Fanie de Jager | |
|---|---|
 de Jager in Cape Town, South Africa in 2010 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | (1949-04-08)8 April 1949 (age 76) Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa |
| Genres | Classical, opera |
| Occupation | Singer |
| Years active | 1970–present |
| Labels | Braeview |
| Website | english |
Fanie de Jager (born 8 April 1949) is a South African operatictenor and singer of light classical music.
Fanie de Jager was born to Christiaan Lodevicus and Frederika Stefina de Jager inNewcastle, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. He completed his schooling inPretoria in Gauteng, the formerTransvaal. After his schooling, he studied classical music and singing from the age of 20 with maestro Albrecht Lewald and later the well known George Kok. During this time he joined thePerforming Arts Council of Transvaal (PACT), where he performed as either the lead or understudy to the lead in the following operas and operettas:Aida,The Marriage of Figaro,La bohème,Rigoletto,La traviata,The Barber of Seville,The Merry Widow,Don Pasquale andIl matrimonio segreto. As guest artist for other theatres and opera houses, he appeared as the leading tenor inGianni Schicchi,Rita,La traviata,Der Wildschütz andAriadne auf Naxos. As a young tenor he performed many lunch hour concerts inPretoria and the surrounding area, singing light classical music and songs from musicals.
My Sentimental Soul, de Jager's debut album, was launched in 2000 and reachedgold status in South Africa. This album is known as one of Fanie's most loved amongst his fans, including songs in English, Italian,Afrikaans and Spanish.Afrikaanse Juwele (meaning "Afrikaans jewels"), de Jager's fourth album, reached gold status within two months and became the top-selling Afrikaans album for six consecutive weeks. It also featured in the South African Top 20, an international hit parade, during the same period. Fanie de Jager's popularity grew, and he was invited to appear on various South African television shows, such as Musiekforum, Platepraatjies, Maak 'n Las and Teletreffers. He appeared three times on the most popular show currently,Noot vir Noot (meaning 'Note for Note'), an Afrikaans musicalquiz presented by Johan Stemmet. Over the past 10 years he has travelled throughout South Africa, performing more than 350 solo concerts.
In 2007, de Jager released an album,My Classical Soul. It includes a world-class collection of opera andoperetta arias and duets with South Africansoprano Michelle Veenemans. It also includes the classical piece "Con Te Partiro" ("Time to Say Goodbye"). His latest album isClassics Forever.
As of 2012[update] de Jager is focussing on performing internationally, starting with Europe. Videos of his renditions of the Neapolitan song "'O sole mio" and the operatic aria "La donna è mobile" were aired byClassic FM TV in the UK in 2007. These videos were included in their daily playlist for some time, where he featured amongst artists such asPlácido Domingo,Andrea Bocelli,Katherine Jenkins,Sarah Brightman,Josh Groban, andAndré Rieu.
