Composers have long used the metaphor of “death” to express many different ideas: breathless moments of romance, the peaceful end of day as twilight falls, the quiet close of winter before spring’s awakening, or the sweet surrender found in deep love.

These musical “deaths” are not endings but transformations – moments where one thing gives way to another.

The concert programme ranges from singing a new song to the Lord with Monteverdi and remembering Daniel’s miraculous escape from the lion’s jaws, to the silly madrigals where infidelity meets its dramatic (and bloody!) end, and wishes for a different kind of “death” shared with one’s true love.

The singers get nostalgic about the rolling green fields of Ireland and smile with the Beatles, who once thought 64 was old. And they sing of the ultimate victory – the birth of a little baby through whom death and sin lose their power forever, offering the promise of eternal life.

Join the Stellenbosch Madrigal Singers for an evening where contemplative songs are woven together with moments of joy and humour, as they celebrate the ongoing gift of each new day we’re given to share.