Paul Seyr
Todd Matshikiza, a South African icon, is featured on today’s colorful Google Doddle, honoring the legacy of his incredible life. In this article we’ll learn about Todd Matshikiza children.
On this day in 1956, the orchestra performed his cantata Uxolo (Peace) at the 70th Johannesburg Festival.
Keith Vlahakis, a South African-based pop artist, created the Doodle, saying he was significantly motivated by the album cover design for the South African musical King Kong, the music for which Matshikiza composed.
Who was Todd Matshikiza ?
Todd Matshikiza (1921-1968) was a jazz pianist, composer, and journalist from South Africa. He is most recognized for his work on the South African musicals King Kong and Mkhumbane, both of which were ground-breaking productions.
Matshikiza was born in Queenstown, South Africa’s Eastern Cape Province. He grew up in a musical family and learned to play the piano at an early age. He studied music at Natal’s Adams College and Alice’s Lovedale Institute. Also, Todd taught English and mathematics at Lovedale High School for several years after graduating.
Moreover, he relocated to Johannesburg in 1947, where he began working as a journalist and freelance musician. He became involved in the anti-apartheid campaign as well. In 1958, he contributed to the writing and production of the critically and commercially successful musical King Kong. King Kong was one of the first South African musicals to include an all-Black cast, and it helped to promote Black South African culture. Todd Matshikiza children are not publicly known but continue reading and learn what we know.
Matshikiza composed the music for the musical Mkhumbane in 1960, which was much more politically charged than King Kong. Mkhumbane was set in Durban’s Cato Manor neighborhood and depicted the narrative of a young man forced to leave his home and family in order to pursue work in the city. The South African government banned the musical, although it was played in London and New York.
However, Matshikiza and his family fled South Africa for England in 1961. He spent several years in London as a journalist and broadcaster before going to Zambia in 1965. He worked as a broadcaster and music archivist in Zambia. Todd died in 1968 in Lusaka, Zambia, at the age of 46.
Todd Matshikiza children
Matshikiza had two children: Marian Linda, a girl, and John Anthony, a son.
Marian Linda Matshikiza is a social worker who has retired. She currently resides in Johannesburg, South Africa.
John Anthony Matshikiza is a writer, actor, and film and theater director. He currently resides in Pretoria, South Africa.
Todd Matshikiza children are both involved in the arts in some capacity. Marian Linda is a member of the Todd Matshikiza Music Trust’s board of directors, and John Anthony has written and produced several plays and films on his father’s life and work.
Moreover, Todd Matshikiza was born into a musical family. Samuel Bokwe Matshikiza and Grace Ngqoyi Matshikiza, his parents, were also musicians. His mother was a well-known soprano, while his father was an Anglican Church organist. Matshikiza was the youngest of seven children, all of whom were musical. In 1950, Matshikiza married Esme Sheila Mpama.
Source: TimeGist.com