User:Selim Kagee

Selim Kagee born in Cape Town - South Africa, (October 13, 1977) is an international classically trained South African singer best known for his song "Cry For Love". He sings in English, Italian,and Spanish.

Early Life

Kagee was born on October 13, 1977 in Cape Town South Africa. An avid artist, Selim Kagee found himself immersed in various art forms which included painting, drawing, and sculpting which ultimately lead him to study graphic design and commercial art.

At the age of 19, Kagee became involved in acting with a local theater company. This lead him to fulfill a life long desire to take singing lessons with then retired opera performer, Jean Stuart, who immediately recognized his extraordinary talent. Stuart went on to mentor and nurture his talent for over a decade.

Career

In 2002, Kagee performed the role of Rolf in "The Sound of Music", a musical with music by Richard Rodgers and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II.

Next came his first leading role - Tony - in The Boy Friend (sometimes misspelled The Boyfriend), a musical by Sandy Wilson which was performed at Artscape Theatre Centre in Cape Town.

Noticed by local producers for his enormous talent, Kagee went on to perform the role of Frank in the Gilbert & Sullivan Societies production of "Annie Get Your Gun".

Selim Kagee went on to perform the roles of Samuel, in "The Pirates of Penzance", and Lun Tha in "The King and I" by Rodgers and Hammerstein.

International Appearances

In 1999/2000, Selim Kagee made a decision to spend a year in London and soon found himself performing in various productions with the Wolverhampton Central Youth Theatre based in the West Midlands. Roles included Jim in The Glass Menagerie and Christian in Cyrano de Bergerac.

2007 - 2011

In 2008, Selim was invited to perform at a number of corporate performances where he became acquainted with fellow South African Riaan van Wyk, and together, the duo formed a band named 'Fever' which evolved into a small orchestra which became popular for corporate performances.

In 2010, Selim met record producer/song writer and music industry veteran, Clive Ridgway and the two immediately commenced collaborating his solo debut album "Cry For Love" which was launched in 2012. A series of demos were presented to EMI - South Africa who, recognizing the enormity of Kagee's talent, immediately signed him and produced the album.

Cry For Love : Cry For Love - (Piango D'amore), Mi Mancherai (from the movie Il Postino), Sei Cosi Bella (You Are So Beautiful), La Califfa, Give A Little Love, Listen To Your Heart, Granada, Chasing Cars (Trova Noi), Right Here Waiting (featuring Andrew Young), On Children (lyrics by Khalil Gibran), Ave Maria, The Voice.

First US Performance

On August 23rd, 2014, in Stonington CT, USA, Selim Kagee performed live at the Sergio Franchi 20th Annual Memorial Concert, an open air event held at the Sergio Franchi Estate for an audience which exceeded 4,000. Other world-famous performers included Maria Aleida, Michael Amante, Elena Bocharova, Micheal Castaldo, Filippo Voltaggio, Jesus Garcia, Wes Mason, David Miller (tenor) of Il Divo, Sarah Joy Miller, Latonia Moore, Dongwon Shin, Deigo Silva, Giada Valenti, and internationally acclaimed tenor James Valenti. The event was hosted by Eva Franchi.