Top performers in Spier concert

ON February 3 and 4 the internationally acclaimed Soweto String Quartet will open the fortnight concert entitled "Kings and Queens of Africa" at Spier wine estate in the Western Cape, which is presented by P4 Radio and will celebrate some of the great musicians to emerge from this continent. During this fortnight, Senegalese singer Baaba Maal will share the stage with South Africa's most famous jazz pianist, Abdullah Ibrahim. They will star at two gala evenings on February 15 and 16 in the Spier Amphitheatre. With them will be singer Sathima Bea Benjamin, Ibrahim's wife and a big name in her own right, and the band Ekaya. The gala evenings are preceded by a solo appearance of the legendary Maal on February 13 and two performances by Ibrahim as the piano soloist in the South African premiere of his "African Suite" on February 8 and 9. Ibrahim will be backed by a choir and the Cape Town Symphony Orchestra, which will be conducted by Maestro Bernhard Gueller. (Adéle Mackenzie)