Lives Legacies Legends - 16: "Sorry. I Am What I Am." The Life and Letters of the South African Pianist and Opera Coach Gordon Jephtas (1943-92)

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Gordon Jephtas (1943-92) was born into a poor, coloured, single-parent family in South Africa. His passion for music began with piano lessons inspired by a local church harmonium player. As a teenager, he accompanied the amateur coloured opera group "Eoan" in Cape Town before moving to Europe to advance his studies. His career took off in 1972 when he was appointed to assist conductor Nello Santi at the Zurich Opera House. Jephtas gained a reputation as a vocal coach in Italian opera, thriving in Switzerland's liberal environment that allowed him to express his sexuality. He collaborated with opera legends like Renata Tebaldi, Plácido Domingo, Montserrat Caballé, and Luciano Pavarotti. Despite his international acclaim, Jephtas struggled with a deep desire for acceptance in South Africa, where his talent was overshadowed by the racial hierarchy. An offer to become an "honorary white" only deepened his internal conflict. His success in the USA was marred by personal hardships, culminating in his death in New York in 1992. This book explores Jephtas's life and career through letters to May Abrahamse, a coloured singer from his youth, revealing the profound impact of apartheid on his psyche and his experiences as a gifted South African navigating race and sexuality during the AIDS epidemic.