00:02She didn't grow up in a concert hall, but in Soweto, where art was rare, space was limited, and dreaming
00:08aloud was not welcome.
00:11Everything changed when she found a flute. It was broken, but it would become her voice.
00:16It was actually unintended. I found the flute, I found this passion for this instrument.
00:23And it turns out that so many people identify with who I am, and also finding that I have a
00:30lot of causes that I'm very passionate about that are not just music.
00:34Today, Kanyisilya brings music to places like the Nelson Mandela Children's Hospital as a part of her broader humanitarian mission.
00:42Not as charity, but as recognition, because she remembers what it feels like to be unseen.
00:50When I was first exposed to music, it was also through a community concert in Soweto.
00:57And I just remember that feeling of being exposed to something, but also feeling very seen in a community where
01:06you didn't feel seen.
01:07And that someone from up high decided to come here and actually see you and expose you to this world,
01:15which has completely changed my life.
01:19It's her music that brings the children to hear hope, healing, and hopefully social change.
01:24Some of them, they see the orchestral instruments for the first time.
01:28They're just so curious.
01:30And so music is wonderful.
01:33It's a wonderful tool to enhance our curiosity.
01:37Kanyisilya Mteto didn't choose classical music because it welcomed her.
01:41She chose it because it spoke to something inside of her, even when the world around her didn't.
01:48And the more I played, the more I performed, the more I started to get exposure.
01:53I started to find a lot of people coming to me and saying, I recognize with you.
01:59You represent opportunities I never had.
02:03And so many people reaching out to me.
02:05And I thought, oh my gosh, I thought I'm just playing the flute.
02:08But that's when Kanyisilya understood this was no longer just about music.
02:13Every time she stepped on stage, she carried expectations, histories, and unspoken pain, especially of girls who had learned to
02:21stay quiet.
02:22There's times you feel like, I want to be more than a black body on stage.
02:27My voice can be used behind the stage, in boards, asking difficult questions, advocating, and seeing gaps that people might
02:38not even be aware of.
02:39And because of all this amazing stuff you've done on the stage, people actually listen to you.
02:44Classical music has space for her talent, but not always for her truth.
02:49So she made a decision many are afraid to make, to speak, even when it would be uncomfortable.
02:55For her, just to pursue the music, it was so unconventional, you know, even for us as a family.
03:02And she actually uses her own passion, uses the music to actually make sure that she contributes positively onto others
03:11and as well as to us as a family.
03:13Unfortunately, she didn't come from a system built for success.
03:16She came from people who believed, even when the path made no sense.
03:21Her dedication carried her from a borrowed flute to historic milestones.
03:27Principal flattest of the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra.
03:31She's sort of the hut of the orchestra, because she gets to play quite a lot of melodies, which shine
03:38through in many of our concerts.
03:40And through other work that she does independently, including her recordings and teachings, they are only a testament to her
03:49talent, but more importantly, to her passion for music, for diversity in music.
03:57And for the girl with the flute, there's been even more to talk.
04:01She's a two-time Sama winner.
04:03But accolades were never the destination.
04:06They were leverage.
04:09I really feel that it's helped my advocacy work in that I'm able to be a strong voice for artists
04:17who might otherwise have been overlooked.
04:20Power doesn't always look like protest.
04:22Sometimes it looks like having a seat at the table and refusing to stay silent.
04:27Your talent will take you this far, but humility, respect, seeing other people as, whether it's a world leader or
04:36a cleaner or a janitor or a security guard, that will take you places you cannot even imagine.
04:44She started with a broken flute and ended with a voice.
04:47And she's using it.
04:51And she's using it.
04:53And she's using it.
04:54And she's using it.
04:54And she's within the world for patience.
04:54And she will be able to do great things for delighting yourself in your culture.
04:54And she'll be interested in this time to be fun.
04:54And I'm not sure.
04:55And I'm not going.
04:59SoHagog You're doing your work.
05:01SoHHDD whichaph A.
05:01And I love it.
05:02And I love it.
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