Isithunzi

About

Isithunzi is a new music theatre piece commissioned by the City of Munich for the Münchener Biennale and co-produced with the Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden. It brings together western classical instruments with South African playing techniques and indigenous instruments such as the Uqangi, Umtshingo, Chipendani, and Mbira. The staging by Theresa Maria Schlichtherle and Mariella Maier uses shadow, light, and clay to reflect themes of ancestral connection and spiritual energy. Composer Monthati Masebe, founder of an archive of African cultural sounds, performs live electronics and indigenous instruments on stage alongside vocalists and dancers.