When I made up my mind to take on the one-year project of
raising money to enable my daughter to go to Thailand with World Challenge, I
knew that it would occupy my mind every single day, sitting alongside every
other project or goal. Because I’m a practical person, I decided to combine as
many of my goals as I could. I’m a full-time teacher and a part-time musician;
my full-time job is there all the time, but I constantly have to market myself
to find music work. My regular music partner had just relocated to another city,
I needed to redefine myself as a musician, and I wanted to do so in a way that
increased my networks and databases. The perfect solution was to put on various
concerts, with different musicians, at different venues. Raising money in that
way would be fun, for me, and not just hard work.
The first concert: 11 August 2013
Our first concert was held at Stephanian’s Sports Clubhouse,
in Ottery, on a Sunday afternoon. We pre-sold tickets at R100 and were lucky to
be able to sell more at the door. We asked
people to bring their own refreshments and arranged the hall with pretty
tables. Friends and family pitched in to make it a very successful event. With
an exciting backing band consisting of Keith Tabisher (guitar), Valentino
Europa (double bass) and Roy Davids (drums), we had a line-up of young
vocalists from Belhar in the first half: Ruby Truter, Courtney Johnson and Zeta Botha. I sang a selection of
originals and covers with the band in the second half – an absolute treat for
me. My cousin, Derek Ronnie, was our MC. Andre Manuel did the sound and William
Rose was our photographer.
The second concert: 1 December 2013
While my original idea had been to hold our second event in
October, unforeseen matters derailed that plan. It’s important to keep your eye
on your goal, as well as to be flexible and think on your feet when Plan A
doesn’t work out. With that in mind, I adjusted the plan, and went ahead with
our second fundraiser on 1 December, also on a Sunday afternoon. This time, I
did a trio concert with Keith and Tino, at Baran’s Kurdish Restaurant, on
Greenmarket Square, in the city centre. This time, we charged R100 again, but
split the takings with the restaurant, as the ticket included a light meal. The
food was great, I loved the venue with its Turkish décor, but decided that I
wouldn’t repeat the ticket sharing concept, as it decreased our takings
significantly. My son, Nick, was the MC, we did our own sound, and a young
photographer, Lelie Hamman, took the photos.
The third concert: 21 December 2013
If anyone had told me I’d end up doing two concerts in one
month, I would’ve said, “Never!”. But that’s exactly what happened. There were two main driving factors: one, I
really wanted to have completed three events before the end of the year, and
two, it was a perfect opportunity to gig with my former duo partner. When I
heard that Wayne Bosch was visiting Cape Town over Christmas, I asked if he’d
do a concert with me and he was very keen. We did a duo concert of mainly
originals (including two of Wayne’s, played solo) - on 21 December, exactly a
year after our previous performance. This was on a Saturday evening, at Erin
Hall in Rondebosch. Once again, we charged R100, including refreshments after
the show, but this time friends donated home-baked goods and helped with the
serving, etc. Nick was once again the MC, we did our own sound, and Gregory
Franz took the photos.
The fourth concert: 1 March 2014
The poor turnout at our last concert was a sobering reminder
that the festive season was a risky time to put on an event. I realised that
January was just as tricky, and that sometimes the festive season recovery period
extended to February, so I chose the first Saturday in March for our next
event. This time, the venue was Wynberg Secondary School, and the focus was on
giving young musicians a platform to perform. Artists on the programme were Kai
Chavda (a 10-year-old guitarist), Elton Goslett (versatile guitarist), Joe
Schaffers (seasoned jazz singer) and the young band, The Dales, which did its
debut performance. (The Dales, a 4-piece rock band, included my son, Nick
Geffen, on drums, and featured my daughter, Summer, on vocals. A family first!)
Others in the band were Ross on lead guitar, Dean on bass, and Matt on rhythm guitar.
The final act was a talented group from the UCT School of Jazz, which I called
The Keegan Steenkamp Ensemble. Andre Manuel did our sound, Mark Kleinschmidt
was our MC and Chandre Lil’c Cee was our photographer. We collaborated with a
small catering business and a close friend also donated yummy refreshments.
Admission was R50, to encourage our young performers’ friends to support.
The fifth concert: 5 April 2014
The final concert was a very special event for me – I collaborated
with one of my heroes, the legendary jazz-ghoema guitarist, Errol Dyers, in a
venue I’d always wanted to do a concert in, the District Six Museum Homecoming
Centre. Summer and a friend, Nina, did our opening act, on vocals and ukuleles.
Errol and I did the rest of the show, with a special treat for the audience in
the form of a solo mini-set by Errol. I loved every moment of making music with
Errol; the concert, for me, was a dream come true. We were once again in the
capable hands of Andre Manuel (sound), Derek Ronnie (MC) and Gregory Franz
(photos). The museum handled the refreshments. For some reason (bowing to
pressure?), I charged R80 for this concert. Not only does it not make sense, in
hindsight, but it was impractical finding R20 change for everyone. I suppose
everything we do really is a lesson,
in one form or another.
Re-reading what I’ve just written, I can see the lessons I
learnt along the way. The interesting thing about these lessons is that they
empower and liberate us, so that when we embark on future ventures, we have an
updated set of skills and knowledge.
Life is cool, as long as you keep your eyes, ears, mind and heart wide
open. Right?
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