Sibongile Khumalo

Owner, Magnolia Performance

Sibongile Khumalo is the owner of Magnolia Performance, a music industry based organisation involved in performance, production and management. She has enchanted diverse audiences all over South Africa and beyond. Sibongile’s singing talents range from opera to jazz, choral music and musical theatre, always grounded by the traditional and folk music’s of South Africa. Her musical capacity launched her into the limelight when she won the Standard Bank Young Artist Award for Music, at the National Arts Festival, Grahams town, in 1993. She has been lauded as one of the great singing talents of her time, and has inspired the creation of new music by South African composers, both in the classical art song, opera as well as jazz genres. She holds music degrees from the University of Zululand (B.A. Mus.) and Wits University (B.A. Hons), as well as a Post Graduate Diploma in Management (Wits Business School).  She has been conferred with 3 Honorary Doctorates (Rhodes University; University of Zululand and Unisa), and was a recipient of the Order of Ikhamanga (Silver-2008)

She is an arts activist and her primary interest is in Arts Education and how it can be used for social upliftment and justice. She has served in various arts industry structures, including the National Arts Festival, Grahams town and Opera Africa. She was the Musical Director for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Africa Cup of Nations 2013 (AFCON 2013).
Sibongile is the Acting Chairman of the Southern African Music Rights Organisation (SAMRO), and is a Fellow of the fourth class of the Africa Leadership Initiative-South Africa and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.