PROFILE Matlhaela Michael Masote
Matlhaela Michael Masote was born in 1941 in the Johannesburg
suburb of the then Sophiatown, fondly known as ‘Kofifi’. He spent
the beginning of his childhood there, until his family was forcibly
removed from the suburb in 1955.
Respectfully called ‘Ntate’ Masote, Masote
and his family moved to Soweto to carry on
with life under difficult circumstances.
While still living in Sophiatown, Masote’s
siblings were members of the local Methodist
Church choir. The choir would assemble at
the Masote home for their regular rehearsals.
It was during these sessions that Masote
was captivated by the beauty of choral and
classical music.
internationally acclaimed musical groups to come out of South
Africa. Koloane Mantu, Prince Lengoasa and Kutlwano Masote
are other musical successes the orchestra has produced.
He is the musical director of the African Cultural Organisation of
South Africa and has also established five
youth orchestras, namely the Mmabatho
Youth Orchestra, the Klerksdorp Youth
Orchestra, the Soweto Youth Orchestra, the
Thembisa Youth Orchestra and the Seventh
Day Adventist Orchestra in Soweto.
His other project is the rural music
development initiative, which has resulted
in the establishment of the Vaal Symphonic
Wind Band and the Moretele Recorder
Ensemble. Today, more than 200 choirs
participate in the activities of the two
projects.
In 1952. violinist Yehudi Menuhin was on a
post-World War II tour of South Africa, and
Sophiatown was one of his stops. A very
young Masote was also present and he
instantly developed an interest in the violin.
He took up violin lessons in Johannesburg.
The police, who were invariably suspecting
that he was carrying a machine gun in his
violin case, often stopped him. In 1977, he
was imprisoned for defying a law prohibiting
public gatherings, after he had assembled
with fellow orchestra members for rehearsals.
After completing matric, Masote wanted
to study music further and applied to
tertiary institutions in South Africa. He was
frustratingly turned down by institution after
institution. The only option he was left with
was to study abroad, and he was successful
in registering to study at the Royal Schools
of Music in London, where he obtained a
Licentiate in violin teaching in 1973.
One of Masote’s greatest
contributions and achievements is
his translation of Handel’s Messiah
into 10 South African languages,
a project he has dubbed Africa’s
Messiah
The Order of Ikhamanga in Bronze
Awarded to Matlhaela Michael
Masote for OUTSTANDING
CONTRIBUTION TO THE
DEVELOPMENT OF YOUTH
ORCHESTRAS AND CHORAL
MUSIC IN THE CLASSICAL GENRE
IN SOUTH AFRICA.
It was only in 1998 that a South African
institution, the University of South Africa
(Unisa), awarded him his B Mus degree, becoming the first
black South African to obtain such a degree. He received an
Honorary Licentiate in music from Unisa in 2005.
Ntate Masote founded the first black youth orchestra - the
Soweto Youth Orchestra, now the Soweto Symphony Orchestra.
The orchestra gave birth to the Soweto String Quartet, one of the
One of Masote’s greatest contributions and
achievements was his translation of Handel’s
Messiah into 10 South African languages,
a project he dubbed Africa’s Messiah.
Handel’s Messiah has all along been one of
his favourite musical arrangements.
Masote adjudicates international and local
music competitions for Unisa, the Nelson
Mandela Metropolitan University (formerly
University of Port Elizabeth) and the
Southern African Music Rights Organisation
(Samro). He serves on a number of
musicrelated boards, including the Sasol
Pro Musical Orchestra as chairperson; the
Unisa Graded Music Exams Board; Samro
Dual Notation Board; Classic FM Board
and the South African Society of Music
Teachers.
Matlhaela Michael Masote can be described
not only as a teacher, but