Kunstefees in die kleine - Jannie du Toit kicks off 2025 on a festive note
Kunstefees in die kleine - Jannie du Toit kicks off 2025 on a festive note
To start an exciting and packed 2025, Jannie du Toit is planning his fourth KUNSTEFEES IN DIE KLEINE over the weekend of 25 and 26 January at the Fairtree Atterbury Theatre, in collaboration with Pretoria FM.
Four productions – none of which have previously been performed at this theatre – will be presented. It promises to be a diverse whirlwind of passionate, quality music where outstanding professional musicians, all five of whom are graduates from Tukkies’ Music Department, will be sharing the stage with Jannie.
A week later, the show moves to the Drostdy Theatre in Stellenbosch, featuring three of Jannie’s productions, which have never been seen in the Eikestad.
THE PRODUCTIONS:
FAIRTREE ATTERBURY THEATRE
Saturday, 25 January 2025
- 09h30: DIE EGGO VAN JOU OË (opening concert) – Heartfelt music at Cowfish Restaurant across from the theatre in the centre – canapé brunch included.
- 12h00: DIE MAAN DEUR ’N GAATJIE IN DIE NAG – Soulful songs by Marie Tredoux from Jacobsbaai, with narration written by her friend, Dana Snyman – also a former resident of Jacobsbaai.
- 15h00: MARGARETASTRAAT – Jannie tells the story of the legendary “song evenings” of 1981 and 1982 at his house in Pretoria.
Sunday, 26 January 2025
- 15h00: DE WALS VAN DE LIEFDE – The debut of Jannie’s new program featuring his personal favourites from 20th-century Dutch cabaret: the highlight of KUNSTEFEES IN DIE KLEINE.
Book for all three productions at the theatre itself and receive a 30% discount.
DROSTDY THEATRE
Saturday 1 February 2025
- 19h00 Oppiekitaar - Jannie on his guitar with a variety of songs that he has written over the past half century.
Sunday 2 February 2025
- 11h00 Margaretastraat
- 15h00 De Wals van de Liefde
MORE ABOUT THE PRODUCTIONS:
- Together with Susan Mouton, the principal cellist of the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Jannie begins his festival at 09h30 on Saturday, 25 January with a production titled DIE EGGO VAN JOU OË. The evergreen song by Gisela de Villiers defines the essence of the program, presented alongside a late breakfast at Cowfish, a popular restaurant across from the theatre in the same centre. Susan and Jannie, who have regularly performed as a duo for fourteen years, enchant the audience with the magical combination of guitar, cello, and voice, taking classic hits to new heights. This offering ends half an hour before the first show starts on the theatre stage. Since a canapé brunch is included in the ticket price, online bookings for this production will close at 12h00 on Friday, 24 January 2025.
- DIE MAAN DEUR ’N GAATJIE IN DIE NAG is a show with which Jannie introduces the music of Marie Tredoux – his longtime friend and a legend in Jacobsbaai on the West Coast. He is her biggest admirer and, in 1988, did a musical arrangement of her work for a vinyl record which delighted connoisseurs. Some of her songs have since been used by choirs; Laurika recorded one of them, and another appears in the new edition of the FAK Songbook. Her songs evoke the linguistic skill, wisdom, and grounded nature of poets like Boerneef, reflecting a deep sensitivity to the relationship between language and music. Accompanying Jannie on stage are flutist Annelie du Plessis and pianist Chanie Jonker. The script for the program is written by Dana Snyman – a friend of Marie who previously lived in Jacobsbaai. The program starts at 12h00 on Saturday, 25 January 2025, on stage at the Fairtree Atterbury Theatre.
- At 15h00 on Saturday, 25 January, the well-known pianist, composer, and musical director Chanie Jonker joins Jannie on stage in his production MARGARETASTRAAT. Jannie relives the legendary and nostalgic song evenings of 1981 and 1982 at his house in Pretoria. These nights at 28 Margaretastraat have often been referenced in theses, documentaries, and by artists on stages over the years.
He tells the full story of those nights and performs songs first heard at Margaretastraat 28, offering insight into the contributors – Koos Doep, Anneli van Rooyen, Coenie de Villiers, Janita Claassen, Andy Lubbe, and many others – as well as their contributions. Lucas Maree often recounted how those nights inspired him to write and sing in Afrikaans for the first time. The interaction between songwriters, lyricists, and singers – both aspiring and established – as well as the audience, played an undeniable role in the developmental history of modern Afrikaans music.
- Forty years after Jannie du Toit first sang a Dutch song on the State Theatre stage, DE WALS VAN DE LIEFDE by Toon Hermans is the tital song of a production Jannie compiled from his personal favourite Dutch songs.
The phrase from his version of Jacques Brel’s Madeleine: “zij is zo heerlijk, heerlijk” has become a popular saying over the years, and at his concerts, there are always requests for his “Dutch” songs: Madeleine and Marieke by Brel, Ik zou wel eens willen weten by Jules de Corte, Achter de horizon by Robert Long, Belastingcontroleur by Urbanus, and De kleine man by Louis Davids. Now, music lovers have the opportunity to hear all the “classics” in one show.
Accompanied by his guitar, Jannie will be joined by Marcel and Deryn Dednam on piano and alto saxophone. The musical pair, winners of Jannie’s ’N NUWE BAADJIE competition a few years ago, bring their expertise to the show. Marcel gained recognition as an accompanist for Nataniël, Anna Davel, Leon Gropp, and others, while Deryn is – like Marcel – regularly part of Anna Davel’s ensemble. Both are music educators in Pretoria.
The production debuts at 15h00 on Sunday, 26 January 2025, as the highlight of Jannie’s KUNSTEFEES IN DIE KLEINE at the Fairtree Atterbury Theatre, in collaboration with Pretoria FM.
- OPPIEKITAAR
Jannie is on stage only with his guitar. This program is a selection from the many songs he has written over the past half century - a surprisingly wide variety of more and less well-known songs in which cheerfulness and nostalgia alternate. Over the years, his songwriting has been characterized by exquisite lyrics, inventive use of chords and, now more than ever, by his skill on the guitar.
OPPIEKITAAR will take place at 19h00 on Saturday 1 February at the Drostdy Theatre.
