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September 2009

The Cheeseman donates cheeses for Imperia Magazine launch
The Cheeseman recently donated several boards of fine cheeses to help entertain guests who attended the launch of Imperia Magazine.

Imperia Magazine is a brand new wholly Zimbabwean venture by a team of young Zimbabwean entrepreneurs. It is an exciting and attractive 100 page glossy fashion and liferstyle magazine.

The launch included a gym display by young acrobats, and a most impressive fashion show featuring Zimbavwe's top designers.

The Cheeseman wishes the Imperia team every success in their bold new venture.

Events - Everywhere,
The Cheeseman!

November 2009
Marden Singers present Handel's Messiah with guest soloist from Germany, Daniel Lager -

and The Cheeseman helps out again
The Cheeseman, a staunch supporter of the arts, recently supported the Marden Singers' annual presentations of Handel’s Messiah, donating artistically presented cheeseboards which were served up at the intervals of both concerts. 

German Daniel Lager with his amazing counter tenor voice added exciting novelty with this most unusual male range, to a work that is greatly loved and enjoyed by us all at Christmas time.

Daniel's extraordinary voice, combined with his larger than life personality, his great energy and enthusiasm, and his generosity of spirit in sharing his skills and knowledge with local soloists, instrumentalists and choristers, produced as an end result, a magnificently stirring and exciting Messiah, both at Nazareth House and Arundel School Chapels.  

Both performances were absolutely packed, with 300 people attending at both Nazareth House and Arundel School – record attendances.

This was Daniel’s third solo performance in the annual Marden Singers’ presentation of The Messiah, which for many us, heralds the beginning of the Christmas season in Harare.  The Mardens have been presenting Handel’s greatly loved Messiah for four decades.  Last year’s guest artist for The Messiah was South Africa Delwynne Windell, who is now living in Canada.

Accompanied by the Harare Chamber Orchestra with continuo Carolyn Peto and conducted by the energetic Marden Singers’ Founder, retired opera singer, current conductor and singing teacher Margot Dennis, the relaxed and festive audiences added that magical finishing touch to the performances, creating a superbly uplifting atmosphere. 

Margot Dennis has just received a special award from the Zimbabwe International Images Film Festival for Women, for her lifetime of services to music in Zimbabwe.

Accomplished local soloists Roz Riberio, Caro Colahan, Nigel Hopkins, Tanaka Madyara, John Jones, Madeleine Grace and Peter Haddingham, with Daniel Lager’s several magnificent solo arias, helped to make these Messiah performances really special.

Daniel also delivered a superbly enjoyable and very varied series of songs spanning several eras, at La Fontaine Grill Room, at the Meikles Hotel, at a dinner concert at which diners who had booked in, enjoyed his lovely singing in between their courses.  The food was also excellent.

As well as giving lessons to some of our local solo singing stars, and getting together with various musicians to collaborate and experiment, Daniel gave an excellent recital at the Harare International Scholl last Sunday for Celebrity Subscriptions concerts, accompanied by our own talented international concert pianist, Jeanette Micklem, who interspersed Daniel’s well chosen programme of songs with some superb solo recitals of her own.

Daniel Lager has an enormous stage presence and a keen sense of the theatrical element to be found in the songs he chooses, injecting his renditions with drama and humour and engaging his audience completely as he sings.  Between songs in his recitals, his articulate explanations, expositions and anecdotes, in immaculate English which surpasses in use and accuracy, that of many for whom this is a first language, add a whole other dimension to his performances, which invariably please his audiences, make them feel fully involved, and leave them feeling uplifted, amused and emotionally and musically satisfied.

Daniel hopes to return to Zimbabwe very soon.  He will in the next few weeks apply to perform both at HIFA and at the Bulawayo Music Festival in 2010.  He has performed at HIFA three times so far, and has fallen totally in love with Zimbabwe, ever since he first came here to sing at HIFA in 2004.  It was at that time that the Marden Singers approached him to come and feature in their next Messiah performance, since when, he has also starred in their opera production at HIFA 2008, Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas. 

At HIFA 2008, Daniel was one of the very busiest international performers, featuring not just in Dido and Aeneas, but also in the CABS Opera Gala, Opera for Beginners, and in his own solo recitals.

September 2009
The Cheeseman
participates in
Wine and Food Fair

The Cheeseman took a stand at the recent highly successful Wine and Food Fair at Borrowdale Race Course, Harare.

Organised by Harrison and Hughson, and with an excellent level of participation from the country's leading Wine Merchants and Suppliers of gourmet foods, the Fair drew hundreds of interested people who flocked to try out the foods and wines on display, and chat with representatives of the businesses esxhibiting there.

The Cheeseman's participation was very worthwhile and the beautiful cheese platters offered at the stand sold very well.