Goitsemang Lehobye
soprano
Goitsemang Lehobye was born in Ga-Rankuwa, South Africa and first heard opera performed during a television broadcast featuring the South African Black Tie Opera Ensemble. After finishing school she followed her dream by joining the Black Tie Ensemble’s “Incubator” Scheme where she began learning the tools of the trade of being an opera singer. She worked her way from chorus member to ensemble and solo work and performed in a number of opera productions.
In 2011 Goitsemang won a scholarship to study singing with Hanna van Niekerk and Prof Kamal Khan at the University of Cape Town’s College of Music. Productions include La Boheme, Postcards from Morocco, Don Giovanni and most recently, Violetta in the joint UCT/Cape Town Opera production of La Traviata to great acclaim. She was invited as guest soloist in opera galas featuring Johan Botha and Neil Schicoff. She often performs as soloist with the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra, and in October 2015 she premiered a new song cycle by South African composer Bongani Ndodana-Breen, conducted by Perry So. In December 2015 she was invited to perform in a new opera by David Earl in Cambridge, England. 2016 highlights included singing as soloist for Opera Galas with renowned tenor Johan Botha in Cape Town and Johannesburg and touring to Argentina as Serena in the Cape Town Opera production of Porgy and Bess.
Goitsemang moved to the USA at the beginning of 2017 to continue her studies at the University of Michigan with Professor Daniel Washington. She has already appeared in the two of their productions, The difficulty of crossing a field by David Lang and Dinner at eight by William Bolcom. Goitsemang won the University of Michigan Friends of the opera Anna Chapekis award 2017. She also performed in a new production of the Ira Gershwin version of Porgy and Bess with the University of Michigan Musical Society. Specific Highlights for 2018 included the invitation to return to South Africa to sing in the Passion for Opera celebrating the life and work of Angelo Gobbato alongside a host of
internationally recognized South African singers, as well as singing in Mahler’s 2nd symphony for the reopening of the City Hall in Cape Town. She was also the chosen soloist for the first ever tour of the Minnesota Symphony Orchestra to South Africa where she premiered a new work by Bongani Ndodana Breen – Harmonia Ubuntu. Performances took place in Minnesota as well as across South Africa and also included Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.
Goitsemang completed her Master of voice performance in 2018 and started her Specialist in voice performance degree in 2019 at the University of Michigan, USA. Her 2019 highlights include her return to the Minnesota orchestra for their summer season performing Bachianas brasileiras No 5. – Victor Villa Lobos and Osvaldo Golijov’s Three songs for soprano and orchestra, and their winter season performing Dona nobis by Vaughan Williams. She also performed the role of Mimi from La boheme with the University of Michigan to critical acclaim. In 2021, Goitsemang was offered a position to pursue her studies at the University of Michigan. That same year she performed in many concerts and sang the role of Miranda Parker from the opera, Rise for Freedom by Adolphus Hailstork.
Marina Stojanovska
pianist
Hailed by the Macedonian Music Society Post as “…an expressive, versatile and fearless pianist”, Dr. Marina Stojanovska made her debut with the Macedonian Philharmonic Orchestra at age 15 and her Carnegie Hall debut in 2021. She moved to the U.S. at age 16 to study on a full scholarship at the Interlochen Music Academy. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Piano Performance from Lynn Conservatory, holds two piano performance degrees from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, and earned a Doctorate Degree in piano performance from Michigan State University. She has performed as a soloist with the Lynn Symphony Orchestra, Grosse Pointe Symphony and others. She was a five-time First Prize winner of the MSC competition in Skopje, Macedonia. Earlier this year she won First Prize at the Charleston International Competition and the American Atlantic. Additionally, she has won First Prize in numerous other international piano competitions including Ohridski, Biseri, Interfest and Liszt-Bartok.
Her performances were broadcast live on Radio Meff, Radio Ternipe, Sitel TV and Kanal 5. In addition to her solo career, she has a piano duo with her sister, Natasha Stojanovska, known as “The Stojanovska Sisters.” The duo was a three-time First Prize Winner of the Macedonia State Competition. She has worked with internationally renowned pianists Olga Kern, Arnaldo Cohen, Norman Krieger, Alexander Toradze, Daniel Shapiro, and Phillipe Entremont. Dr. Stojanovska has given masterclasses and clinics at Interlochen Arts Academy, Alma College, Blue Lake Fine Arts, Sao Paolo State University, University of Skopje, and others. She is currently a pianist at Oakland University and has her private piano studio while also actively performing. She resides at Grosse Pointe with her composer husband,Colin Payne and their two- year old son, Connor.
