The Ramotswa-born opera singer will share the stage with local classical music artists such as Henry Nyatshane and the Sopranos, Ogone Pilane and One Motlhankane in what will be an emotional return to the local stage. “It is a very emotional time being back, but also extremely exciting. Putting together a concert takes many hands and I’m thrilled that I’ve found like-minded people to help and guide me on this journey. "I delayed returning home to perform for many reasons; fear of not being good enough, fear of failure, fear of leaving my children alone in Switzerland, fear that no one would come to the concerts. But life is too short to worry all the time. The spark was ignited by a fellow singer in March and has grown into a rollercoaster ride of experience, learning and adventure,” she told Arts&Culture in an interview. Angela Kerrisson explained that the event’s programme will mostly be classical although it will get brighter and lighter after an interval. She promised the audience to look forward to a spirited and captivating performance including arias by Handel, Mozart, Verdi and Puccini. “In the second half we’ll have Bernstein, Gershwin and others. We will sing in Italian and English and I will sing some operetta songs which will be in German. I’ve added them to the programme because the last few years I’ve been heavily involved in performing operettas in Switzerland. It’s sung operatically but there’s spoken dialogue in between.
Opera light as some people call it. It is very fun and sometimes wild,” she added. The singer further indicated that Cape Town-based pianist, José Dias, will also play some solos as well as accompanying the singers. Additionally, she expressed excitement to perform with three Batswana singers alongside her. “Tenor Henry Nyatshane and the Sopranos, One Motlhankane and Ogone Pilane, I’m thrilled that they have offered the time to be part of this come back concert. I feel that there are incredible voices here in Botswana. But that they need nurturing and performance opportunities, which they can get by working with experienced professional musicians and singing teachers. I’ve been in the business for almost three decades and I still have regular singing lessons to maintain my form. The learning never ends. I have performed on countless stages and worked with incredible musicians. I’d like that for Batswana singers too,” she added.
