A local composer is planning something special.  

Springs – Choral music composer, conductor, singer and keyboardist Charles ‘Basie’ Lesia (64) hopes to stage SA’s first original sacred oratorio.

A sacred oratorio is a large-scale musical composition for solo voices, chorus and an orchestra based on a religious subject.
Born and raised in Kwa-Thema, Lesia said his love for music began as a child raised in a musical family.
“I have a deep love and passion for music. It is a sustaining force in my life. I cannot imagine man’s existence on earth without music.
“It is one of the greatest privileges one can be endowed with. I thank God for the privilege of serving humanity through song,” he said.
Lesia remembers how his family came together after supper to sing hymns.
Aged 13, he joined the St Andrew’s Anglican Church choir and never left. He is now the organist and conductor.
“In school, I was popular for playing the melodica after learning the songs we sang for competitions. I later joined a newly formed male voices quartet, where I wrote my first song.
“We collectively joined the Kwa-Thema Youth Choir in 1979 under the watchful eye of Dr Ludumo Magangane,” he added.
Lesia said Magangane taught them music theory, and he learnt to play the piano.
“I started training and conducting a choir while still in the Kwa-Thema Youth Choir. My first experience of singing to both piano and orchestral accompaniment was during our time in the youth choir.
“I sang as a soloist in works like Messiah by Handel, Hayden’s The Creation, Mendelssohn’s Elijah and Handel’s Alexander’s Feast,” he explained.
In the early 90s, Lesia took a break from choral music and led the Afro-fusion band Melodi, formally known as Sweet Harmony.
“I am the resident conductor of the Sempre Avante Chamber Choir, the Ekurhuleni Choral Alive Initiative Project Chorus and the St Andrew’s Anglican Church Choir,” he added.
The Sempre Avante Chamber Choir, formerly The Vita Nova Choir, formed as a fundraising choir for the Vita Nova Home for people with disabilities. The name was changed to broaden the choir’s fundraising partners.
In March 2021, a fellow vocalist inspired Lesia with the words, ‘God in three persons, blessed trinity’.
“At the time, the interaction did not mean much to me,” he said.
But in the days following, Lesia struggled to sleep.
“Eventually, I started hearing the sounds of different instruments. Some I had never heard before,” he explained.
In about a month, Lesia wrote, arranged and recorded all the music for 22 songs, and they formed The Holy Trinity.
With the help of other local musical maestros, Lesia is preparing to put on a great show.
“We have a long way to go regarding finances, but the talent is there. When this show finally happens, it will be magical. We want to do it here, for our people,” Lesia concluded.