a powerful display of dramatic expression and vocal artistry.
Ngwexana recently advanced to the semifinals of the UNISA International Competition, performing alongside talented participants from around the world, an achievement that further refined her craft and affirmed her presence on the international stage. In this concert she shines in a selection of luminous arias, including Johann Strauss II’s effervescent “Mein Herr Marquis” from Die Fledermaus, alongside the stirring spiritual “He’s Got the Whole World” as arranged by Margaret Bonds. Freschi will perform one of his signature showpieces, “Largo al factotum” from Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia, as well as popular favourites from the world of musical theatre, including the evening’s title song, “Some Enchanted Evening.”
Providing a contrasting instrumental dimension, pianist Christopher Duigan performs a selection of piano classics and contemporary works. The programme includes J. S. Bach’s “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” in Myra Hess’s celebrated arrangement, Chopin’s Waltz in C-sharp minor, Op. 64 No. 2, and atmospheric pieces by Ludovico Einaudi, among them “Due Tramonti” and “Nuvole Bianche,” broadening the concert’s emotional palette.
“The programme has been designed as a varied and engaging musical gathering – rather like guests around a convivial dinner table on a warm summer evening. Each work brings its own character and mood, yet together they converse, complement and illuminate one another, creating a cohesive but constantly surprising listening experience,” explains Duigan, who will accompany the singers on the UJ Steinway Concert Grand Piano.
Date: 20 March 2026 | Time: 19:00
Venue: Keorapetse William Kgositsile Theatre, UJ Arts Centre, Auckland Park
Tickets: UJ Students: R150 | Pensioners: R150 | UJ Staff: R180 | General: R200
