Two Nations in Song Linking the Dominican Republic and South Africa
by Dilon Bhana and Anisha Pemjee - TDS
1 December 2025
When Dominican soprano Stephany Ortega landed in South Africa, she said she felt as though she had arrived in the Dominican Republic. In an interview with The Diplomatic Society, she shared that the country felt familiar and that she was happy to be in Africa for the first time. “It is like I am putting together the puzzle of my roots and exploring the heritage of African music,” she said.
Stephany visited South Africa to participate in the second annual concert for the International Day Against Women Abuse, commemorating the Mirabal Sisters and hosted by the Embassy of the Dominican Republic. The Mirabal sisters Patria, Minerva and María Teresa opposed the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo and along with their activist companions, came to be known as Las Mariposas, or The Butterflies. The three sisters were brutally assassinated on 25 November 1960 and on 17 December 1999, the United Nations General Assembly designated 25 November as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women in honour of the sisters.
Stephany, adorned with a beautiful ‘butterfly’ ring, delivered a breathtaking performance alongside acclaimed South African soprano Khayakazi Madlala, accompanied by pianist Paul Ferreira. The concert featured a selection of solos from each singer and concluded with a series of duets.
Before the performance, Stephany said she was excited to discover what would connect her and Khayakazi through music. She described music and musical events as meaningful ways to start conversations in diplomacy. She believes in sharing music and art with the world as a tool for building connections, something she has extensive experience in.
After dreaming of international opportunities in classical music since her teenage years, Stephany left the Dominican Republic in 2005 on a scholarship to the Luxembourg Conservatoire. Since then, she has travelled widely and performed around the globe.
Reflecting on the highlights of her career, Stephany mentioned her performance at the iconic Carnegie Hall in New York and at the Budapest Arena for a large audience. Now, she proudly adds her first performance in Africa, celebrating the memory of the Mirabal Sisters as a Dominican woman and a feminist, to that list.
Stephany has also spent significant time in China, where she originally planned to take a break from her career. When she found herself stuck there during the Covid-19 pandemic, she began developing a new project and went on to perform in many cities across China. She completed her first tour there in April and hopes to continue building her presence in Asia.
Beyond her travels, Stephany’s career is marked by versatility. She performs in many languages, takes on multiple roles, and crosses styles and genres with ease. She has spoken about a new project next year in which she will combine pop and opera as both performer and conductor, a continuation of her efforts in previous and upcoming recordings. Her goal is to bring pop to opera audiences and opera to pop audiences. Stephany shared her interest in ‘pOpera’, a space where new and old, pop and opera, meet.
The concert on 25 November 2025 at the ZK Matthews Hall at UNISA was a celebration of this genre-blending approach. Where Khayakazi delivered a more opera style, Stephany performed art songs, which she called the ancestors of pop songs. Stephany moved fluidly between styles and paid special tribute to Mexican composer María Grever, noting how often women composers are left out of Western classical music. Grever, one of Mexico’s most celebrated composers of the 20th century, wrote more than 800 works, including musicals, operas, contemporary songs, and film scores.
The programme also included South African composition by S.B.P. Mnomiya (performed by Khayakazi Madlala), Western classical pieces, musical theatre numbers such as the encore duet I Feel Pretty, and songs like the Por Amor, composed by Dominican Rafael Solano, which was also performed by Dominican violinist Aisha Syed Castro during last year’s inaugural concert.
Stephany leaves young musicians with a heartfelt message: it is not easy to pursue a career in music, but with hard work and by embracing what makes you different, you can succeed. When she was young, people warned her not to study music because she would struggle financially. Her response was simple, it didn’t matter, because she would be happy. As a teenager, she committed to working hard and becoming truly excellent. Today, she says she has proved that determined young girl right.
Credit: UnisaVideos