PETER FELDMAN
The singer is Yael Benjamin, who launched her professional music career in November last year with her album, “Fly Away”. She told Jewish Report of the excitement of being chosen to sing the French anthem in front of thousands of people in the stadium, with millions more watching on TV.
“As a child I could sing the anthem which I learned at school when I studied French,” she said, “and now it’s a very exciting opportunity for me to receive international coverage.
“Although I am deeply patriotic about South Africa, it is a great honour to sing this anthem for our French visitors and it affords me another opportunity to use my singing as an expression of multiculturalism. I truly believe that music can be a universal language, creating unity among us all.”
Yael speaks several languages, including French and Hebrew, and can sing in eight.
Other exciting family news she shared is that her seven-year-old daughter Naomi, in grade 2 at Sandton Sinai, has been cast as Gus in Cinderella, which will be staged at the People’s Theatre in Parktown at the end of June. This very much seems a case of like mother, like daughter.
Naomi also plays the piano, dances, does musical theatre and is a gymnast. “She is passionate about music and performance and to quote her ballet teacher, she ‘shines on that stage’,” said her proud mother.
Of her own singing career, Yael says she is planning another album with original material and is collaborating with other artists on the project.
“As a woman and as a proud South African, I am motivated by both inspiring others along their journeys as well as by being inspired by the successes and innovations of others, all contributing to a better country and a better world,” she added.
