PR 26-0649

MURIEL BOWSER
    MAYOR
April 20, 2026
The Honorable Phil Mendelson
Chairman
Council of the District of Columbia
John A. Wilson Building
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Suite 504
Washington, DC 20004
Dear Chairman Mendelson:
In accordance with section 2 of the Confirmation Act of 1978, effective March 3, 1979 (D.C. Law 2-
142; D.C. Official Code § 1-523.01), and pursuant to section 5 of the Office and Commission on
African Affairs Act of 2006, effective June 8, 2006 (D.C. Law 16-111, D.C. Official Code § 2-1394),
I am pleased to nominate the following individual:
                                    Mr. Thandolwethu Mamba
                                     Maryland Avenue, NE
                                     Washington, DC 20002
                                            (Ward 6)
for appointment as a public member of the Commission on African Affairs, filling a vacant seat
formerly held by Lafeyette Barnes, for the remainder of an unexpired term to end October 27, 2026,
and for a subsequent term to end October 27, 2029.
Enclosed, you will find biographical information detailing the experience of the above-mentioned
nominee, together with a proposed resolution to assist the Council during the confirmation process.
I would appreciate the Council’s earliest consideration of this nomination for confirmation. Please
do not hesitate to contact me, or Steven Walker, Director, Mayor’s Office of Talent and
Appointments, should the Council require additional information.
Sincerely,
Muriel Bowser
Mayor
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                                                                        ~at the request of the Mayor
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 6  A PROPOSED RESOLUTION
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10  IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
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15   To confirm the appointment of Thandolwethu Mamba to the Commission on African Affairs.
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17  RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this
18   resolution may be cited as the "Commission on African Affairs Thandolwethu Mamba
19   Confirmation Resolution of 2026".
20  Sec. 2. The Council of the District of Columbia confirms the appointment of:
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22  Thandolwethu Mamba
23  Maryland Avenue, NE
24  Washington, DC 20002
25  (Ward 6)
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27   as a public member of the Commission on African Affairs, established by section 4 of the Office
28   and Commission on African Affairs Act of 2006, effective June 8, 2006 (D.C. Law 16-111, D.C.
29   Official Code§ 2-1393), filling a vacant seat formerly held by Lafeyette Barnes, for the
30   remainder of an unexpired term to end October 27, 2026, and for a subsequent term to end
31   October 27, 2029.
32  Sec. 3. The Council of the District of Columbia shall transmit a copy of this resolution,
33   upon its adoption, to the nominee and to the Mayor.
34  Sec. 4. This resolution shall take effect immediately.
Thandolwethu Mamba, baritone
“a chilling refinement in bearing and voice” – Opera Wire
UPCOMING
George  Mickey Dee and the Eclipse  Washington National Opera  TBD
Marcello  La Bohème (scenes)  Alexandria Symphony Orchestra  February 2026
Simon  Treemonisha  Washington National Opera  March 2026
Jess  Oklahoma!  Glimmerglass Opera Festival  July-August 2026
Guglielmo (cover)  Così fan tutte  Glimmerglass Opera Festival  July-August 2026
Senator Potter/General Arlie (cover)   Fellow Travelers  Glimmerglass Opera Festival  July-August 2026
ROLES PERFORMED
Businessman/Baobab/Hunter  The Little Prince  Washington National Opera  2025
Il Conte Almaviva  Le Nozze di Figaro  Washington National Opera  2025
Don Giovanni  Don Giovanni  Opera Wilmington  2025
Parson Alltalk  Treemonisha  Opera Orlando  2025
Albert  Werther  Opera Orlando  2025
Santa Terry | The Page    4 Lost Santas | Amahl & the Night Visitors  Opera Orlando (premiere)  2024
Sonora  La Fanciulla del West  North Carolina Opera  2024
Afrofuturistic Ensemble  X: The Life and Times of Malcom  The Metropolitan Opera  2023
Baron Duophol  La Traviata  Opera Wilmington  2023
Figaro  Le Nozze di Figaro  Frost Opera Theater  2023
Il Dancaïro  Carmen  Opera Theatre of Saint Louis  2022
Don Calogero Sedàra  The Leopard  Frost Opera Theater (premiere)  2022
Town Magistrate  Signor Deluso  Florida Grand Opera  2022
Gianni Schicchi  Gianni Schicchi  Si Parla, Si Canta  2019
SCENES, COVERS, CONCERT, AND RECORDINGS
Papageno  Die Zauberflöte  Opera Orlando  2025
Figaro  Il Barbiere di Siviglia  Opera Orlando  2025
Soloist  (Re)Discovering Julia Perry  Washington University of Saint Louis  2024
Soloist  Five Mystical Songs  Cape Fear Chorale  2024
Don Calogero Sedàra  The Leopard  Naxos Records: American Classics  Released 2024
Giorgio Germont (cover)  La Traviata  Opera Wilmington  2023
Closet Lover Jack (cover)  Harvey Milk (premiere)  Opera Theatre of Saint Louis  2022
Harlekin  Ariadne auf Naxos  Opera Theatre of Saint Louis  2022
Baritone Solo  Fauré Requiem  Frost Chorale and Symphony Orchestra  2022
AWARDS, COMPETITIONS, & HONORS
Encouragement Prize  Eastern Region Finals  Laffont Metropolitan Opera Competition  2024
Winner  New York District  Laffont Metropolitan Opera Competition  2024
Career Grant  Pasadena Vocal Competition  Pasadena Vocal Competition  2024
First Place  Heafner/Williams Competition  Heafner/Williams Vocal Competition  2022
Graduation Magna Cum Laude  Master of Arts, Vocal Performance     University of Miami Frost School of Music  2022
Graduation with Highest Distinction    Bachelor of Arts, Music & Biology     Duke University  2020
Winner  Rising Stars Competition  Raleigh Symphony Orchestra  2020
Winner  Louis Sudler Prize  Duke University  2020
EDUCATION
Artist Diploma in Vocal Performance  Frost School of Music at the University of Miami  2023
Master’s Degree in Vocal Performance  Frost School of Music at the University of Miami  2022
Bachelor of Arts in Music  Duke University  2020
APPRENTICE PROGRAMS
Resident Artist  Glimmerglass Opera Festival  2026
Cafritz Young Artist  Washington National Opera  2025-present
Studio Artist  Opera Orlando  2024-2025
Young Artist  Dolora Zajick Institute for Young Dramatic Voices  2024
Gerdine Young Artist  Opera Theatre of Saint Louis  2022
Apprentice Artist  Si Parla, Si Canta  2019
TEACHERS  COACHES  CONDUCTORS
Dolora Zajick  Ken Weiss  Robert Spano
Kim Josephson  Beatrice Benzi  Daniela Candillari
Susan Dunn  Patricia Racette  Gerard Schwartz
Mark Schnaible  Yelena Kurdina  Keitaro Harada
Heidi Murphy  John Churchwell  Darwin Arquino
Neil Schicoff  Alan Johnson  Kazem Abdullah
Bettsy Bishop  David Heid  Micah Gleason
LANGUAGES & SPECIAL SKILLS
Fluent English, Fluent SiSwati, Zulu, Xhosa, Fluent Spanish, Intermediate Italian, Beginner French, Conversational Portuguese, Beginner German,
Fluent West African Pidgin English, Piano, Songwriting, Mixed Martial Arts, Beginner Dance, Stage Combat, Soccer, Biochemical Research
       Executive Office of the Mayor – Mayor’s Office of Talent and Appointments
  John A. Wilson Building | 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, Suite 600 | Washington, DC 20004
                                    Thandolwethu Mamba
                        Mr. Thandolwethu Mamba is a member of The Cafritz Young Artists of
                        Washington National Opera. He made his John F. Kennedy Center debut
                        as Count Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro before the opera company
                        ended its affiliation with the Center.
                       An artist who always seeks to create experiences that will reach a diverse
                       audience, Mr. Mamba’s concert program with pianist David Heid, Paths
                       & Journeys, debuted in North Carolina in the Fall of 2022 and was
                       described as “a vibrant and enriching collaboration” (CVNC). He
                       regularly features music from diverse cultures and languages, including
                       music from Sub-Saharan Africa and his home country, Eswatini, as seen
                       in his performances in the St Hugh-Steinway Series 2023 Valentines
Concert alongside soprano Elizabeth Caballero, as well as in his capacity as the Corpus Christi
Church Miami International Artist in Residence.
As an undergraduate at Duke University, Mr. Mamba was awarded the prestigious Louis Sudler
Prize as well as the Benenson Award for the Arts. Named the First Place and Grand Prize recipient
of the 2022 Heafner/Williams Vocal Competition, he is also a winner of the Raleigh Symphony
Orchestra Rising Stars Competition, which led to his orchestral debut in Mahler’s Lieder eines
fahrenden Gesellen. Mr. Mamba was a prize winner in the 2025 Metropolitan Opera Eric and
Dominique Laffont Competition Eastern Regionals following emerging as one of the winners of
the competition’s New York District. Mr. Mamba has also been a finalist and prize winner in the
Mary Jacobs Singer of the Year Competition, Pasadena Vocal Competition, Mildred Miller
International Voice Competition, Benjamin Mathews Vocal Competition, and Career Bridges
Grant Awards.
Mr. Mamba is committed to developing the growth of opera as a celebrated and sustainable art
form in his home country and the continent of Africa at large.
A Ward 6 resident, Mr. Mamba earned his Bachelor of Arts in Music from Duke University and
his Master of Music in Vocal Performance from the University of Miami.
                              GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
                                 Executive Office of Mayor Muriel Bowser
Office of the General Counsel to the Mayor
To:  Kimberly A. Bassett, Steven Walker
From:  Betsy Cavendish
Date:  March 25, 2026
Subject:  Legal sufficiency review of a resolution appointing members of the Commission
                    on African Affairs
This is to Certify that this office has reviewed the above-referenced Resolution and
found it to be legally unobjectionable. If you have any questions in this regard, please do not
hesitate to call Kimberly Ulan, Associate General Counsel, Executive Office of the Mayor, at
202-727-2292, or me at 202-724-7681.
______________________________
Elizabeth Cavendish
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The John A. Wilson Building   • 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW   •   Suite 300 •   Washington, D.C. 20004   • Office (202) 724-7681