Yonela Mnana

Yonela Mnana is a South African blind jazz scholar, a recording singer and jazz pianist who also teaches and composes.

The diversity that underlies this programme has always been inherent throughout his life, while he is a long time citizen of Newtown, an artist hub. He was born in the South Eastern Cape part of Transkei and schooled in the northern most parts of the Limpopo province, the Thogwaneng Based Siloe Boarding School close 30km outside Polokwane. His Catholic School tuition coupled with the Sepedi and home town IsiXhosa musical background seep through his jazz inspired compositions effortlessly. His high school choral experience was later crystallised by his classical and jazz lectures at Wits University where he completed a junior and master’s degrees, i.e. B.Mus and M.Mus with distinction. He has subsequently been awarded the Arts Research in Africa (ARA) bursary and is currently pursuing his PhD degree in South African solo jazz pianism.

Before he released his solo debut album ‘baba’ in 2016, he paid his dues in jazz clubs around Johannesburg, throughout South Africa and abroad as a sideman and co-composer. His internal collaborations with dj Qb Smith (London), The Mill (Bern, Switzerland) and soon to be released ‘Equal Spirits’ with Raphael Clarkson (UK) bear some testament to such work. though his he traversed the SADC via Bushfire (Swaziland), king’s celebration (Lesotho), TRC (Mozambique and Oranjemund (Namibia) his work is with township schools and young students under his mentorship. Some of the projects have been with Vivacious Sounds, Gugulethu High School choir, Peart Memorial Corps songsters, the Jazz Tag and Harmonarty Fourtet. Lastly, his upcoming album release later this year will be barely two years on the heels of his last released single ‘iskhalo’.

He has also had encounters with some of the known popular artists, solely working as sideman (or accompanist) to singers such as Mandla Mlangeni, Siphokazi, Ringo Madlingozi, Dr Tumi, Gloria Bosman, Zoe Modiga, Dumza Maswana, Maleh, Thandi Klasen, Lindiwe Maxolo, Thandiswa Mazwai, Nomsa Mazwai, etc.