A Creative Visionary inspired and enchanted by the African Continent; Ofentse Pitse is an enthusiast. An enthusiast of art, music, architecture and Africa. At 32, she holds a Masters Degree in Architecture from South Africa’s University of the Witwatersrand. A creative visionary with a deep desire to showcase the work of Black African composers, she is also the founder of the pioneering Anchored Sound, the first-ever fully black owned and operated orchestra on the continent.

Born in Pretoria, it was here in the country’s vibrant capital where Ofentse first discovered her deep and abiding love for music, following in the footsteps of her grandfather Otto Pitse who in addition to being a high school teacher, was a well-known trumpeter.  With a family that is active in the Salvation Army, in addition to learning the value of selflessness and service, Ofentse was soon attracted to its famous brand band. This is where she first learned to play the English horn, trumpet, flugelhorn and cornet. As her skill improved, so too did her range and she began expanding her repertoire from gospel music into classical and then to jazz.

Today, Ofentse splits her time between her work as an architect, where she is pursuing her artistic vision for African spaces and her central role at Anchored Sound. The latter now boasts an impressive 40-piece orchestra, alongside a 25-person strong choir, though both the orchestra and the choir can scale down to core teams of 15 and 10respectively, a unique flexibility that broadens their appeal.  

In addition, Ofentse has also grown her talent, moving from musician to conductor, purely through the strength of her conviction that a black, female, orchestra conductor was a dream worth chasing. Armed with little more than her faith, she enlisted the help of two of the country’s leading conductors, Thami Zungu and Gerben Grooten, to learn how to effectively take up a place on the podium.

As a result, despite no formal teaching, across South Africa Pitse has earned a formidable reputation as the force behind the success of Anchored Sound, whose performers all hail from disenfranchised communities across Gauteng. Her discipline and commitment in learning how to conduct an orchestra while also managing the day to day running of the organisation has won her admirers across Mzansi, and led to interviews with leading media outlets including Forbes Africa, Radio 702, eNCA, Drum Magazine, Newzroom Afrika, City Press and the SABC. She has also spear-headed collaborative projects with the likes of Alicia Keys, Netflix, Kabza de Small, Redbull, and  Chanel, just to name a few.

Citing her uncle Dr Dannyboy Pitse, the first person in her family to become a doctor as her personal hero, Ofentse says it was his determination to succeed that became the catalyst for her own ambitions.  Going forward, it is these ambitions that are very much at the forefront of her mind, especially her long-term, cherished dream of performing the isiZulu original UShaka kaSengzangakhona written by Professor Mzilikazi Khumalo at the legendary Sydney Opera House in Australia.

“To me, music and architecture are very closely linked, and this venue perfectly illustrates that. When I design, I think of harmony, spirit, structure and meaning.  Music is about those same elements, whether it’s Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky or Mozart. And Professor Khumalo was the first South African composer that inspired me to pursue storytelling within music and art, so I’d like to honour him as we did when we performed at the Joburg Theatre in August 2019. His work is hard to master so that was definitely an accomplishment for us.”

For the immediate future however Ofentse has several items keeping her busy. “I really want to be involved in the building of a contemporary South Africa theatre, because I could marry my love of performance with my architectural knowledge to create an inclusive space where even more local stories can be told. I am also really hoping to expand Anchored Sound to include a kids orchestra because that would extend its reach and impact for generations to come.”

Yet for all her aspirations, Ofentse is inherently practical in her core beliefs. “I want to drive inclusivity because it’s hard to belong, either in a boardroom or a soundstage. Being a black woman, I have had to learn how to assert myself in male dominated environments, to defend my work. And that is my vision and my purpose. To say to others who feel that they don’t belong, you can, you do, you must. There is no limit to your potential, your capacity, your creativity.”

‍