International Human Rights Arts Festival

Nature's Secret

December 12, 2025

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Description

Nature’s Secret is a song cycle exploring serenity, loss, and the cost of corruption on the natural world. The work imagines a future rooted in restorative justice, one where environmental revitalization is intertwined with social healing and a just energy transition. Through Marieke de Koker (voice) and Lamis Shams (piano), with Nature’s Secret, composer Ongama Mhlontlo evokes the beauty of nature and the resilience of communities seeking healing and environmental justice.
Ongama Mhlontlo (he/him) is a versatile tenor, composer, and music educator who bridges classical and contemporary expression. A graduate of the Manhattan School of Music (2021) and the University of Cape Town (2019), his highlights include his recent solo debut at Carnegie Hall, serving as a choral scholar with the Oratorio Society of New York. Alongside composing acclaimed works such as Struggles and Hope (2023), The Truth Above All Things (2023), and Coldest Winter (2018); he was named among the Mail & Guardian 200 Young South Africans of 2023. Marieke de Koker (she/her) is a multi-genre performer from South Africa whose work explores environmental sustainability and social justice. Notable performances with Bronx Opera, Overtone Industries, La Mama, WQXR Radio, Brooklyn Theatre TV, Gauteng Philharmonic, Garden State Opera, among others. Past workshops and residencies include Artichoke Dance Company's Eco-arts Ambassadors, White Snake Projects's Sing Out Strong, the International Contemporary Ensemble's Ensemble Evolution and the Windybrow Arts Center's Aluta Continuaseries. Marieke launched www.akojopo.org - a nonprofit publishing platform for Pan-African art music, and currently serves as a founding board member of Opéra Queens and studio manager at EMC Holistic Arts. Egyptian pianist Lamis Shams began her studies at the Cairo Conservatoire at age ten and has since performed as a soloist and collaborative pianist at major venues across Europe and the Middle East, including the Cairo Opera House. She has won several national and international competitions and appeared as a soloist with the Cairo Symphony Orchestra in 2022. Lamis holds degrees from the Cairo Conservatoire and completed advanced studies in the U.S., earning her Master’s in Piano Performance and a Professional Studies diploma from Manhattan School of Music—becoming the first Egyptian woman to study there. She is currently a doctoral candidate at Rutgers University, where she also teaches and lectures. Passionate about music’s transformative power, she has served on the faculties of the Cairo and Alexandria Conservatories.uplift communities and has served on the faculty at both Cairo and Alexandria Conservatories.