19/08/2026
Introducing a new addition to our performance on 29 August: soloist, Patrick Tikolo.
Don't miss out on this performance!
https://www.webtickets.co.za/v2/event.aspx?itemid=1599397721
Patrick is an Associate Professor and Head of the Vocal Studies Division at the South African College of Music, University of Cape Town (UCT), his alma mater, where he obtained a Performer's Diploma in Music. Soon after completing his diploma, he was recruited by Professor Barbara Hill-Moore to further his studies at the Meadows School of the Arts, Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, USA, where he earned both the Graduate Artist Certificate and the Master of Music degree in Voice.
Born and raised in Zwelitsha, near King William's Town in the Eastern Cape, Patrick has a deep passion for choral music and regularly conducts choral and opera workshops for community, church, school and university choirs throughout South Africa. Most recently, he presented a masterclass for solo voices at the Choral Music Federation of South Africa (COMFESA) symposia held at Artscape in Cape Town and the Rustenburg Civic Centre.
As a choral enthusiast, Patrick has made significant contributions as an adjudicator, music clinician and mentor to choir conductors and singers. He has served in several leadership roles within South Africa's choral community, including as a member of the Artistic Committee of the National Arts Festival. He has also served on the Boards of Cape Town City Ballet and Fine Music Radio, where he founded and presented the programme African Choral Sound. He regularly serves as an external examiner for Stellenbosch University, the University of the Free State and Tshwane University of Technology.
As a soloist, Patrick's repertoire spans opera, oratorio and art song, encompassing German Lieder as well as French, Russian and Italian song literature. His major operatic appearances include the title role in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro with El Paso Opera, Puccini's Gianni Schicchi, the High Priest in Mozart's The Magic Flute with Houston Ebony Opera, the Undertaker in the African première of Gershwin's Porgy and Bess with Cape Town Opera, alongside the legendary Simon Estes in the title role, George Benton, the Warden, in Jake Heggie's Dead Man Walking, and Father Khumalo in Kurt Weill's Lost in the Stars. His concert repertoire includes many of the great oratorios by Bach, Handel, Mozart, Mendelssohn, Carl Orff, Fauré etc. His debut CD, Ain't Got Time To Die, was launched at the Miriam Makeba Centre in East London in 2023.
As a teacher, Patrick has seen many of his students establish distinguished careers on opera and concert stages in South Africa and abroad. His graduates have appeared in leading international opera houses and prestigious competitions, including Operalia, The Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition, Neue Stimmen, and the Houston Grand Opera Studio, while others have pursued successful careers in teaching and choral conducting. He has taught and presented masterclasses in South Africa, Namibia, Sweden and the United States.
Patrick continues to make a significant contribution as both an artist and educator, creating opportunities for talented young singers regardless of their background. Through his teaching, conducting and mentorship, he remains committed to broadening access to vocal training and ensuring that the rich traditions of classical and choral singing continue to flourish for future generations.
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