Simo Sibiya

SIMO SIBIYA
FOUNDER, ALTO SAXOPHONIST, COMPOSER, ARRANGER AND BANDLEADER
Simo Sibiya is a composer and alto saxophonist born and raised in Katlehong. His Music journey began at young age when his father took him and his brother to learn how to play the Euphonium and would utilise the skills to serve at the church. While a band member at his father’s church he also joined the school choir as he had already begun to have deep interests in the making of music. When he was 16 years he took opera singing lessons at a local music school where he was mentored by a great vocal coach and soprano singer Nomthandazo (Mkhize) Solomon. He sang opera as a dramatic tenor for 3 years. At the age of 21 he was appointed by a local community church to become the band’s leader and director. This opportunity was great and this was the time he learnt more about music composition and arranging and at the same time a place where he met Lunga Gubelana who would later become his best friend and introduce him to jazz music. Simo Sibiya realised his talent of music composition and when Lunga introduced him to Jazz in 2016 he never wanted to look back. He started taking saxophone lessons as this was one instrument that spoke to him more than the others when it comes to Jazz and to top it all, his friend was already a saxophonist at the time. In 2017, Simo Sibiya began to take more lessons from other saxophonists and attended Master Music for extra lessons. In the Same year, Simo Sibiya and his friend Lunga Gubelana formed a band called 251Afrika and he has been performing with the band in festivals, shows and concerts ever since. Simo continues to learn more about Jazz and African music and aims at making a difference in his community and the world at large by keeping the spirit of jazz alive and assisting other local upcoming musicians to become the best at what they do.