On Friday 6 June, The Centre for the Less Good Idea presents The Open Moment | Thinking in Spring, a public showing of some of the key findings and creative methodologies developed during a week-long workshop towards Selemo.
Selemo (Spring in Sesotho) is a collaborative musical project conceptualised and composed by Sbusiso Shozi and Nhlanhla Mahlangu, with musical mentorship from Neo Muyanga.
Produced and commissioned by Komische Oper and Neuköllner Oper in Berlin, Germany, and nurtured at The Centre for the Less Good Idea in Johannesburg, South Africa, Selemo embarks on a profound exploration of Spring—a season of renewal, transition, and emergence within a Southern African context. The opera will premiere in Berlin on February 12, 2026, unfolding as an intricate dialogue between baroque echoes and Southern African rites of passage.
Over the course of the workshop, Shozi and Mahlangu will collaborate with musicians and performers from South Africa and Germany, namely Hlengiwe Lushaba Madlala, Pertunia Msani, Bvahangwele Moopo, Tshegofatso Khunwane, Gregory Mabusela, Alma Sadé, Tuyêt Pham, Deniz Tahberer, Julia Lindner, Arnulf Ballhorn, Magdalena Bogner, and Matthias Kamps. They will also work closely with Wits Creative Writing’s Stacy Hardy to develop the libretto.
The Open Moment emerges from this context and will be an opportunity for audiences to witness the research, experimentation, and collaborative processes that took place between the artists during the five-day workshop, as well as the outcomes thereof.
DATE | FRIDAY 6 JUNE 2025
TIME | 19H00
VENUE | THE CENTRE FOR THE LESS GOOD IDEA, ARTS ON MAIN, 264 FOX STREET, MABONENG
DURATION | 60-90 MINUTES
TICKETS | R150
BOOKINGS | www.lessgoodidea.com/bookings
Also check out other Workshops in Johannesburg, Entertainment events in Johannesburg, Music events in Johannesburg.
