The best way to stay in the loop with Mzansi Philharmonic concerts is to sign up to our mailing list, or follow us on social media.

You’re in for a treat! You can read more info here.

Mzansi Philharmonic’s national tour takes place towards the end of November to mid December annually.

Mzansi National Philharmonic Orchestra is comprised of the best available, highly talented South African musicians who number up to 110. These musicians are not permanent employees of the Orchestra, but regularly contracted to perform with Mzansi Philharmonic; they are drawn from provincial orchestras, universities and freelance musicians, both in South Africa and abroad.

If you’re a professional South African musician, you can reach out to us via our contact form.

The Mzansi National Philharmonic Orchestra (Mzansi Philharmonic), is constituted as a Non-Profit Company (NPC, Section 30) and a Public Benefit Organisation (PBO).   Mzansi Philharmonic was officially launched by the national Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC) in 2022 as part of the implementation of the Revised White Paper on Arts, Culture and Heritage which was approved by Cabinet in August 2018 and endorsed by Parliament in February 2020. 

Among other clauses, the Revised White Paper states:

“Harnessing the arts, culture and heritage for creative expression, education and training, job creation and the eradication of poverty through close cooperation with all the levels of government and related departments, as well as the international community, is an essential aspect of the transformational process. Moving into the future, we are resolved to ensure that the arts, culture and heritage contributes to change and the creation of a better life for all”.

“National companies must be developed so that their artistic reputations for excellence contribute to the advancement of cultural tourism in the cities in which they are located and to embark on a touring circuit”.

Mzansi Philharmonic has a number of programmes in place which are partly achieved through partnership with grant beneficiaries who are doing a remarkable job of uplifting society and transforming lives through the power of music. Some of these include one-on-one training, workshops, group music lessons, performance opportunities for musicians, the harnessing of skills through the national cadetship programme and various initiatives that support South African composers. In addition, Mzansi Philharmonic presents flagship artistic programmes which showcase the cream of South African talent on various stages throughout the year. This includes our annual national tour, as well as targeted performances that take place from time to time, in various provinces and occasionally internationally.

The Mzansi Philharmonic is funded through an annual grant from the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, administered through the National Arts Council of South Africa. The Mzansi Philharmonic also collaborates with national and international partners to achieve its mandate.

75% of the budget of Mzansi Philharmonic is allocated to artistic programmes including education and community initiatives (artistic budget). The balance of 25% is spent on operations, including corporate marketing.

The artistic budget is divided into 2 categories, as follows:

• Category A – Artistic programmes for the national orchestra including tours and performances at events of national significance such as the inauguration of the President.
• Category B – Grants to provincial orchestras, emerging orchestras, youth orchestras and education and community initiatives.

For more information about this, please refer to our digital archives.

Mzansi National Philharmonic Orchestra has established an Artistic Planning Committee (APC) formed with the purpose of engaging with and advising the Orchestra on a number of matters. The APC sits twice a year to review applications for grants. Based on our broad data base of orchestras, youth orchestras and education initiatives from all nine provinces, applicants are invited to apply for grants. Should you wish to be added to this database, please reach out to us via our contact form. with an 800 word description of your organisation.

The Artistic Planning Committee considers applications that demonstrate the following:

• Explain the impact of the project with regards to one or more of the objectives of Mzansi Philharmonic.
• Demonstrate the capacity to deliver on the project applied for.
• Provide a clear and realistic budget.
• Demonstrate capacity to account for the funds received.
• Be a registered entity with a valid tax clearance certificate.
• Have a board of directors or credible accounting authority.

No, the national orchestra is not in competition with other South African orchestras. Conversely, much like a national sports team, the national orchestra draws the best available talent from around the country to present a united front which sets the benchmark for excellence in our industry.