Derek Gripper
As South Africa experiences a period of lighter restrictions, Cape Town guitarist Derek Gripper will be testing the Level One waters with a series of small, socially distanced events in the Cape Town area, a dual commemoration of his last international concert tour in 2020 and one year of musical lockdown.
Derek will play in private homes and in various intimate venues, including one show in Somerset West at Think Silver Studios, 3 Bright Street, Somerset Westm on Friday April 16.
Derek’s last tour of Australia a year ago saw him play sixteen sold-out concerts in as many towns and cities. He returned to the Mother City the week before lockdown and has since been running an online subscription service teaching group classes on African guitar.
His students are located in South Africa and across the globe in the United States, Canada, Germany, Australia, China, Switzerland, France, the UK and more.
His notable experiences include a solo concert at Carnegie Hall, multiple collaborations with classical guitar legend John Williams and classical Indian virtuoso Debashish Battacharya; a performance in Bamako with kora star Toumani Diabate and a a host of award-winning albums including 2016s Libraries on Fire, which won the Songlines Music Award for Best African Album.
Derek’s recent album, A Year of Swimming, had a million streams in its first few months of release, and his latest record with Silk Road Ensemble’s cellist Mike Block is set to follow suit.
Tickets cost R150, and can be booked through Quicket. For more information, or to arrange for a home concert, visit www.derekgripper.com