Jimmy Nevis to Headline Sekunjalo Edujazz Concert at Artscape Theatre

The Sekunjalo Edujazz Concert is set to entertain and empower the Mother City once again, with this year's edition of the annual fundraising event taking place at the Artscape Theatre in June.

Celebrating its 16th year of supporting local talent, Sekunjalo Edujazz is proud to announce Jimmy Nevis as the headline artist for this year's fundraiser. Born and raised in Cape Town, Nevis is a young alternative pop singer, songwriter and producer. He has achieved extensive commercial radio success in South Africa with a number of hit singles on the air, including fan-favourites such as "Heartboxing", "Balloon" and "7764".

Also performing on the night are two exciting home-grown jazz bands: The Belhar Music Collective, a sensational group of young people who began their musical journey in church and have already performed at the Grahamstown National Arts Festival and the Artscape Jazz Festival, and The Edujazz Big Band, comprising top music students from the University of Cape Town, Stellenbosch University and Rondebosch Boys High School, and fresh off their performance at the 2016 Cape Town International Jazz Festival. This year's mentors are Keith Tabisher, a curriculum planner for the Western Cape, and renowned jazz educator, Terrence Scarr.

Cherie Hendricks, Corporate Affairs and Sustainability Director at African Equity Empowerment Investments Limited (a Sekunjalo Group Company), had this to say about the upcoming event:

The objective of the concert is to raise funds for educational bursaries for impoverished students in the Western Cape, as well as promote the rich culture of jazz music in Cape Town, by staging a well-known group or artist alongside up-and-coming young artists from either primary or high schools.

We are so proud of what we have achieved and accomplished over the past 16 years. A proud moment and achievement for Sekunjalo Edujazz was when Sean Bratz and Adelia Douw won espAfrika's scholarships to the prestigious Berklee College of Music in the USA through the Cape Town International Jazz Festival in 2012. We look forward to making more music dreams come true as this project continues to grow year after year.

This annual jazz concert not only supports local music development through fundraising but also serves as a platform for young aspiring musicians from underprivileged communities to showcase their talent on the big stage. These young bands are given the chance to work with established headline artists and some of the greatest music educators that South Africa has to offer. Extensive workshops are conducted by their mentors to help musicians foster skills and experience in live performances. Previous performers like Kyle Shepherd, Don Vino Prins, Leanne Fortuin, Lana Crowster and Adelia Douw are proof of the programme's success.

The Sekunjalo Edujazz Concert will take place on 4 June at 19:30. Tickets, costing R95, are on sale at all Computicket outlets. Like Sekunjalo Edujazz on Facebook or Twitter for updates, competitions and more information.