We kick off the 2009 Festival with the beautiful voices of two talented vocalists: from Oslo comes Norwegian singer Guro Gravem Johansen, Assistant Professor at the Norwegian Academy of Music, where she specialises in free improvisation, and from Cape Town comes songbird Melanie Scholtz.  Melanie has made a name for herself in both opera and jazz, and is extending her international reputation through Europe. She has performed with the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra, Sibongile Khumalo, Joe McBride and many more in a variety of music styles. Joining these two stunning singers is the lyrical trumpet of Brian Thusi, who is known for his poignant performances in places as far afield as Japan, West Africa and Haiti. He has performed with an equally diverse range of musicians - the KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestra, African Jazz Pioneers and Kenny Baron to name a few. Backing them is the top-class rhythm section of Melvin Peters (piano), Jazz lecturer at Natal and Pretoria Universities; Marc Duby (bass), Professor of Music at Rhodes University; and Mozambican drummer extraordinaire Frank Paco.