From Prince Albert to Johannesburg: jazz, community and the next generation of Karoo talent.

Journey to Jazz began with a simple belief: the arts can carry a community forward. This November, the Prince Albert festival brings its musicians, young hospitality trainees and community spirit to Johannesburg ahead of its fifth edition, taking place from 29 April to 2 May 2027.

Founded by award-winning broadcaster Brenda Sisane and Prince Albert Community Trust (PACT) founder Ingrid Wolfaardt, Journey to Jazz connects the Karoo’s routes and roots with young people finding their voice through jazz. The festival takes place in Prince Albert at the foot of the Swartberg Pass, part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with the pass itself serving as one of its performance venues.

Music that helps a community learn, earn and belong Jazz has long provided a language for activism, transformation and expression across generations and cultures. That spirit reflects PACT’s vision of an equitable future in which young people know where they come from and have the agency to choose where they go next. The trust supports children and young adults through three connected pathways: Learn, Earn and Belong. Journey to Jazz brings all three together.

“Jazz travels to wherever it is practised: Japan, Nigeria, Johannesburg, Switzerland and to the cultures these destinations consume. This encourages young people to collaborate, to imagine within their own context and to embrace their roots, affirming the way they understand themselves, their culture and their landscape,” says Brenda Sisane, Festival Creative Director.

PACT’s #us4us arts festival has helped build the organisation’s festival-hosting capacity since 2016, attracting audiences of up to 4,000. As Journey to Jazz enters its fifth edition, the festival and the trust continue to strengthen one another: children and young people contribute exhibitions and performances, while the festival has helped foster social enterprises including ONS and the Showroom Theatre in the centre of Prince Albert.

A taste of the Karoo at Sankayi

On Wednesday, 11 November 2026, the young PACT team will join festival organisers and local performers in Johannesburg for an invitation-only gathering at Sankayi Jazz Club in Sandton. The evening will offer guests a chance to meet the people behind Journey to Jazz, hear the music and experience the hospitality that makes the Prince Albert festival distinctive.

ONS chef Shane Jacobs and six students from the ONS Hospitality Academy will collaborate with Sankayi’s chef on a special menu bringing Karoo flavours to the city. Their visit is as much about learning and exchanging skills as it is about sharing the region’s food and culture.

“For some of our students, this will be their first time in Johannesburg, a city they have mostly seen on television. There’s excitement and a little nervousness, but mostly pride. We’re bringing a bit of home with us: our food, our hospitality and our community. This is more than a trip. It’s a chance for these young people to learn, grow in confidence and show Johannesburg what Prince Albert has to offer,” says Shane Jacobs, chef at ONS and head of the PACT Hospitality Academy.

The music programme brings Prince Albert performers together with award-winning saxophonist Sisonke Xonti and acclaimed pianist Yonela Mnana.

The spirit of collaboration extends beyond the music, with Mohair South Africa and Weltevrede Fig Farm contributing to the Johannesburg celebration. Their support brings a distinctly Karoo touch to the occasion, celebrating the craftsmanship, local produce and generosity that are part of the wider Journey to Jazz experience.

Building musical bridges in Soweto

On Thursday, 12 November, the Johannesburg visit continues at Soweto Theatre in collaboration with Mnana Musicology and pianist, vocalist and educator Yonela Mnana.

Bringing together musicians and music educators from the Soweto Theatre Community Orchestra, Morris Isaacson Centre for Music, Mnana Musicology and Prince Albert, the afternoon will explore the role of partnerships in community music development, building bands and orchestras, and establishing new networks for music education.

The programme will culminate in a live concert featuring the Yonela Mnana Band, Soweto Theatre Community Orchestra and Prince Albert Community Musicians, creating a space for musical exchange across communities and generations.

The collaboration also strengthens a growing relationship between Soweto and Prince Albert, with the Soweto Theatre Community Orchestra invited to perform at Journey to Jazz’s fifth edition in May 2027.

Beyond the performances, the Johannesburg visit includes opportunities for cultural exchange and visits to historical sites in and around the city.

Supported by the Western Cape Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport (DCAS), the visit brings the culture, cuisine and creativity of the Western Cape to Gauteng audiences, while extending an invitation to experience Journey to Jazz in the Karoo in 2027.

Journey to Jazz’s fifth edition takes place in Prince Albert, Western Cape, from 29 April to 2 May 2027.

Notes to editors

About Prince Albert Community Trust (PACT) The Prince Albert Community Trust is a non-profit organisation in Prince Albert in the Central Karoo. It creates pathways for young people to learn, earn and belong through education, arts, skills training and social enterprise.

Its work includes the Education & Arts Centre, ONS, PACT Hospitality Academy (in partnership with the Franschhoek Hospitality Academy), the Showroom Theatre, the #us4us festival and Journey to Jazz.

Websites: www.pactrust.co.za | www.journeytojazz.co.za
#TrueJazzTrueKaroo #GroetisnMoet #journeytojazz #fiveandinspired

Melissa Lubbe | Digital Marketing Consultant | Content Strategist http://www.pactrust.co.za; www.journeytojazz.co.za