BIOGRAPHY

South African tenor Makudu Senaoana is steadily making his mark throughout Europe and North America as a gifted and versatile performer. In the previous season, Makudu made his debut with the Dutch National Opera: in the world premiere of Anansi by South African composer Neo Muyanga, and the opera house’s Celebrating Diversity: Black Achievement Month. Senaoana also performed as 2nd Jew in Salome with Tulsa Opera.

Senaoana makes a return to the Dutch National Opera this season for their Be Opera project, and will feature largely in Opera Ithaca’s festival, performing in their productions of Nabucco (Ismaele), Highway 1, USA (Nate), and Proving Up (Miles Zegner). Senaoana enjoys a close relationship with director William Kentridge, with whom he will tour South Africa and the East Coast of the USA in performances of The Head and the Load, a genre-defying experience centered around Africans in WWI, initially commissioned in part by the Park Avenue Armory. [read more...]