Featured Fellow: Mireille Kinkina, soprano/youth chorus director
MIREILLE KINKINA is a versatile soprano and chorister with the OSK. She achieved a music diploma with a vocal focus from the l’Institut National des Arts, and has been a Juniors’ Choir director since its inception in 2014; she is also a beginning pianist and aspiring harpist. However, she has reached a barrier in her Congolese-based musical development, having taken advantage of all available opportunities for artistic growth. To circumvent this obstacle, she is working to travel to New York so that she can partake in the immense wealth of music and culture found there and to continue her education within this environment. After she accomplishes this goal, she will return to her home in Kinshasa to educate others in music. With OPERAnauts, she will coach and direct the Street Boys’ Chorus, and carry on the message of empathy from the important perspective of a Congolese woman.
“J’aime la musique, ca me donne la force, l’espoir de vivre mais ici je suis bloque.” – MK
Featured Fellow: Guelor Ntela, cellist
GEULOR NTELA is a Congolese musician, serving as the principal chair cellist for the OSK, as well as a teacher of stringed instruments to The Juniors and students within the Kinshasa community. He is currently completing his music diploma at the l’Institut National des Arts, after which he hopes to pursue a master’s degree in Cello Performance. However, his great challenge lies in the absence of a graduate music program in Congo, as well as his lack of a sufficiently equipped laptop computer to finish the song compositions necessary to graduate. As an OPERAnauts fellow, he hopes to overcome these barriers. He will play in the music ensemble and will continue to spread OPERAnauts’ message of hope through music to students and audiences throughout Kinshasa.
“Je suis un artiste d’enseignement oui, mais aussi un artiste interprète.” – GN
Featured Fellow: Vatick Vanza, director/playwright
VANZA VATICK is a musician, actor, director, playwright, and a 2016 OPERAnauts Opera Fellow.This past November in a poor commune of the city-province Kinshasa, Vanza successfully directed, produced and performed the famous old comedy by Molière, Le Médecin malgré lui.
In the future, Vanza would like another shot at producing it. Next time, he said, he would find a better venue and add costumes, and lights. Given his musical talents, he could also add opera music, for instance, excerpts from the opéra-comique composed by Charles Gonoud, based on Le Médecin malgré lui.
During a recent conversation about joining OPERAnauts as an Opera Fellow, Vanza told us what motivated him to perform music and theatre:
Pour montrer notre passion au monde entier !! Dire au monde entier que la musique, le théâtre, l’Opéra peut aussi être un instrument pour régler nos différences !! Nos conflit pour bannir le raciseme !! Abolir la division !! Et surtout crier l’unité à tout le monde par nos chanson !!
Je voulais aussi que le monde entier le sache que pendant que nous progressions et prosperon avec nos talent !! Quelques part il ya des jeunes qui on besoin des gens pour faire sortir d’eux les talents qu’ils on.. . J’ai envi de fer parler tout les talents qui est en moi ainsi que celle de tous ceux que je vois.