Monthati Masebe

Sound Artist, composer and healer Monthati Masebe offers a fresh lens on contemporary classical music with their fusions of South African indigenous sounds and electronic music. Born to a family of artists, Monthati approaches their music from a strong storytelling background with an emphasis on curated rituals that pay homage to their healing practices and expand our understanding of musical value and quality. While you may find a wide range of works from classical ensemble repertoire to soundbaths and afrotech downtempo there is a common theme of textural multiplicities overlaid with ethereal vocalizations with their unique throat singing. Monthati is currently based in the US studying toward their PhD at Duke University with a focus on orchestrating African folk instruments and exploring inclusive notations that suit the dexterities of microtonality and polyrhythmic structures found in a lot of the traditional musics and African compositions. Monthati is also known to South Africa as an actor and queer advocate pioneering non-binary representation through their famous role on Generations: The Legacy, a continental TV drama which has been leading South African entertainment for decades. Their music has been described as unearthing, eerie and transcendental. A true experimentalist, explorer and ancestrally led artist.