How is doing Ranzie Mensah ?

Fantastic: Ranzie mensah à la Television en 1982

2012-05-15T15:54:00.001-07:00

Interviewé à la TV Ivoirienne en 1982, j'ai du la voir en concert à Abidjan juste après vers 1984 alors que j'avais 11 ans.

Merveilleux souvenirs d'enfance!

1982 Ranzie mensah In Television - YouTube

Mai 2012 RANZIE MENSAH Baobab Concert sings "Africa Fries"

2012-05-13T15:57:00.000-07:00

African Fries RANZIE MENSAH - YouTube

Davide Dugros (Kymera) e Ranzie Mensah I believe I can fly - YouTube

2011-08-31T02:01:00.000-07:00

Another video found on YouTube, enjoy!

Ranzie Mensah in concerto - S. Elia a Pianisi

2011-08-31T01:38:00.000-07:00

New video of Ranzie on youTube but unfortunately not a lot of audio.

You can forward directly to 5 min 35 as is the best part.

Ranzie Mensah in concerto - S. Elia a Pianisi - YouTube

Un court reportage en français sur Ranzie et ses deux métiers

2010-06-16T14:14:00.000-07:00

Intercultura con Ranzie Mensah from ALX PRODUCTIONS on Vimeo.

Latest : Concert in Cyprus in June 2007

2007-05-29T16:30:00.000-07:00

Cyprus Arts and Music Festival planned for June

Classical singer Ranzie Mensah will perform in Cyprus, accompanied by pianist Alfredo Matera.

>Larger Photo > Related Photos

LIMASSOL, Cyprus, 16 April 2007 (BWNS) -- The Cyprus Arts and Music Festival planned for June will feature Baha'i musicians, actors, visual artists and speakers at a venue on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea.

The event -- which will include a film festival -- will be held from 23 to 29 June 2007 at a hotel in Limassol on the island nation of Cyprus.

"The festival is a multidimensional cultural event focusing on the performing and graphic arts, music, films, literature and drama," said Khosrow Afkhampour, program director for the event. "It aims to provide a platform for the proclamation of Baha'i ideas through artistic expression."

Performers will include violinist Bijan Khadem-Missagh, actress Beverly Evans, pianists Nancy Lee Harper and Alfredo Matera, and singers Ahdieh Bahiee and Ranzie Mensah, among others. Ariana Economous, artistic director of a modern dance company on Cyprus, will perform a solo act.

Suheil Bushrui will present a session on the literary study of the Baha'i writings. Other literary topics will include the poetry of Rumi and the work of Kahlil Gibran, author of "The Prophet" who in 1912 met with 'Abdu'l-Baha, at that time the head of the Baha'i Faith.

The festival will also feature arts workshops, planned in collaboration with the Baha'i Academy for Arts in the United Kingdom. Sarah Clive, Rob Weinberg, Aidan Mathews, and Shirin Maanian will be among the participants.

The film festival, planned in collaboration with the Harmony Film Festival in Australia, will feature works produced or directed by Baha'i filmmakers from around the globe.

List of CDs found on the internet

2007-05-29T16:26:00.001-07:00

(still cannot find how to order them, I will contact the site and post here if news)

		Who is Writing the Future? Ranzie Mensah Live

		Amazing Grace Ranzie Mensah with Alfredo Matera

		The Music of the Mountain Ranzie Mensah with Alfredo Matera

source: http://www.steinergraphics.com/mensah/music_discography.html

2007 photos

2007-05-29T16:19:00.000-07:00

source: http://news.bahai.org

San Marino, Teatro Titano

Jesi (Ancona), Premio Vallesina, June 2006

Music downloadable on http://www.divinenotes.com

2007-05-29T16:11:00.000-07:00

The site http://www.divinenotes.com has some intro and sample on their site, unfortunately I can't seem to find a site where to order a propper CD (not only download it)

More >

The Music of the Mountain

source: http://www.divinenotes.com/albums/TheMusicoftheMountain/09F2B069-C790-CF11-D5DD-E08523CAE79B

Biography written by Ranzie in 2006

2007-05-29T16:09:00.000-07:00

“Where the speech of man stops short, then the art of music begins.”

Richard Wagner

RANZIE MENSAH & MUSIC FOR THE WORLD

www.ranziemusic.com

I was twelve years old when I discovered my singing voice. I am now forty-five years old and I have never stopped singing since then.

It was a calling. Something I could not possibly ignore. It was breathing to me. I had no choice……. and I am grateful !

I am infinitely grateful to the destiny I chose and here I am, happy, content and with a feeling that there is still more to be done.

My work spans from Africa, where I launched my singing career.

Ghana, my native country, is where I began with my sister, Ekua. We were known on television as the Mensah Sisters. She was the soprano voice and I was the mezzo. We accompanied ourselves on the guitar and sang folk songs that were popular at the time – 1970’s Simon and Garfunkel, Joan Baez and Bob Dylan.

I miss those days. We were in seventh heaven. I was grateful.

Then I got married and moved to Ivory Coast where my solo career took a real turn. I performed, recorded in Paris, took African dance lessons, was constantly on television and toured West Africa. I was able to make a good living with my artistic activities, and I was grateful.

Then with my Italian husband we decided to move to Italy. We arrived with two young children and only our suitcases. We had practically nothing. My husband had spent twenty years of his life pioneering in West Africa. I had left behind my career and he had left behind wonderful and stirring memories. Africa had been home but we had to find a new home in another part of this earth which is one country. We struggled but looking back to the twelve years that I have been living in Italy, I am grateful…… again !

This part of my life can tell the story of performances in Italy and throughout Europe in some of the most prestigious theatres. The three most recent were in Monza (Milano), Sutri (Rome) and Donnas (Aosta).

The concert in Monza was to commemorate the 8^th of March, Women’s Day. The stage designing was done by a mother and daughter duo. It featured an African theme : two large curtains with the features of African women and bright colours and geometric shapes fell from the ceiling and adorned the stage. In a corner of the stage there was a tent depicting the Saharan desert. It was a masterpiece of a work of art !

The concert in Sutri (Rome) was held in an amazing Etruscan amfitheatre. Powerful lights were launched at a great height to illuminate the brown stone from which this ancient people carved and sculpted. The acoustics too were magnificent !

It was piano and voice. The repertoire was spirituals, gospels and songs from Africa.

This year was proclaimed International Year of Water. On this occasion I experimented performing with a group of musicians who played folk instruments : the celtic harp, French bagpipe and various flutes and percussion, the bandelion and an instrument called the hurdy-gurdy. I sang songs that all had the theme of water. Songs such as : “Wet”, “After the Rain”, “Niagara”, “Wade in the Water”, “Take me to the Water”.

In June, I started a weekly Radio programme called “Intercultura”. It is broadcast every Fridays with a repeat on Sunday mornings. The aim of the programme is to promote unity in diversity by presenting different cultures mainly through their music, their proverbs, their poetry and their fables. I dedicated entire programmes to Gospel music, Zanzibar, Brasil, Chile, South Africa etc.

During the school year I get busy working with children from kindergarten to High School presenting Africa through music and dance.

In December, I will begin a course on African Dance with my daughter Lua, who will be coming from Toronto to teach the classes. Lua graduated from the Randolph School of Performing Arts as an actress, dancer and singer and is presently doing film and theatre in Canada.

At the end of October, PHOENIX will be launched. PHOENIX will be a Newsletter to promote the Arts and will be sent to subscribers all over the world. Artists and lovers of the Arts are warmly invited to contribute articles, share reports, activities and thoughts. Anyone who might be interested in receiving PHOENIX by e-mail may send their e-mail address to: ranzie.mensah@virgilio.it

I just finished recording a CD of World Music with a well-known producer, destined for the international market. It will be entitled “Never Give In”.

My father said that the first attribute of art is beauty and it is on this quality that all evaluation of the arts must begin.

Dad, I am truly grateful to you and all that you gave me through your example.

Ranzie Mensah

source: http://www.ebwn.net/archivio/issue_6/Ranzie.htm

1995: Ranzie at the World Summit on Social Development in Copenhagen

2007-05-29T16:07:00.000-07:00

Ranzie Mensah

Ranzie has produced several recordings of which the latest, Amazing Grace, received publicity on the cover of a distinguished music magazine in Italy. She was invited to perform at the World Summit on Social Development in Copenhagen in 1995 and the Summit on Environment in Berlin. Ranzie has taken part in various programmes for radio and television in Africa, France and Italy.

Other highlights of her career include performing in Paris at the Théatre de la Mutualité, in Italy at the famed Teatro Comunale di Ferrara and on a North American tour.

As one reviewer noted, "With her warm, powerful voice Ranzie Mensah has been singing since childhood and certainly initiated many transmutations in her audience."

source: http://www.divinenotes.com/artists/RanzieMensah/DAC21506-A8C2-4A02-8410-9107E3246E80

why this blog... ?

2007-05-29T15:57:00.000-07:00

This blog is dedicated to Ranzie Mensah, an amazing classical vocal singer.
I happen to have seen her in concert when I was living with my parents in Ivory Coast I think it must have been around 1985 and since then her voice has haunted me.
My parents had bought me a LP 12inch disc record and we had to queue to get her autograph, it's only later that I must have discovered that she was my first Diva ;-)

Anyway, my parents and I always wondered what happened to her since she stopped touring in West-Africa a few years later, and now with the Internet I just thought of searching for her news, and decided to collate what I found here. And surprise : I have the great pleasure to see that she is still touring, read this page to see where and when.
NicoFars aka FraNcois, french posting from London, UK.