Sentinel Literature Festival
Aletia Upstairs
- 2010 -
After a
Performer's Diploma in Speech and Drama from the University of Cape
Town, Aletia went on an exchange programme to Italy. She performed in
Italy and the UK in Musicals, Film and Cabaret, workshopped and directed
for the English Theatre of Rome and performed jazz with pianist Romano
Mussolini.
She returned to South Africa, performed Cabaret and gigs with the World
Music Band, Soul Fruit and the Latino band, Coraçao. She wrote,
composed, produced and recorded her solo album POSSIBILITY, which was
released in South Africa in 2006. The album and other songs can be
accessed at
http://www.myspace.com/aletiaupstairs The music on POSSIBILITY can
be described as Folk Jazz with elements of World Music and Cabaret. Her
chanson and Africa inspired songs received interest from Heart FM
executives as well as Bush Radio, with regular airplay on Fine Music
Radio in the jazz slot. She was billed artist of the month on
http://www.jazzrendezvous.co.za From the album POSSIBILITY, Too
Sober and African Girl, have been branded the champagne hits. Too Sober
has been described as ‘a cautionary Vegas lounge haunt’ and African
Girl, ‘a noir-jazz hit.’
BPM Magazine writes about her work; ‘She can write… she understands the
use of irony.’
In 2007 she stunned audiences in Japan and became resident singer at
Toronto Piano Bar in Korea, where she studied Korean popular classics.
In the UK, since 2008, she has been active in the Live Music scene,
performing at venues like PJ’s, Viva Viva, Arts Cellar Club, Fahrenheit,
All Souls Clubhouse, Digress City, Caipirinha Jazz Bar, Cicada, Zilouf's
and Shackology as well as at events such as The Eastern Light Literary
Evening at the Waterloo Gallery with poet Nduka Otiono and various
Cultural Charity Events. She’s received airplay on Jazz FM with praise
from Bob Sinfield; ‘This versatile artist did very well in South
Africa and is now conquering the UK.’
In 2008 she was invited and offered a scholarship to The International
Cabaret Conference at Yale and also received an invitation to present
her work at the International Spoken Word Conference at the University
of Udine, Italy.
She continues her studies in Musicology and is preparing a Cabaret based
on South African, British and American examples, due to preview in
February 2010.
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Sentinel Literature Festival - Poetry - Fiction - Drama - Music. A Sentinel Poetry Movement event
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