ATKV-Crescendo is set to showcase their final production in the 2023 season of Platformsessies-episodes, Platformsessies GOUD, later this month. This event will encapsulate the high standard and quality of finalists, mentors and production that ATKV-Crescendo creates. It is a culmination of the year’s events which saw finalists grow from musical hopefuls to stage-ready performers through months of mentoring and training in lyric development, melody development, branding and publicity, industry dynamics and even a personal development programme to equip finalists to withstand the challenges of the music industry in South Africa.
“We spent the year finding and refining gold in terms of talent and this concert is a celebration of that,” says creative director Robin-Dean Fourie about the concert that will take place on 24 November at Daisy Jones in Stellenbosch. “Platformsessies GOUD will serve as a thank-you platform for Crescendo’s supporters during 2023, including media, sponsors, partners, and the organisation’s highly valued season ticket holders.”
“To ensure that we make our VIPs know how important they are to us, this evening will be hosted exclusively for them. No tickets will be sold. VIPs will have personal chaperones to host them for the evening, and there will even be a whiskey and wine tasting before the show,” says ATKV-Crescendo project manager, Morné van Staden.
It is billed to be a fancy affair, with Fourie’s first performance for 2023. He will share the stage with well-known South African cabaret star and recording artist Petronel Baard who was one of the 2023 mentoring programme’s experts. Crescendo finalists Nicole van der Merwe, Marizaan Uys and Lucia Poggenpoel will be performing alongside them in a display of diverse talent.
“I don’t want to reveal too much of what we have planned. It is not something I think should be explained, it should be experienced,” says Fourie. “See it as a ‘date night’ between the artists and the audience. Dress up and prepare to be spoiled!”
ATKV-Crescendo is one of SA’s most long-standing development programmes aimed at equipping songwriters with expertise. In 2024, it will be fifty years that the programme has unearthed some of the best musicians from around the country. Platformsessies GOUD will act as a foretaste for next year’s magical celebrations.
Jarrod Morkel from Cognative Design Solution says: “The ATKV-Crescendo programme takes an unconventional approach to the traditional music contest by focusing on holistic development and mentoring. Crescendo equips contestants with the essential tools required to build and sustain a career in music. By bridging the gap between emerging markets and its established following, Crescendo has demonstrated uncanny adaptability and resilience in an ever-changing socio-economic landscape. Its rich history of chart-topping artists coupled with its development of emerging artists, makes ATKV-Crescendo a cornerstone of the South African music industry.”
SA singer, songwriter and producer, Jerome Rex, is equally impressed with the development programme. “As curator of the Expression Session in Kuils River, we have a close professional relationship with ATKV-Crescendo. It was nice for me to experience ATKV-Crescendo this year as a spectator and supporter. As someone with a heart for the arts, it is immensely gratifying to see fresh writing and singing talent being discovered, and then developed. The growth that each artist showed over the course of the season was amazing.”
Season ticket holder, Adele Rex, explains: “The season ticket is definitely worth it and has repaid its value over and over. When ATKV-Crescendo talks about VIP treatment, it’s a statement they take very seriously. We get personal attention from our hosts and lots of other treats like gifts and branded gear. Every concert and event has delivered an experience to remember.”
SA singer and songwriter, Petronel Baard, says she is “very excited” about the Platformsessies Goud event. “I always love working with musical director William Jacobs and his team of top-notch musicians. The whole initiative inspires me, and my fellow singers are hugely talented. The audience can be sure to be wowed on the night.”
Website details:
https://atkv.org.za/nuus/categories/atkv-crescendo/
Social Media details:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/atkvcrescendo
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/atkv.crescendo/
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