A US Premiere by Monthati Masebe performed by Castle of our Skins
Held on the eve of South African Day of Reconciliation, Castle of our Skins presents the US premiere of “Kusha”: an audience-participatory, highly immersive and largely improvised musical work by South African composer Monthati Masebe. Grounded in African sound healing technologies and a desire to preserve South African indigenous soundscapes, “Kusha” will be performed using instruments built during earlier composer-led workshops.
This project is part of round 13 of the Goethe-Institut's International Coproduction Fund, year 2023. The project "Other Histories" deals with the topic "archive" from multiple perspectives and developed out of the two-day Symposium "
Diversity in New Music" held at the Goethe-Institut Boston in 2022 in collaboration with
Ensemble Recherche (Freiburg).
Monthati Masabe
Sound Artist, composer and healer Monthati Masebe offers a fresh lens on contemporary classical music with their fusions of south african indigenous sounds and electronic music. Born to a family of artists, Monthati approaches their music from a strong storytelling background with an emphasis on curated rituals that pay homage to their healing practices and expand our understanding of musical value and quality. While you may find a wide range of works from classical ensemble repertoire to soundbaths and afrotech downtempo there is a common theme of textural multiplicities overlaid with ethereal vocalizations with their unique throat singing. Monthati is currently based in the US studying toward their PhD at Duke University with a focus on orchestrating african folk instruments and exploring inclusive notations that suit the dexterities of microtonality and polyrhythmic structures found in a lot of the traditional musics and african composition. Monthati is also known to South Africa as an actor and queer advocate pioneering non-binary representation through their famous role on Generations: The Legacy (a continental TV drama which has been leading South African entertainment for decades). Their music has been described as unearthing, eerie and transcendental. A true experimentalist, explorer and ancestrally led artist.
Castle of Our Skins
Founded in 2013, Castle of our Skins is a Black arts institution dedicated to fostering cultural curiosity and celebrating Black artistry through music. In classrooms, concert halls, and beyond, Castle of our Skins invites Black heritage and culture exploration, spotlighting both unsung and celebrated figures of past and present.
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