When you hear the word orchestra, you picture tuxedos, velvet seats and something between The Greatest Showman and The Great Gatsby – a world I never imagined fitting into.
Yet the moment I sat in that audience, watching the Mzansi National Philharmonic Orchestra tune their instruments, one thought ran through my mind: “This is a lifestyle I could get used to – and one I want.”
The concert started behind schedule, working in my favour. And yes, maybe that’s already a bad start if I plan on adopting this lifestyle. Still, it wouldn’t be a true Mzansi Orchestra moment if things weren’t running fashionably late.
Their national tour, Voices of Home, will yield another night before heading to Durban and Cape Town. They partnered with cellist and musical visionary Abel Selaocoe – an unforgettable choice.
I’ve seen Selaocoe’s viral video clips, where social media users watch in awe. But seeing him live? That was more transformative. He has a way of pulling you into his world, shaping every sound with intention and emotion.
Loved for his 2022 hit Ka Bohaleng, and perhaps many came to see him perform it live. Instead, he surprised us with Tswana gospel hymns and his own soul-stirring rendition of Malibongwe. At one point, the entire auditorium was roaring with song and became part of his performance.
He left me with chills – and those goosebumps carried into the second half of the concert. The orchestra’s sound awakened memories I didn’t even realise were tucked away. I followed every beat with a strange sense of familiarity, as if I’d somehow been part of an orchestra in another life. At times, I caught myself holding my breath because I didn’t want to miss a single detail.
Later, my friends and I laughed about how something so new felt so familiar to all of us. “It’s because you’ve heard these tunes in movies,” one of them said – and immediately it clicked.
Suddenly, I could hear Cinderella, then Beauty and the Beast, then the unmistakable swell of something straight out of Barbie or The Swan Princess. At one point, during a dramatic, fast-paced piece, I imagined a cartoon scene I had forgotten. I later brought it up in the group, “Tom is definitely running after Jerry right now.” They burst out laughing because it was true. The music carried the chaos, the mischief, and the chase.
The night owed me absolutely nothing – and yet it gave me something I didn’t know I needed. It introduced me to a lifestyle I never imagined having a taste for, and yet one that feels surprisingly natural. One that feels like home in a way I never expected.
Maybe the orchestra isn’t as far from us as we think. Maybe it’s been part of our lives all along – in movies, childhood memories, and the soundtracks that shaped us, well, shaped me.
And after this night, it’s a world I’m more than happy to return to.
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