Award-winning South African composer and sound artist, as well as Sheer Client, Philip Miller, composed the score for MultiChoice’s new show ‘Shaka iLembe’ for Bomb Productions with Mbuso Khoza. This is the biggest Multichoice production of the year and we are excited that one of our clients is part of the music scoring.
Debuting on MultiChoice’s Mzansi Magic on the 18th of June at 20:00, ‘Shaka iLembe’ is the story of the making of a great African king. The two key actors playing Shaka are the incredibly talented Lemogang Tsipa (adult king) and newcomer Ntando Zondi (young Shaka). Nomzamo Mbatha plays Queen Nandi the revered mother of Shaka, with Thembinkosi Mthembu starring as King Dingiswayo and Wiseman Mncube in the role of King Zwide. The story has been lovingly brought to life over a number of years and it is no surprise that it has left its mark long before it aired on Mzansi Magic.
So far, ‘Shaka iLembe’ has created over 9 000 jobs of which 50% were female and 45% youth and industries that were greatly involved and benefitted in the making of the series were those in the hospitality, tourism, catering, and construction fields. The show is almost entirely in traditional isiZulu, and; had six years of narrative research.
Watch it on Sundays on Mzansi Magic, DStv channel 161, and the repeat on Fridays at 21:30.
Philip Miller’s work is influenced by a range of musical genres, from contemporary electronic music and minimalism to South African choral and instrumental music. His works and collaborations across various media, from live stage performances and film to video and sound installations, and contemporary dance.
Much of his work explores aural histories and testimonies found in both public and his own personal archives.
Philip’s ability to work across different musical genres and media has led to him becoming a sought–after collaborator with choreographers, theatre-makers, and visual artists. This includes his long-time collaborator, the internationally recognised South African artist William Kentridge.
He has composed over 80 scores for both the big and small screen which have earned prestigious awards and accolades, including an Emmy nomination for HBO’s “The Girl” and several other awards and nominations for best scores – like “The Book of Negroes” for CBC television, “The Bang Bang Club”, the Emmy award-winning “Shot-Down”, “Black Butterfly” and BBC’s “Seven –Up”.
He has received commissions from The International Music Institute Darmstadt Festival, Celebrate Brooklyn Festival and MASSMoca (USA), Cape Town Opera, as well as both Venice Biennale and Kaunas Biennale. His seminal and award-winning choral work, “Rewind a Cantata” for voice, tape, and testimony has been performed at venues across the world, including London’s Festival Hall, as well as The Market Theatre and the Baxter Theatre Centre in South Africa.
He has been the recipient of honorary fellowships and residencies including The Rockefeller Foundation’s Bellagio Center, Civitella Ranieri, Yaddo, and the Archive and Public Culture (APC) Research Initiative at the University of Cape Town.
#ShakaiLembeMzansi.
