User talk:La Musica Jona89

KWANELE JONA – Biography

Kwanele Jona is a self-taught musician: singer, conductor, music arranger and composer, who was born with musical gift, started having musical ideas at very young age. Born in 1989 in Umzimkulu, grew up in the Easstern Cape and Western Cape from a toddler until he was 12 years, then came back to his home town Umzimkulu, where he was introduced to choral music as a singer at Engwaqa JSS in the year 2003, where he also considered writing music using the little knowledge he had by that time. He only sang 3 years of his school time and became a conductor whilst still doing grade 12, conducting his former primary school. Since then, he continued conducting many various schools such as Engwaqa SSS, Entsikeni JSS, Entsikeni SSS, Mkhazeni SPS, Luthando HS and Fundokuhle HS. He participated in KZN Arts and Culture competitions and Old Mutual NCF, both as a conductor and singer. Currently he is studying Bachelor of Education at Durban University of Technology, and assisting and conducting schools. He is one of those composers who are gifted, he writes music through inspirations, songs from “his fantasy world of music” as he would say. He started composing formally in 2015 and already so far he has written more than 100 pieces of music and counting, 2 musical works: Umthandazo WeNkosi and Psalm 96, 1 music cycle: Velabambhentsele which celebrates the late Nelson Mandela. He has orchestrated few musical pieces of other composers such as Missa Alexius by the late W.W. Majola and Lihle Biata’s well known song Nelson Mandela and Unexpected Guest by Lihle Biata, also arranged orchestral music scores of the excepts from the opera by Giuseppe Verdi titled La Battaglia Di Legnano. His first ever performed music was by his choir The Sounds of Joy Chorale, conducted by Mr Sibusiso Mkhulisi, at the Melting Pot Arts Festival in 2016. His other music, since then, has been performed by various choirs as a choice piece, such as DUT Midlands choir, TACC choirs, Catholic Church choirs and various singers.