Since 1981, when he composed the music for the spectacular pageant that celebrated the 21st Republic Festival of South Africa, Michael Hankinson has been involved in some of the most exciting musical events that have taken place in this country.
He conducted the gigantic 120 piece National Orchestra for the inauguration of President F W de Klerk, and in 1994 wrote a number of special arrangements and conducted at the wonderful concert given in front of the Union Buildings in Pretoria for the inauguration of President Mandela.
In between, his work has ranged from composing film music for the Gunston series of mini documentaries,composing and conducting the music for the opening of the Sandton Square complex, to the writing a full length ballet for performance by PACT Ballet at The State Theatre in Pretoria. His arrangements of music by Andrew Lloyd-Webber and Tim Rice have played to packed audiences in both Durban and Cape Town, and his two shows based on the music of Queen and Freddy Mercury have broken box office records in Durban. The new version of this show,"Queen at the Opera" played at the Nico Malan in Cape Town, the Civic Theatre in Johannesburg and The Playhouse in Durban during 1995, breaking all box office records at the Nico Malan and the Civic Theatre.
His "Last Night of The Proms" (which Michael started in Durban in 1985), as well as his "Philharmonic Rock" and "Jakaranda Pops" series have been sell-out concerts throughout South Africa Working with Mbongeni Ngema (of Sarafina fame), Michael created the orchestral arrangements that are an integral part of the musical "Mama" that showed at The Playhouse in Durban and which subsequently toured so successfully internationally.
Always an innovator, it was Michael who first brought Rick Wakeman to South Africa to perform "Journey to The Centre of the Earth" as part of the Durban Arts Festival. He followed this with the first orchestral concert to use laser lighting when he took the Natal Philharmonic Orchestra into "Outer Space". "Beatlemania" and "Monster Rock" followed and then in 1993 he conducted the Transvaal Philharmonic Orchestra in a live accompaniment to the famous silent movie of Buster Keaton "The General", the first time that this had been done in South Africa.
A world "first" for South Africa was the magnificent "Classic Aid" concert staged by Gemini Productions at Centurion Park, where an audience of several thousand heard Michaels' symphonic arrangements for a multi-cultural programme that involved artists representing all the various aspects of music in South Africa.
Michael is currently Resident Ballet Conductor at the State Theatre working with the PACT Ballet Company and The New Arts Philharmonic Orchestra. In addition he is also Principal Guest Conductor with the National Chamber Orchestra based in Mmbatho.
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