Singing contest amplifies South Africa’s opera dreams

In his previous life, Luvo Maranti didn't read music and the only thing he knew about opera was who Luciano Pavarotti was. He and his friends used to imitate the Italian tenor before bursting into laughter.

This week, the 29-year-old South African will sing his lungs out at Operalia, one of the most prestigious opera competitions in the world.

The annual contest, which started in Cape Town this week and runs until Nov. 5, was created by Spanish tenor Placido Domingo 30 years ago. It features 34 contestants selected from an initial pool of about 800 singers.

Following in the footsteps of superstar soprano Pretty Yende, who sang at the coronation of Britain's King Charles III this year, five of them are from South Africa.

Maranti gave up a job in human resources to chase his opera dream. He had to tell his parents he would not be able to support them for a while and sometimes went days without a meal while trying to secure grants to fund his studies. But he doesn't regret taking the plunge for a second.

"I felt a bit selfish but I wanted to be happy, not sit in an office all day," he told AFP. "I had to start from scratch," he said, explaining that his previous experience with church choirs and polyphonic music only went so far.

"Opera is a whole different ball game, I had to learn how to read a Western score."

His debut was nerve-racking, he recalled.

"With a choir, you have a sense of security. As a soloist you are vulnerable. As soon as you hit your first note, everyone can see your heart... I felt so much judgement," he said.

Now he feels at ease, also singing in Italian, German and French.

Sakhiwe Mkosana, a baritone, made a similar journey from an impoverished South African township to...