Ndiphilela Ukucula: I Live to Sing

Ndiphilela Ukucula: I Live to Sing

  • Overview
  • Crew

Status

Released

Release Date

Nov 1, 2013

Runtime

1h 21m

Genres

Documentary

Original Title

Ndiphilela Ukucula: I Live to Sing

Director

Julie Cohen

Description

Two decades after Mandela's election, opera students struggle to fulfill the promises of a new South Africa. Some of the world's brightest new opera stars are emerging from the black townships of South Africa. When the University of Cape Town's once all white opera school opened its doors to black students after apartheid, a wave of remarkable talent came in. Recent graduates are singing at The Met and La Scala. This documentary musical follows three students from their home townships to Cape Town where they perform at the country's premier opera house, to New York where they sing at the prestigious Glimmerglass Festival. Along the way they confront everything from tuberculosis and racial politics to their parents' fears that music is not a suitable career.