The Ruth First Jeppe Fiesta was a celebration of all things Jeppe: the choir, the pipe band, the music staff, the old girls and the Ruth First scholarship girls.
Held on Friday 31 August in the Linder Auditorium and playing to an almost full house, the varied programme appealed to all. Pop-up performances before the concert and during interval by the Jeppe Pipe Band and Jeppe Boys and Girls Marimba Bands, set the scene, profiling the depth of Jeppe’s musical talents. Maestro Richard Cock and the Johannesburg Festival Orchestra provided the perfect platform for displaying our talents. The head of music at Jeppe Girls, Elize Kruger’s performance of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No 21 in C Major was flawless, and the contributions of the old girls, soloist Candis Angelene and guest conductor Carolyn Steyn, were met with rousing applause. After a roof-lifting rendition of Highland Cathedral, Celtic Crest profiled the Pipe Band together with the Jeppe Girls’ choir and orchestra.
‘Memory’ and ‘To dream the Impossible Dream’ were selected as the solo pieces, perfectly reflecting the purpose of the Ruth First Jeppe Memorial Scholarship programme. The memory of Ruth First along with the 100-year tradition of excellence provided by Jeppe Girls provided the original inspiration for the scholarships which enable the recipients to dream what might otherwise have been impossible dreams about their futures. Timothy Moloi and Candis Angelene’s duet performance of “The Prayer” was powerfully delivered and a reminder of how much in our country needs our prayers. As a focus of women’s month, we all were urged to pray for the well-being not only of all our Ruthies but indeed for all the other girls participating in the Fiesta and the ongoing life of the school.
Audience feedback included:
“It was a fantastic evening and we were blown away by the quality of the music, singing and conducting performed by Jeppe pupils and staff. Jeppe clearly has a phenomenal music department. Please do this again next year!”
“It was a wonderful evening which restored my flagging spirit and gave me enormous hope for public school education.”
“A lovely way to spend an evening – it was so enjoyable and I loved that it included current girls as much as possible, as well as “old” girls. Entertainment in the foyer during interval created a beautiful vibe and such a lovely spirit. Tickets were money exceptionally well spent.”
“We absolutely loved it. The evening was wonderful – such a worthy cause.”
The event raised R111 000 for the Ruth First Scholarship fund which equates to scholarships for 3 girls. We are searching for a sponsor to take this event to new heights in 2019 and beyond.
The Hlabelela and Jeppe Girls choirs, together with the JPO performing the PapaPata/Meadowlands Medley finale at the Fiesta.