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Stéfan Louw

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South African operatic tenor, Stéfan Louw

Stéfan Louw is a South African operatic tenor, regarded as one of South Africa's leading tenors. He has been performing opera since 1995.

Biography

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While still a student, Louw joined the Pretoria State Theatre Opera Chorus in 1995. In the following year, he received the Chorister of the Year Award. He made his solo debut in 1999 as Beppe in Pagliacci. Louw received the FNB Vita Opera Award for Most Promising Newcomer for his debut role. He remained a member of the chorus until 2001, often performing supporting character roles. In 2000, he became one of the founding members[1][2] of the Black Tie Ensemble (BTE).

When Louw made his leading-role debut as Cavaradossi in Tosca (2003),[3] he decided to quit his full-time job as a sales person at Incredible Connection to focus on his opera career.

Since then Louw made a living singing opera in South Africa, America, and Europe. Some of the roles he performed over the years include Alfredo in La traviata, Barinkay in The Gypsy Baron, Cavaradossi in Tosca, Von Eisenstein in Die Fledermaus, Hoffmann in The Tales of Hoffmann, Tebaldo in I Capuleti e i Montecchi, the Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto, Tonio in La fille du régiment, Pang in Turandot, Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly, Radames in Aida, Don José in Carmen, Pollione in Norma, Rodolfo in La bohème and the title role in Werther.

Louw has also performed the tenor solo roles of Puccini's Messa di Gloria, Handel's Messiah, Rossini's Stabat Mater and Petite messe solennelle, Beethoven's Ninth Symphony and Missa solemnis as well as Dvorak's Mass in D major at numerous occasions throughout South Africa and Namibia.

Louw as Cavaradossi in Tosca (2003)

Notable Productions

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Date Opera Composer Role Language Director Conductor Producer
April 1999 I Pagliacci Leoncavallo Beppe Italian Michael Williams Bruno Aprea Pretoria State Theatre Opera
May 1999 Debut with Mimi n/a Tenor n/a Mimi Coertse Christopher Dowdeswell Mimi Coertse
August 1999 Turandot Puccini Pang Italian Angelo Gobbato Gérard Korsten Pretoria State Theatre Opera
May 2000 La Traviata Verdi Alfredo Italian Amanda van Zyl Willem Vogel Salon Music
December 2000 La Traviata Verdi Alfredo Italian Amanda van Zyl Willem Vogel Salon Music
May 2001 The Gypsy Baron Strauss Barinkay English Federico Freschi Willem Vogel Salon Music
July 2003 Tosca Puccini Cavaradossi Italian Emma Renzi Weiss Doubell Pro Musica Opera
April 2004 La Traviata Verdi Alfredo Italian Themi Venturas Jeremy Silver Opera Africa
July 2004 Madama Butterfly Puccini Pinkerton Italian Amanda van Zyl Weiss Doubell Pro Musica Opera
April 2005 Die Fledermaus Strauss Von Eisenstein English Steven Stead Naum Rousine The Durban Playhouse Company
July 2005 Rigoletto Verdi The Duke of Mantua Italian Steven Stead Jeremy Silver Opera Africa
September 2005 La Bohème Puccini Rodolfo Italian Hans van Heerden Weiss Doubell Pro Musica Opera
March 2006 Le Contes d'Hoffmann Offenbach Hoffmann Italian Ralph Lawson Graham Scott The Durban Playhouse Company
August 2006 A Tribute to Mario Lanza n/a Tenor n/a Neels Hansen Graham Scott The Black Tie Ensemble
October 2006 I Capuleti e I Montecchi Bellini Tebaldo Italian Laurence Dale Jeremy Silver Opera Africa
March 2008 Aïda Verdi Radames Italian Laurance Dale Vincent de Kort Opera Africa
September 2008 Norma Bellini Pollione Italian Charles Roubaud Cyril Diederich Opéra de Vichy
December 2008 Aïda Verdi Radames Italian Eric Perez Alain Altinoglu Opéra de Dijon
June 2009 Madama Butterfly Puccini Pinkerton Italian Christine Crouse Francesco Bonnin Cape Town Opera
April 2010 La Bohème Puccini Rodolfo Italian Themi Venturas Timothy Myers Opera Africa
June 2011 Opera Extravaganza n/a Tenor n/a Laurence Dale Leslie Dunner Opera Africa
October 2011 La Traviata Verdi Alfredo Italian Alessandro Talevi Albert Horne Cape Town Opera
October 2013 Symphony No 9 Beethoven Tenor English Bongani Tembe Justus Frantz KZN Philharmonic Orchestra
April 2014 La Traviata Verdi Alfredo Italian Stéfan Louw Doron Kanar Stéfan Louw
April 2014 Messiah Handel Tenor English n/a Naum Rousine The Durban Playhouse Company
December 2014 Werther Massenet Werther French Stéfan Louw Eugene Joubert (pianist) Stéfan Louw
May 2015 La Bohème Puccini Rodolfo Italian Elizabeth Lombard Graham Scott Big Wig Opera
December 2017 La Traviata Verdi Alfredo Italian Stéfan Louw Schalk van der Merwe Stéfan Louw
June 2018 Carmen Bizet Don José[4] French Daniel Verster Schalk van der Merwe Sempre Opera
November 2019 Petite messe solenelle Rossini Tenor[5] Latin n/a Leona Geldenhuys University of the Free State
December 2019 La Traviata Verdi Alfredo Italian Stéfan Louw Schalk van der Merwe Stéfan Louw

Opera entrepreneur

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Louw as Radames in Aida (2008)

In 2003, Louw started producing small opera concerts at churches in-between professional productions. By 2010, his concert series Aria! Opera for Everyone was so popular that it ran for four seasons at the Roodepoort Theatre (2010–2014).[6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16] These concerts aimed to bring true opera aficionados a measure of quality, whilst at the same time encouraging new audiences to appreciate true opera.

In March 2011, Louw founded his first opera company in Gauteng – Sempre Opera. In February 2013, he handed the reins to his colleague Linette van der Merwe (mezzo-soprano), who then took over as head of the organisation.

Louw then formed a second opera company in Gauteng – Big Wig Opera.[17][18][19][20] The company successfully produced three full operas – La Bohème, L'elisir d'amore and Madama Butterfly – in its first year of operations (2015) of which Louw performed in one and directed two.[21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28]

Louw as Rodolfo in La bohème (2015)

After spending a year singing in Greece during the 2017/18 season,[29][30] Louw returned to South Africa and founded The Little Theatre Company, which is based in the Vaal Triangle.[31]

In March 2019 Louw performed his solo show at the Wakkerstroom Music Festival. He has performed at many of South Africa's art festivals like the Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees.

When his wife, Marisa, fell ill in August 2019, Louw embarked on doing solo performances at private events to raise funds for her treatments.[32][33][34] When the COVID-19 pandemic put a halt to his efforts to raise funds with concerts, he created a fund-raising campaign. Most recently, as the COVID-19 restrictions eased, he embarked on producing small-scale productions and concerts[35][36] that include house concerts at his home in Parys.[37]

Vocal coach

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At the start of 2019, he founded the Stéfan Louw School of Singing in Parys. There Louw teaches children (10+) and adults the basic principles of singing. Although an opera singer, he does not exclusively teach opera techniques. Students can apply the methods to any genre of music, from jazz to pop and R&B.

Opera repertoire

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A caricature of Louw

Oratorio repertoire

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Personal life

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Stéfan and his wife Marisa, each with their personal best

Louw met his wife, Marisa, in June 1996 when they were both members of the State Theatre Opera Chorus in the opera Tosca. They got married in Gordon's Bay on 20 February 1999. After living in Pretoria and later Johannesburg, they relocated to Parys in April 2012 where they live with their 14 pets. The couple has a tremendous passion for animals and is involved with various rescue organisations. Marisa recently applied for a general environmental permit and started plans to open a bird rehabilitation centre.

When he is not singing or teaching, Louw is an avid PC gamer and specimen carp angler.

References

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  1. ^ "Black Tie Ensemble pay tribute to singing legend Mario Lanza". www.iol.co.za. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  2. ^ "LitNet Argief". argief.litnet.co.za. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  3. ^ "Artslink.co.za – Tosca". Artslink. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  4. ^ Opperman, A. J. "Opera Carmen in Joburgteater". Netwerk24 (in Afrikaans). Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  5. ^ Britz, Elretha. "'Uitbundige' Rossini-mis in Sasolburg, Bfn uitgevoer". Netwerk24 (in Afrikaans). Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  6. ^ "Artslink.co.za – Aria! Opera for Everyone". Artslink. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  7. ^ "Opera vir almal!". Netwerk24 (in Afrikaans). Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  8. ^ "Stéfan Louw sluit sy 'Aria!'-reeks af in Roodepoort". Netwerk24 (in Afrikaans). Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  9. ^ "Sempre Opera sing met Stéfan Louw". Netwerk24 (in Afrikaans). Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  10. ^ "Laaste arias van jaar". Netwerk24 (in Afrikaans). Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  11. ^ "Laaste opera vir elkeen in 2013". Netwerk24 (in Afrikaans). Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  12. ^ "Aria! Opera for Everyone ends in December". Media Update. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  13. ^ "ImagineMag! – a South African arts & culture emagazine providing a voice and information for people interested and involved in arts, culture, heritage and the performing arts". www.imaginemag.co.za. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  14. ^ "Stéfan Louw to introduce young tenors". Roodepoort Record. 8 August 2014. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  15. ^ "Pro Cantare Choir joins Louw for 2013 opera season". Bizcommunity. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  16. ^ "Tenor tunes up teens". TimesLIVE. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  17. ^ "Gauteng kry 'n nuwe operageselskap". Netwerk24 (in Afrikaans). Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  18. ^ "Big Wig voer Werther-mini-opera op". Netwerk24 (in Afrikaans). Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  19. ^ AmyAGould. "Big Wig Opera is breaking tradition – IMAGINEMAG!". Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  20. ^ "Opera throws out tuxedos for jeans". TimesLIVE. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  21. ^ Boekkooi, Paul. "Verdienstelike poging om operadroogte te beveg". Netwerk24 (in Afrikaans). Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  22. ^ Boekkooi, Paul. "Stéfan Louw beïndruk met regiedebuut in L'elisir d'amore". Netwerk24 (in Afrikaans). Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  23. ^ Odendaal, Thys. "La Bohème maak hom tuis in Goudstad". Netwerk24 (in Afrikaans). Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  24. ^ Boekkooi, Paul. "Madama Butterfly: Verdienstelikheid gee die deurslag". Netwerk24 (in Afrikaans). Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  25. ^ Boekkooi, Paul. "Volle Butterfly in Goudstad te sien". Netwerk24 (in Afrikaans). Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  26. ^ "Tweede kameropera by Roodepoort-teater". Netwerk24 (in Afrikaans). Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  27. ^ "Boheemse produksie vir aardse probleme". Netwerk24 (in Afrikaans). Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  28. ^ "Big Wig Opera to bring Puccini's La Bohème to the stage". Media Update. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  29. ^ Opperman, A. J. "Opwindende operajaar wag op Stéfan Louw". Netwerk24 (in Afrikaans). Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  30. ^ Britz, Elretha. "SA sangers gryp geleentheid in Griekeland". Netwerk24 (in Afrikaans). Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  31. ^ Britz, Elretha. "Nood én behoefte lei tot stig van operageselskap". Netwerk24 (in Afrikaans). Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  32. ^ Jager, Ischke de. "Nou sing Stefan Louw vir sy vrou". Netwerk24 (in Afrikaans). Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  33. ^ "SA tenor Stéfan Louw wants to raise over R500K for wife's breast cancer treatment". www.iol.co.za. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  34. ^ Opperman, A. J. "Stéfan Louw sing ten bate van sy vrou". Netwerk24 (in Afrikaans). Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  35. ^ "Opera music for the hearing-impaired | Creative Feel". 21 September 2021. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  36. ^ "SA operatic tenor, Louw performs for the hearing impaired". Rekord East. 25 September 2021. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  37. ^ ""What's happening now with the pandemic is what happened to opera in the late 90's"". Parys Gazette. 24 March 2021. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
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