Umculo presents breathtaking baroque arias with a striking visual twist, in a daring mix of vocal virtuosity and trailblazing digital technology! Leveraging the power of realtime rendering found in modern PC game engines, director Kobie van Rensburg places rising-star tenor, Siyabonga Maqungo, inside completely digital environments. From the depths of a very personal purgatory to the bucolic fields of Arcadian bliss, this project showcases the wide-ranging possibilities of digital sets and virtual production for the operatic stage. When Covid-19 lockdown measures deprive us of a real physical stage, Umculo takes the opportunity to show that a virtual digital stage is within the grasp of young South-African artists, by using only consumer cameras, readily available computer equipment and completely free software! The public also gets the opportunity to see how this was done with a revealing glimpse behind the scenes! Some of the digital assets used in this production will also be available for download to kickstart the endeavours of young SA artist.
VIEW ARCADIA
VIEW INFERNO
VIEW THE MAKING OF INFERNO AND ARCADIA