Rodney Reiners|Published
By the time the first note rings out at the Artscape Theatre next month, Freddy Arendse hopes audiences will discover that Swing With The King is about far more than music.
For Arendse, the executive producer of the show, this is the spirit of inclusion which underpins The King’s Banquet, the latest edition of Swing With The King, when it returns to Cape Town’s Artscape Theatre on November 13 and 14.
There is something deeply human about a banquet: a table where stories are shared, differences celebrated, and nobody is left outside looking in. The production promises musical excellence, bringing together faith, love and a distinctly South African musical heritage.
But its ambitions extend beyond the stage, offering a reminder of music’s ability to connect people across cultural, racial and social divides.
“The King’s Banquet is more than a musical production. It is an invitation to a table where nobody is excluded, where our differences become part of a beautiful collective expression, and where the banner over every person is LOVE,” says Arendse.
That vision will find expression through a rich blend of Gospel Jazz, Cape Ghoema, indigenous sounds, Big Band arrangements and orchestral splendour.
South Africa’s musical identity has been shaped by generations of artists who transformed hardship into creativity and gave voice to stories of faith, resilience and belonging.
Arendse believes that legacy deserves both recognition and renewal.
“South Africa possesses an extraordinary musical inheritance, shaped by generations of artists who created beauty, often under the most difficult circumstances,” he says.
This year , the international and local lineup reflects that diversity, featuring Grammy Award-winning American arranger and conductor Fletch Wiley, Hawaii’s Island Breeze International, and American vocalist Rozz Parker, alongside Cape Town musical legend Hilton Schilder, guitarist Julius May, Clinton Viljoen, Natasha Adams, Cristin Arendse and the Swing With The King Big Band.
The programme will also honour and pay tribute to musical pioneers Abdullah Ibrahim, gospel composer Richard Smallwood, and influential American Gospel fusion band Koinonia. Their work has crossed boundaries, inspired generations and helped shape the sound of contemporary faith-inspired music.
“We stand on the shoulders of musical giants,” Arendse says. “These tributes are not simply moments of nostalgia; they are expressions of gratitude for the doors these pioneers opened and the musical legacy we have a responsibility to preserve for future generations.”
Preserving that legacy also means investing in the next generation. Swing With The King aims to provide emerging musicians with opportunities to develop their talents alongside established local and international performers.
“When a young artist from a township shares the stage with internationally acclaimed musicians, something powerful happens,” Arendse says. “Their world of possibilities expands, their confidence grows, and they begin to see that their gift has a place on the world’s great stages.”
For Arendse, artistic excellence also carries a spiritual responsibility. Every rehearsal, arrangement and performance is an opportunity for musicians to fully use their gifts.
“For us, excellence is not simply about producing a world-class concert,” he says. “It is about honouring the King with the very best of what He has entrusted to us.”
In a society often fractured by differences, music cannot resolve every division, but it can create opportunities for people to listen, connect, and recognise something of themselves in others.
That is the promise of The King’s Banquet - that people can come together and celebrate what makes them different.
When Swing With The King takes to the Artscape stage on November 13 and 14, the performances will provide the spectacle. Its lasting impact, however, may be measured in the young musician inspired to dream bigger, an audience member reconnecting with a cherished musical heritage, or even discovering a sense of belonging.
Ultimately, Arendse’s invitation is about more than buying a ticket. It is an opportunity to share in something larger than ourselves — and to find a place at the table.