During Saturday’s Role on Hellenic Radio, radio host, Renos Nicos Spanoudes chats to Hatchery SA Managing Director, Chwayita Nqiwa-Twalo. Leading global cleantech incubator, The Hatchery, is basking in the success of HatchTWO, the company’s bi-yearly event which showcases innovation within their incubating startup network. The event was held simultaneously and interactively last week Friday in Cape Town, Oslo, Detroit, and Barcelona and also served as a celebration of the company reaching its one-year milestone since launching globally. HatchTWO saw specialists, innovative thinkers, and brilliant minds spend the evening giving input into all aspects of business and discussing the future of cleantech. Nqiwa-Twalo emphasized the focus on African solutions for African problems when introducing the ground-breaking companies in attendance. Nqiwa-Twalo noted that projects like those presented, were evidence of the local talent and how African startups have been working towards making the world a better place, through technology. As a cleantech incubator for start-up businesses, The Hatchery has extended its work in finding and supporting innovative entrepreneurs globally, with much success. The global brand is synonymous with solving the world’s biggest issues via deep technology.

Listen to the podcast and find out more!

https://www.linkedin.com/in/chwayita-nqiwa-twalo-19856a5/?originalSubdomain=za

https://www.jozigist.co.za/global-tech-startup-incubator-the-hatchery-celebrates-african-solutions-to-african-problems/

During Saturday’s Role on Hellenic Radio, radio host Renos Nicos Spanoudes chats to Executive Head and Head of High School, Joseph Gerassi about one of Johannesburg’s leading arts festivals which is back and promises to be bigger and better than ever. #Redfest2022, which is hosted by Redhill School in Morningside, Sandton, will take place from Friday, July 29 to 31 and is set to stage some of the biggest names in theatre, music and the arts. This year’s annual event will also see Redhill School’s extensive grounds utilised to full capacity, with a massive outdoor music festival, an extensive variety of theatre productions, a carefully curated art exhibition, as well as a children’s entertainment area. There will also be an outdoor farmer’s market and indoor coffee shop to enjoy between productions. Executive Head at Redhill School Joseph Gerassi explained that the aim of the festival is to provide for people from all walks of life to enjoy.

Listen to the podcast to find out more!

https://www.iol.co.za/saturday-star/news/look-sandtons-redhill-schools-redfest-to-return-and-promises-to-be-bigger-and-better-than-ever-b74df15d-ea58-4d9a-bf03-b67cec34ffe1

The JQC was founded by Thomas Coggin, Ruth Coggin, and Guy Trangos. From 2016 to late 2018 Thomas and Guy lived in Boston, Massachusetts. Thomas became a member of the Boston Gay Men’s Chorus and had an incredible experience. Having always wanted to start a queer chorus in Johannesburg Thomas felt more inspired than ever by his Boston experience. When he and Guy returned to Johannesburg in 2019 they set about imagining a similar chorus in Johannesburg. Thomas’s mother Ruth is an accomplished choral director and she shared their vision of creating a choral space for the city’s queer community. Together, the three founded the Johannesburg Queer Chorus in early 2020. Rehearsals started in March 2020 and South Africa’s first COVID-19 lockdown was implemented within weeks. Despite the challenges of the years that followed, the JQC expanded its membership, had special singing masks made and continued to sing. The JQC has grown from strength to strength and fostered a strong community. The dream of creating an amateur chorus for Joburg’s LGBTQIA+ community who love singing has been realised! As a Not-For Profit Organization, the Johannesburg Queer Chorus NPC (2020/011277/08) is reliant on donations and member fees to keep the chorus operational.

During Saturday’s Role, Renos Nicos Spanoudes chats to Musical Director of the JQC, Ruth Coggin. Listen to the podcast for more info!

https://jqc.org.za

https://www.facebook.com/johannesburgqueerchorus/

https://jhbbachchoir.co.za/about/our-accompanist-ruth-coggin/

@Ruth Coggin

Mitchells Plain singer Jodi Jantjies has gone from being afraid of using words because of a speech impediment to being recognised in the music industry. Jantjies has been nominated for her first SA Music Award (Sama) in the category of Beste Kontemporêre Musiek Album for her debut album, “Woorde”. The 21-year-old is delighted to receive her first Sama nomination. Jantjies, who has been stuttering for most of her life, said: “It is a huge achievement (to be nominated). I’ve always had a little dream about being mentioned amongst the big names in the industry, I just didn’t expect it to happen this soon.” The final-year BA student at UWC is an admirer of Karen Zoid, who featured on her first single, “Gee My Die Woorde”, from the album. Her journey in the music industry started in 2016 when she auditioned for the ATKV-Crescendo (talent development project) panel and has grown into one of South Africa’s rising talents. ATKV-Crescendo project organiser Morné van Staden said: “Her album being nominated for Sama is a huge blessing for us. The album consists of songs written and composed by Jodi and produced by our in-house team.

During Saturday’s Role, Renos Nicos Spanoudes chats to Jodi Jantjies, Listen to podcast to find out more!

https://www.iol.co.za/weekend-argus/news/mitchells-plain-singer-nominated-for-sama-eaec25df-7eb7-4002-8a79-8581b037e26a

Jodi Jantjies (@JodiJantjies1) / Twitter

During Saturday’s Role with Renos Nicos Spanoudes, our representative in Greece, Katerina Simboni Paraskeva pays tribute to Maria Vassiliou, an actress, known for Evdokia (1971), She Knew No Other Way (1973) and Proxenitra, praktor 017 (1966). The tribute is a dedication to Maria Vassiliou and Evdokia. Listen to the podcast to find out more!

Κατά τη διάρκεια του προγράμματος ‘Ρόλος Του Σαββάτου με τον Ρένο Νίκο Σπανούδη’, η εκπρόσωπός μας στην Ελλάδα, η Κατερίνα Σιμπόνι Παρασκευά αποτίει φόρο τιμής στη Μαρία Βασιλείου, ηθοποιό, γνωστή για την ταινία Ευδοκία (1971). Ακούστε το podcast για να μάθετε περισσότερα!

The Arts & Culture Trust (ACT) Nyoloha Scholarship Programme (NSP) is a partnership between ACT and Nedbank Arts Affinity. Their goal is to create an opportunity to fund higher education for young South African performers and visual artists. The programme brings together talented, ambitious young people from across the country and introduces them to the world of professional arts through an intensive week of training, talks, and performances, culminating in a showcase and exhibition. Working with professional teams gives the participants a valuable experience as does the opportunity to work with other future artists from different backgrounds. The scholarships programme focuses on grade 11 and 12 learners and youth up to the age of 25 who have University Exemption and want to study towards a degree in the arts at a South African University. This scholarship requires active engagement for a period of 3 months and culminate in a final professional mentorship training week, performance showcase and visual arts exhibition for finalists from all over the country. Over the 3 month period prospective students will participate in tasks and several elimination rounds to determine who will perform in the final showcase for the prize of a full scholarship.

During Saturday’s Role, radio host Renos Nicos Spanoudes chats to the Arts & Culture Trust Interim CEO, Jessica Denyschen about the Nyoloha Scholarship Programme. Listen to the podcast and find out more!

https://act.org.za/nyoloha/

https://vansa.co.za/opportunities/act-nyoloha-scholarship-programme/

https://allbursaries.co.za/music-and-performing-arts-bursaries-south-africa/act-nyoloha-scholarship/

https://m.facebook.com/TheArtsandCultureTrust/posts/

Keanu Harker is one of South Africa’s most exciting young talents - a well known and well respected performing and recording artist who has performed on various stages with both local and international artists. The Cape Town music sensation has announced the release of his new single which will be featured at a listening party later this month. The single, titled ‘No More’ is being released ahead of his next album that he is still working on. His debut album, I Believe in Me, was released in November 2021 and sports ten R&B and soul tracks. Harker has performed on stages of big festivals like the KKNK, K-Day, the Grandwest Arena and many more. He’s performed alongside acts like Lloyd Cele, Loyiso Bala, Don Vino Prins and many more. The single launch party will be hosted at the Jamrock Theatre in Brackenfell on Wednesday, June 15 at 8 PM. Harker said he wanted to celebrate the work he’s put into the single and wants attendees to treat it as a listening party. “I want them to give feedback as the sound of this track is quite different from my other music,” he said. He was inspired to host a physical event following the two-year-long hold that the pandemic placed on the entertainment industry. “The song is an anthem for us to stand up for what we believe in,” he added. Attendees will get to hear the song ahead of its release on Youth Day. Harker said releasing the track on Youth Day was intentional. “I hope it can be a motto to the youth. There’s a line in the song that says, ‘We’ve been minimised for so long,' but it’s time for us to stand up for what we believe in,” he said. He added: “As the youth of South Africa and the youth of the world, it’s time for us to say no more to feeling small.

During Saturday’s Role on Hellenic Radio, radio host Renos Nicos Spanoudes chats to Keanu Harker about ‘No More’. Listen to the podcast to find out more!

KEANU HARKER

Artist

Singer | Guitarist | Performer | Teacher | Student

@keahuharker

https://www.facebook.com/theOfficialKeanuHarker/

https://kfm.co.za/articles/2022/06/27/the-voice-star-keanu-harker-followed-his-dreams-told-naysayers-i-believe-in-me

https://open.spotify.com/artist/7tWY9EjM6dKPjBFlBek9E1

Adrian & Emma-Jean Galliard are a father-daughter singing duo based in Johannesburg, South Africa. While they've been singing professionally for quite a while, they recently rose to internet fame after videos of them singing The Prayer & Time To Say Goodbye went viral, leading to them being mistaken for the son & granddaughter of Andrea Boccelli. They continue to entertain fans across South Africa & the world with live and virtual concerts comprising of well-known classical and pop music covers and are workings towards releasing an album towards the end of  2021. After South Africa was placed into lockdown, Emma-Jean and Adrian decided to record a version of The Prayer to send to family and friends they would not be able to see on Easter Sunday. The video of The Prayer was uploaded to Facebook just before lunch, and by the end of the day it had 17 000 views. A few days later it was picked up by UK website, The Music Man and it quickly climbed to 6 million views.

About Adrian Galliard - Adrian and his (then) 11-year-old daughter Emma-Jean shot to internet fame after a video of the duo singing The Prayerwent viral in April 2020. The pair has since garnered millions of views, comments & messages on social media and, in October 2021, successfully released their debut album, Just Duet. After studying drama at Wits & voice with Sarie Lamprecht, Adrian appeared in several productions, including Barrymore, Joseph & His Technicolour Dreamcoat, Annie, and A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum. After a 13 year hiatus, he returns, alongside Emma-Jean, to professional theatre in Music of the Night. Adrian and Emma-Jean hope to tour the UK later on in 2022.

About Emma-Jean Galliard - 13-year-old Emma-Jean has enjoyed a remarkable two-year father-daughter musical journey after she started recording music videos for social media with Adrian during the 2020 lockdown. The duo has 60 000 subscribers on YouTube and 80 000 followers on Facebook. They have been featured on TV and radio stations worldwide, including Voice of America and Radio Tu in Argentina. Emma-Jean has appeared in TV commercials for Mecer, Dis-Chem and The Walt Disney Company Africa. She is a talented platform diver, athlete and photographer; however music remains her greatest passion – she even composed one of the tracks on the duo’s debut album, Just Duet. Music of the Night will be Emma-Jean’s professional theatre debut.

During Saturday’s Role on Hellenic Radio, radio host Renos Nicos Spanoudes chats to Adrian Galliard and Emma-Jean Galliard. Listen to the podcast and find out more!

EPK: https://spark.adobe.com/page/UcnyYHQi3SClh/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgtvtS09W8M

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wisMVcWwwE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgtvtS09W8M

Werner Bekker Releases “Side Of The Wild”.

Werner Bekker sings “You get one chance to love like a child, one chance to live life on the side of the wild” in his bold new single. The song, which has a slightly more ‘pop’ feel than fans are use to, is an ode to taking risks, living life to its full, and doing everything you can to achieve your dreams. Werner Bekker says “This song serves as a reminder that we only have one chance at being young. That is more valuable than anything. Enjoy every single moment as much as you possibly can.” This realization came after much introspection regarding life and the societal norms that are placed upon us, for example opinions around career choice, lifestyle or even your way of thinking. At the time of writing “Side Of The Wild”, Werner was feeling boxed in by these norms. He was faced with predicaments as to what someone his age should be acting like or where they should be in their career progression. Putting this into a cathartic song was his way of channelling all his frustrations and fears. When asked about the increasing pop influences in his music, Werner attributes this shift to the music he listens to, the response he gets from fans in a live context and just the pleasure of shaking things up a little.

https://rwrant.co.za/werner-bekker-side-of-the-wild/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YHo-MDpmIQ&feature=emb_title

During Saturday’s Role on Hellenic Radio, Renos Nicos Spanoudes chats to Werner Bekker. Listen to the podcast and find out more!