Neo Muyanga

Born in Soweto, Neo Muyanga grew up singing in choirs before starting formal music theory lessons and later dropping out of physics studies to pursue the Italian madrigal tradition in Trieste, Italy.

Currently, his research and performance interests include investigations and explorations of the aesthetics of protest song, with a particular focus on opera within the black community in South Africa, and more broadly concerning the history of musical story-telling in the global south.

Muyanga co-founded the acoustic soul duo, BLK Sonshine, with Masauko Chipembere in 1996, garnering a following throughout Southern Africa and other parts of the world while charting hit songs including “Born in a taxi”, “Building” and others.

He has to date composed chamber operas, music plays and works for large, mixed ensemble using a syncretic mesh of modes, including those used in traditional Basotho and Isizulu war and praise song, free jazz and western baroque music.

In 2008 he and publisher/editor, Ntone Edjabe, co-founded the Pan African Space Station - a live music platform and cyber-stream portal that hosts and showcases cutting-edge music and art from the African continent and the diaspora.