The first-ever Symphonic Rocks in Cape Town in 2010 was a runaway success – and this year’s Symphonic Rocks feature a cross-genre mix (from rock to pop, adult contemporary, R&B, hip hop and electro) of some of South Africa’s most popular artists.

These include the impressively versatile Arno Carstens, R&B star, Loyiso, Ard Matthews of Just Jinjer, popular rock outfits CrashCarBurn and Zebra and Giraffe, critically acclaimed hip-hop outfit, Tumi & The Volume and Cape Town’s Flat Stanley. The country’s top-selling group of 2010, Locnville, will be part of the Symphonic Rocks Johannesburg’s line-up as will Freshlyground’s extraordinary vocalist, Zolani Mahola.

Symphonic Rocks is the brainchild of Flat Stanley’s frontman, Andy Mac who innovated the event in 2010. Last year saw Just Jinjer, Louise Carver, Watershed, aKING& Gang of Instrumentals playing their best known and loved songs together with a 65-piece symphony orchestra.  The concert was an unprecedented success, selling out and stimulating demand for Symphonic Rocks presented by Heineken® in association with 5FM in other cities. In response to this, the 2011 event again takes place at The Grand Arena Grand West Casino in Cape Town on 1 October before moving onto The Big Top Arena, Carnival City for the first-ever Johannesburg event on October 7th.

Mac, who had been dreaming up and planning the event for six years, was overwhelmed at the response to the first Symphonic Rocks and is buzzed about what lies in store for music fans this year. “Last year it was incredible to see the collaborative process at work between the pop and rock musicians and their classical counterparts,” Mac says. “The many months of work that goes into scoring the orchestral arrangements for all the Artists is pretty intense, but witnessing the audience and Artists themselves experiencing these songs in a way they never have before is worth every ounce of effort!”

Tickets cost R225 in Cape Town and R225, R250 and R275 in Joburg and booking is open at Computicket.