The University of Pretoria hosted the much-anticipated annual Principal’s Concert recently following a two-year hiatus. The concert was held at Aula lawn at the Hatfield Campus under the theme Ukuthula: Celebration of Peace; a symbol of unity in the university community's collective struggle to make the world a better place for all.  

Over 900 guests enjoyed an offering of various genres of music from Africa and beyond by the UP Symphony Orchestra, UP Aula Cultural Ensemble, Onderstepoort Community Choir, UP Chorale, and the UP Camerata.

Over 900 guests enjoyed the music at the Principal's concert.

The concert has not been hosted in-person since 2020 due to the national lockdown and social distancing restrictions brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. In the past, this annual event included a few guests in an intimate setting. This year, however, the concert showcased talented musicians in an open-air setting.

“‘Celebration for Peace’ is a programme consisting of genres of music from Africa and beyond, as a symbol of unity in our collective struggle to make the world a better place for all people,” UP Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Professor Tawana Kupe, explained.

“Poet Maya Angelou poignantly wrote that ’Nobody can make it out here alone,’ a powerful reminder of our fragility as a species, and our dependence on each other,” Prof Kupe said.

“Since life has its ebbs and flows and it is really difficult to make it alone, we are using this event as a fundraiser to help provide access to those students who cannot afford to study here. The university is open to all academically deserving students, who receive a world class education, then go out and find jobs so that they can contribute to the economy and make a difference to society,” he said.

UP Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Prof Tawana Kupe, delivering the keynote address at the Principal's Concert.

In addition to the music, the guests were enthralled by colourful light displays on stage and light projections on the surrounding buildings. 

"Lighting and projections were utilised to light up the buildings and trees surrounding the audience,” explained Johnnie Heinemann, Multi-Media Event Trading’s Managing Director.

“This complemented the repertoire and on-stage visuals, to immerse the audience in the journey the music took them on," Heinemann said, describing the thought process behind the displays. 

The audience consisted of UP staff and external guests including Alumni and donors. Amongst the guest was Dr. Faith Mathibedi, an Educational Consultant from UP’s Department of Education Innovation.  

“Every year I always try to attend the Principal’s Concert. However, for the last two years we missed the concert due to the pandemic. When I saw the invitation, I was very excited and could not wait for the day to come,” Dr Mathibedi said.

“The set-up was incredible, from the ticket collection, welcoming drinks to the comfortable café chairs. I also enjoyed the music, choice of songs, the Orchestra, the Mass Choir, half the time I had goosebumps. The ambiance was great, the company at our table and the Cooler Box gift sealed the day for me.  I wish there was a recording in the form of a CD to buy,” she said.

Prof Kupe extended his appreciation to all members of the UP community who donated in the Giving Day campaign and made an appeal to the audience to donate and create a culture of philanthropy and to support students in need.

“Many students and families have been adversely affected by the pandemic. Coupled with this, government subsidies to universities have been on the decline for several years. Again, we cannot go it alone. We need partners to help us raise funds to sustain the high standards our UP community is accustomed to. Therefore, we are here today, to see how our collective efforts can help to alleviate the funding challenges and to raise the much-needed funds for our students to provide them with the quality education that we are known for and to support the projects we have that make us one of the leading tertiary institutions in the world”, Prof Kupe said.