Sep 2019 - Lowveld

Text: ALITA STEENKAMP
A TRUE
CHAMELEON
During this year’s Innibos Art Festival, Henry-John Williams once again had the opportunity
to show off his wonderful talent. As an entertainer, he delights wherever he goes.
Creativity has many avenues. Like
a true artist, Henry-John easily slips
from one creative role to the other.
This Mbombelan earns a living as
an interior designer, designing kitchens,
entertainment areas and even
furniture for Brett Stephen Design.
The other side of his creativity comes
alive when he sits behind a keyboard,
writing songs, or accompanying
other musicians on stage. Add to that
his ability to write the anchor text for
musical shows, his directing skills and
beautifully wide-ranged voice, and
you will find a multitalented man.
For Henry-John it all started in a
creative home environment. When
he was still very small, his mother
bought them an organ, but he wasn’t
interested in playing at all. His older
sister on the other hand, figured it
out for herself and loved to play
music. In grade nine, things changed.
“One morning I woke up with a
26 Get It Lowveld September 2019
sudden urge to play music, but I
didn’t have any idea where to begin.
One of my good school friends,
Marian Steenkamp, had been
attending music lessons from an early
age and she promised to teach me
everything about music theory. Back
at home I used the organ to figure
out what I had learnt,” he explains.
A wonderful opportunity came
Henry-John’s way when he joined
a group, Jubelatum Singers, after
matric. During the year he learnt a lot
about the entertainment business
and working behind the scenes.
He also got an opportunity to work
alongside Lizz Meiring for three years.
Lizz is a well-known Afrikaans actress
and compère and for three years he
acted as her driver, sound engineer
and technical help at shows. This was
a wonderful learning curve.
“Touring with Lizz was fantastic! I
have never laughed so much in my
life! She really taught me to always
The cast of Dis Afrikaans, My Kind,
Henry-John wrote and directed this
musical production in 2018
enjoy the ride and be adaptable.
When I work with artists, I always
remind them of those two things.
Having had a father with a business
mind and a creative mother left me
well-balanced. It might sound like a
wonderful benefit, but sometimes it
is a heavy burden.
“Usually creative people live bohemian
lifestyles, not caring too much
about what lies ahead. The moment
that I start to think about a full-time
career in the arts this little voice
inside my head goes, ‘No, Henry-John!
You like to drive a decent car and
prefer to stay in a beautiful environment!
Everybody knows that unless
you are Ed Sheeran or Elton John, you
will barely survive. So, stick to your
day job’ .”
A few years ago, when Henry-John
and singer/performer Natascha C
started to work together on musical
productions, they decided to
showcase their performance on the
stoep of a friend who lives in West Acres. They invited a
few friends and acquaintances and these final “repetitions”
in front of an audience soon became very popular. When
Henry-John and his partner moved back to Mbombela, he
started using their home as a concert venue, calling it the
Konzert Huis. The basic idea is to put on an intimate show
in the comfort of a house and guests bring their own food
and drinks, and pay a small entrance fee.
“The moment we sent out the invitation via email, everybody
jumped to book a seat. There really is a big need
for a theatre in Mbombela. People just love the intimacy
and interaction of shows on such a small scale and paying
R100 or less for a ticket is very affordable. Last year I had
to relocate and unfortunately the venue is no longer
available. We are currently looking for the right spot to do
the next house concert, as I already have ideas for two
concerts up my sleeve. Anybody is welcome to join the
mailing list of Konzert Huiz to find out when a new event
is advertised. The plan is to find a permanent spot for a
small theatre by 2020,” says Henry-John.
In 2018 he went through an extremely difficult time in
his life, but now he has put it all behind him. Time helps
and he has come to the point where he has the courage
and energy to tackle anything that comes his way, always
doing his very best. “I believe that no one will come back
as a cat or the pope or a post box. You only have this one
life. One day I don’t want to look back and regret anything.
My motto in life is to do anything to the best of my ability,
whether I am busy designing something or whether I am
busy performing. If it is not my best, I’d rather not do it!”
Details
diekonserthuiz@vodamail.co.za or hjmusiek@vodamail.co.za
Henry-John Williams
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