Classical Movements Presents...
MINNESOTA ORCHESTRA in CAPE TOWN!
"Thank you for all that Classical Movements has done to make the Cuba and South Africa tours happen. What you accomplished is
 unbelievable , and now, legendary ."
— Kevin Smith | Former President & CEO, Minnesota Orchestra
WED, AUG. 8:
Welcome Sounds, Robben Island Pilgrimage, Cape Wines, Singing Dinner
10 AM : Still flying high after their third trip to the BBC Proms , Classical Movements engages Happy Sounds Youth Development , a traditional "Kaapse Klopse" band from the Cape Malay community, to further lift the spirits of the Minnesota Orchestra musicians, staff and patrons after their 11-hour night flight.
12:15 PM : The last ferry leaves Mandela Gateway for Robben Island , where prisoner number 46664, Nelson Mandela , was incarcerated for 18 years.
1 PM : The first bus departs the Taj Hotel for the Western Cape Winelands Tour , where the Chenin blanc and Pinotage varietals have been cultivated since 1655.
8 PM : Halfway through our 14-course welcome dinner at the award-winning Gold Restaurant , Classical Movements surprises the Minnesotans with a performance from the South African Youth Choir — mere days after the ensemble, comprised of students from all nine South African provinces, dazzled our 10th Ihlombe! Choral Festival .
THURS, AUG. 9:
Cape Peninsula Tour, Stadium Exchange, Brass on the Water, Precious Pallets
9 AM : Thursday was a free day for the musicians, and Women's Day a national holiday in South Africa , but neither the Boulder Beach penguins nor the chacma baboons that dot the winding way to the Cape of Good Hope took the day off. (The funicular most certainly did, though.)
1 PM : The Cape Music Institute performs "Welcome to Cape Town" for the Minnesotans inside Athlone Stadium , home of two Premier Soccer League teams.
4 PM : The Minnesota Orchestra Brass Quintet performs Scheidt's Canzona Bergamasca at the historic Victoria & Alfred Waterfront .
5 PM : From Minneapolis to Luxembourg for international inspection, Luxembourg to London for Prom 31 , back (via Munich ) for another look in Luxembourg, then direct to Johannesburg 's O.R. Tambo International ,  14,000 pounds of precious cargo finally arrive in the Mother City.
FRI, AUG. 10:
Table Mountain Trek, City Hall Rehearsal, Epic Selfie,
Sold-Out South African Debut, Rapturous Reviews, U.S. Consulate Reception
8 AM : While a foggy winter's dew prevents the early risers in the orchestra from taking a cable car all the way up to 3,500 feet above sea level, the majesty and grandeur that remains Table Mountain shines through nonetheless.
2 PM : Their Cape Town concert completely sold out weeks in advance, Classical Movements sells tickets to the Minnesota Orchestra's very first rehearsal on African soil —the second-ever event at the renovated Cape Town City Hall .
4:20 PM : With photog Travis Anderson perched atop a ladder, a " Music for Mandela " banner upfront, the mighty musicians from Minneapolis manage a most magnificent group shot in the bustling Grand Parade outside City Hall.
"Thank you! This concert was one of the highlights of my musical life ."
— Osmo Vänskä to Neeta Helms
8 PM : Minnesota makes their sold-out South African debut with Osmo Vänskä conducting the national anthems of the United States and South Africa , Sibelius , Bernstein , Beethoven , as well as the South African premiere of a work specially commissioned by Classical Movements' own Eric Daniel Helms New Music Program : Cape Town composer Dr. Bongani Ndodana-Breen 's setting of Madiba 's own words, Harmonia Ubuntu , starring Ga-Rankuwa soprano Goitsemang Lehobye .  At our urging — just as they had done Monday night at Royal Albert Hall — the orchestra encores with " Shosholoza " ...both singing and playing.
— Raphael Wolf, Cape Times
10:30 PM : The U.S. Mission to South Africa co-sponsors a reception at The Reserve , attended by Classical Movements Founder & President Neeta Helms , Cape Town Mayor Patricia de Lille , U.S. Consul General for Cape Town Virginia Blaser and Minnesota Orchestra Board Chair Marilyn Carlson Nelson .
SAT, AUG. 11:
23-Hour Trucking, Labor of Luggage, Township Tutors, Masterclass Magic
12:05 AM : Two 18-wheelers, outfitted with climate-controlled storage for instruments, sleeping quarters for a second driver, as well as GPS for our obsessive monitoring, embark on their 1,100-mile trek from Western Cape to KwaZulu-Natal . 23 hours later, despite the snow , they'll arrive in Durban proper — one whole hour early.
10 AM : CM's Alessandra D'Ovidio and MOA staff report for luggage duty, collecting some 175 pieces: suitcases, backpacks, purses, baby strollers and even a chiropractic table.
12:30 PM : The orchestra sends half its musicians a half-hour east to Eurecon Primary School f or a meaningful musical exchange with the entire community of Elsie’s River township.
12:30 PM : Organized by Classical Movements, Minnesota's principal players head back downtown to ArtsCape Theatre Centre for sectionals and masterclasses with the Cape Town Philharmonic Youth Orchestra , culminating with maestro Vänskä leading CTPYO in Sibelius ' Finlandia and the Festive Overture of Shostakovich .
Stay tuned for Classical Movements' next Minnesota in South Africa diary...
36 hours in Durban !