Adam Howard of Howard Music recently completed two arrangements for full symphony orchestra. The commission was for the launch of the new multi-million rand facility, called KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Music House. The top-of-the-range facility was opened by provincial MEC for Finance Ina Cronje, on Friday 9 October 2009.
"It is a known fact that most of the best artists in the country come from our province. Because we don't have facilities they were forced to go to other provinces. So we as KZN wanted to do something to keep our artists within the province," said Cronje.
The climax of the launch was a musical extravaganza at the Playhouse Theatre in Durban, accompanied by the KZN Philharmonic Orchestra and featuring performances from Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Mbongeni Ngema who is managing the new facility.
“I have worked with Adam Howard on a number of projects over the years and his musical arrangements are fantastic,” says Ngema. “To hear the sound of the symphony orchestra over my songs such as ‘Libuyile' is a real thrill.”
The recording studio is a joint venture between the provincial Departments of Arts and Economic Development. The departments have also formed a partnership with the University of KwaZulu-Natal's law department that will be coming on board to teach the artists about contracts and intellectual property, among other things.
