For the fourth year running ‘Valentine under the STARS’ will be held under the stars at the Square at the Century City Conference Centre and Hotel in Cape Town, at 20h30 on 12 February, organized by Barbara Lenhard and Florian Gast of Opulent Living Experiences. Continue reading →
Tag Archives: Brandon Phillips
Hermanus FynArts 2016 a feast of a fine arts Festival!
Last night I returned from the Hermanus FynArts Festival, having spent six days of the Festival ten-day period enjoying a feast of a fine Festival! I have experienced Festivals in my time, but never for so long a period, and none so extensive in content as the Hermanus FynArts Festival. I cannot wait for the 2017 Festival, to be held from 9 to 18 June 2017! Continue reading →
Divas Unite celebrates Women’s Day 2015, benefits women’s cancer charity!
Women’s Day is a unique public holiday, celebrated only in South Africa. Yesterday our country’s women were celebrated with an almost all-women cast of musical performers at Divas Unite, held at the City Hall in Cape Town.
The event was organized expertly by Opulent Living’s Barbara Lenhard, overcoming severe obstacles in making the event happen so smoothly. When we arrived, Frey chocolates greeted us with bowls of their chocolate balls, while main sponsor Infiniti offered 
guests packets of jelly beans. My friend Jenny Stephens and I were extremely grateful to have been allocated such fabulous Continue reading →
Cape Philharmonic Orchestra celebrates centenary at ‘Valentine under the Stars’ concert!
A perfectly organised ‘Valentine under the Stars’ concert, held last night at The Castle, our country’s oldest building, paid tribute to the 100 year anniversary of the establishment of the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra, which performed a programme of music related to love and romance.
With not a breath of wind, and a sky lit with stars and a full moon, the open-air concert in The Castle astounded the attendees, for its excellent quality music, not only by the orchestra conducted by Brandon Phillips, but also by the three soloists Colin Lee, Nash Reed, and Selim Kagee, as well as striking teenage violinist Donné de Kock. The sound quality was perfect, with no wind noise on the microphones, nor music notes flying away when there was the slightest breeze.
The concert was organised by Barbara Lenhard, powerhouse driver of publishing company Opulent Living with her partner Florian Gast, which recently opened Opulent Living Experiences events company. Orchestra CEO Louis Heyneman gave Barbara the green light to participate in the special concert. Comfortable chairs were set out in the courtyard of The Castle, decorated with hearts on red ribbons, and most of the 600 attendees would have had a perfect view of the stage and would have heard the music perfectly. Songs performed included ‘Dein ist mein ganzes Herz’, ‘Yesterday’, ‘The first time ever I saw your face’, the ‘Blue Danube’ waltz, ‘Granada’, and ‘Something Stupid’.
The first concert of the then-named Cape Town Municipal Orchestra took place in the City Hall on 28 Continue reading →