Event information
Swing With The King returns to the Artscape Opera House for its third annual staging, blending gospel jazz, big band and Cape Ghoema music with a full orchestra. The production is created by former professional footballer Freddy Arendse, and is musically directed by Brathew van Schalkwyk with US Grammy-winning producer Fletch Wiley as conductor and Jolene Martin as MC.
The lineup features soloists including Hilton Schilder, Julius May, American vocalist Roz Parker, Wesley Rustin, Clinton Viljoen and Natasha Adams, backed by a ten-piece horn section led by Muneeb Hermans and an eight-piece string section led by Rayelle Goodman. Previous editions have opened with a video sequence tracing South African cultural history from Khoisan roots through to the present, framing the concert as a musical journey through memory and heritage as much as a straightforward performance.
The show has run at Artscape since 2023 and has been confirmed to continue there annually through 2027, drawing on a mix of established and emerging performers each year.