Biography Shannon Mowday

excerpt from www.shannonmowday.com

Hi and welcome to my website!

After winning the standard bank young jazz artist award for 2007, I had an incredible year playing both locally and internationally

Some of the highlights included local festival performances at the Cape Town International Jazz Festival, Grahamstown National Arts Festival , Cape Town Jazzathon, Klein Karoo Kunstefees and workshops and performances at the Standard Bank Joy of Jazz Festival. Internationally I performed as soloist at the Silda Jazz Festival in Norway (Svein Olav Trio, Bodil Niska , BRAZZ Brothers) and had an incredible performance with my band at the Leipzig Jazz Festival . I also featured as the soloist of the newly formed North Sea Big Band in Oslo, and together with previous young jazz artist award winner, Concord Nkabinde, performed at the lord mayors appeal at Guildhall in London I also went back to australia for a short stint One of my greatest inspirations as a musician and person, Sibongile Khumalo ,celebrated her 50th birthday along with the release of her record label, Magnolia Vision Records. I was priveleged enough to perform alongside her with her live dvd recordings which will be released later in the year. Along with her and other 'sistas' ,such as Sylvia Mdunyelwa, Gloria Bosman, Thandie Klaasen, Abigail Kubaka, Tina Schouw, we took parts in several concerts featuring some of the finest South African female voices Sista's healing our Souls (2007 and 2008)

So far 2008 has also been quite adventurous with trips to malaysia with Schalk Joubert and the 3 continents sextet at the Genting Jazz Festival, Turkey with fellow standard bank award winners for jazz Concord Nkabinde (2006) and Mark Fransman (2008) and another trip to australia.African Eyes went symphonic in a great arrangement by Matthys van Dijk with me as soloist with the Cape Philharmonic orchestra at Vergelegen's Starlight Classics concert.

The Standard Bank Africa Day Celebration had me performing with one of my greatest role models and idols Oliver Mzukudzi as well as Sibongile Khumalo, Gloria Bosman , Kunle Ayo as well as the standard bank award winners jazz trio.

I performed and recorded music for a television tv series, impresario (kyknet)with an incredible pianist from holland Mike del Ferro.

There is still a lot lined up for the two of us , both recording and playing.....keep you posted

On the cards is a very exciting Grahamstown Festival with performances on the jazz festival with Sibongile Khumalo and Mike Del Ferro, sax player Dave O Higgins, one of my favourite drummers from Norway Håkon Mjåset Johansen as well as featuring the in the student lecturer Big Band. On the main festival I will also be performing with Standard Bank's African Celebration, Tribute to Letta Mbula 'for Letta show' with Sibongile Khumalo and with the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra at the gala concert under baton of Richard Cock.

I am back at the Silda Jazz Festival in august and besides my solo spots, I am also performing with Burn! Karin Hamar (sweden) on trombone and Hildegunn Oiseth (norway) on trumpet have performed with me at the Cape Town International Jazz Festival and Grahamstown National arts festivals as well as forming the horn sections for Schalk Joubert's Kayamandi project at the Klein Karoo Kunstefees and in Malaysia.

Besides that, a lot of recording, travelling and playing is coming up-promise to be a little better at keeping you posted

For those looking for my recently recorded cd, African Eyes, (with Australian jazz giant James Morrison and monster australian players),it is being distributed through Jassics.It is available in South Africa at most Look and Listen, Cd Warehouse stores and at Green dolphin jazz restuarant.If you have no luck, please contact Dorothea Photinidis

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