Prodigies (South African TV series)

Prodigies is a South African classical music talent show for singers, dancers, and musicians aged 8 to 15 and is based on the French reality competition Prodiges. All performances are accompanied by a choir of roughly 40 voices and a full orchestra of approximately 60 members under the direction of Kelly Steytler.

Unlike the original series in France, for which both episodes in each season are pre-recorded, the season finale in South African version is a live show for which the overall winner is decided solely by televoting despite the super finalists from each category being decided by the corresponding judge. The semi-final, however, is pre-recorded.

Series overview

 * Contestant mentored by Pretty Yende (singers)
 * Contestant mentored by Dada Masilo (dancers)
 * Contestant mentored by Ammiel Bushakevitz (musicians)
 * Contestant mentored by Golda Schultz (singers)

Season 1 (2020)
Here are the contestants and performance details from the inaugural season. Contestants whose names are in bold qualified for the season finale, while contestants whose names are underlined were the super finalists of their respective categories. The season finale was filmed at an empty auditorium following the COVID-19 outbreak.


 * Musicians
 * Anna, age 15, accordion - "Slow Motion" by Hosokawa / "Hungarian Dance #5" by Brahms
 * Luna, age 10, violin - "Promentory" by Trevor Jones
 * Nicolas, age 13, piano - "La Campanella" by Liszt / "Piano Sonata #14" by Beethoven
 * Oscar, age 11, trumpet - "Pomp and Circumstance" by Elgar
 *  Philip , age 15, clarinet - "Danse Klezmer" by Fröst / "Clarinet Concerto" by Mozart


 * Singers
 * Daniel, age 15 - "The Cold Song" from King Arthur / "Panis Angelicus" by César Franck
 * Katie, age 13 - "Where Do I Begin?" from Love Story
 * Latisha, age 12 - "Parla più piano" by Rota / "O mio babbino caro" from Gianni Schicchi
 * Lucas, age 15 - "Non piangere, Liù" from Turandot
 *  Stella , age 14 - "Can't Help Falling in Love" by Elvis Presley / "Time to Say Goodbye" by Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman


 * Dancers
 * Amy, age 14 - "Adagio in G minor" by Giazotto
 *  Céline , age 12 - "My Way" by Frank Sinatra / "Waltz #2" by Shostakovich
 * Gaia, age 11 - "The Blue Danube" by Strauss / "The River Cam" by Whitacre
 * Matt, age 15 - "Allegro con brio" by Beethoven / "Overture" from The Barber of Seville
 * Melissa, age 12 - "Swan Lake" by Tchaikovsky

Results
The overall winner was 14-year-old Stella from the singers category, after she won the public vote 42%.

Season 2 (2021)
Here are the contestants and performance details from season 2. Contestants whose names are in bold qualified for the season finale, while contestants whose names are underlined were the super finalists of their respective categories. For the second year in a row, this season was filmed at an empty auditorium due to the COVID-19 pandemic.


 * Musicians
 * Carly, age 15, clarinet - "Première rhapsodie" by Debussy
 * Maria, age 15, cello - "Paris quartets" by Georg Telemann / "In Freundschaft" by Stockhausen
 *  Stacy , age 10, violin - "Violin Concerto" by Tchaikovsky / "Chôros bis" by Lobos
 * Steve, age 12, flute - "Le merle noir" by Messiaen / "Joueurs de flûte" by Roussel
 * Zach, age 13, trombone - "Sequenza V" by Berio


 * Singers
 *  Brendan , age 15 - "Toreador Song" from Carmen / "Nessun dorma" from Turandot
 * Claire, age 13 - "L'ho perduta, me meschina" from The Marriage of Figaro / "La mamma morta" from Andrea Chénier
 * Shawn, age 15 - "O du mein holder Abendstern" from Tannhäuser
 * Victoria, age 14 - "Un bel dì, vedremo" from Madame Butterfly / "Memory" from Cats
 * Vivian, age 11 - "Nella Fantasia" by Sarah Brightman


 * Dancers
 *  Alicia , age 15 - "Conquest of Paradise" from 1492: Christopher Columbus / "Dies iræ" from Requiem
 * Eden, age 15 - "Pavane" by Fauré / "Overture" from William Tell
 * Melvin, age 14 - "Morning Mood" by Grieg
 * Monroe, age 15 - "Farandole" by Bizet
 * Zoé, age 13 - "Tenement Symphony" from The Big Store / "Danse des chevaliers" by Prokofiev

Results
The overall winner was 15-year-old Brendan from the singers category, after he won the public vote 47%.

Season 3 (2022)
Here are the contestants and performance details from season 3. Contestants whose names are in bold qualified for the season finale, while contestants whose names are underlined were the super finalists of their respective categories.


 * Musicians
 *  Carlos , age 12, guitar - "Asturias" by Albéniz / "Histoire du Tango" by Piazzolla
 * Cedric, age 14, piano - "Ballade pour Adeline" by Clayderman and De Senneville / "Feuillets inédits" by Messiaen
 * Luna, age 8, violin - "Serenade for Strings" by Dvořák
 * Rita, age 11, flute - "Summertime" from Porgy and Bess / "Exploding Fixed" by Boulez
 * Tyrone, age 12, trumpet - "The Discovered Statue" by Satie


 * Singers
 * Miguel, age 15 - "La donna è mobile" from Rigoletto / "Vesti la giubba" from Pagliacci
 *  Sandra , age 13 - "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen / "Your Love" from Once Upon a Time in the West
 * Selina, age 15 - "Der Hölle Rache" from The Magic Flute
 * Thandiswa, age 12 - "Lascia ch'io pianga" from Rinaldo
 * Tyler, age 11 - "Ave Maria de Caccini" by Vavilov / "O sole mio" by Di Capua and Capurro


 * Dancers
 * Chanel, age 15 - "Hedwig's Theme" from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone / "Zombie" by The Cranberries
 * Josh, age 15 - "I've Got My Eye on You" from Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest / "Conservati fedele" by Mozart
 * Marissa, age 14 - "The Heart Asks Pleasure First" by Nyman
 *  Rachel , age 12 - "Shallow" by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper / "Chant de Linos" by Jolivet
 * Chelsea, age 13 - "Un dì, felice, eterea" from La traviata

Results
The overall winner was 12-year-old Rachel from the dancers category, after she won the public vote 38%.

Season 4 (2023)
Here are the contestants and performance details from season 4. Contestants whose names are in bold qualified for the season finale, while contestants whose names are underlined were the super finalists of their respective categories.


 * Musicians
 * Curtis, age 14, piano - "Piano Sonata #14" by Beethoven
 * Fiona, age 9, violin - "My Man's Gone Now" from Porgy and Bess
 *  Justin , age 15, trombone - "Sonata in D minor" by Speer / "Two Aequali" by Bruckner
 * Lina, age 15, saxophone - "Sakura-Variationen" by Lachenmann / "Tableaux de Provence" by Maurice
 * Naomi, age 12, cello - "Nomos Alpha" by Xenakis / "Petals" by Saariaho


 * Singers
 * Adam, age 15 - "O du mein holder Abendstern" from Tannhäuser
 * John, age 15 - "Possente spirto" from L'Orfeo / "È la solita storia del pastore" from L'arlesiana
 * Katrina, age 14 - "Signore, ascolta!" from Turandot / "Frühlingsstimmen" by Strauss
 * Marina, age 10 - "Music of the Night" from Phantom of the Opera
 *  Sierra , age 11 - "L'amour est un oiseau rebelle" from Carmen / "Look to Your Path" from The Chorus


 * Dancers
 * Júlia, age 14 - "Duchessa tu m'appelli" from Luisa Miller / "Someone Like You" by Adele
 * Kyle, age 14 - "Elevator and Headache" from The Punisher
 * Liam, age 15 - "Gilderoy Lockhart" from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets / "Raptor Repartee" from Jurassic Park 3
 *  Lucretia , age 14 - "Farewell to Cheyenne" from Once Upon a Time in the West / "You'll Be in My Heart" by Phil Collins
 * Melanie, age 12 - "Ding-Dong, the Witch Is Dead" from The Wizard of Oz

Results
The overall winner was 15-year-old Justin from the musicians category, after she won the public vote 40%.

Tours
Starting from 2022, all 15 contestants co-headline a tour across South Africa reprising their performances in order from the semi-final to the season finale. Tours promoting seasons one and two weren't held due to the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa.


 * Prodigies 2022 on Tour
 * Prodigies 2023 on Tour