Johannesburg – August 13th, 2025: The CoLab Network and AEJ Music, in association with Daphne Kuhn, is proud to present Striking a Chord, starring Adrian and Emma-Jean Galliard, with musical direction by Johan Heystek, at Theatre on the Square in Sandton, from 27th August to 7th September 2025.
This follows a successful tour of Striking a Chord in England in August 2023, as well as sold-out performances at The Hilton Arts Festival in August 2024.
Adrian & Emma-Jean Galliard shot to fame after uploading a video of themselves performing the Andrea Bocelli/Céline Dion hit, The Prayer, to Facebook on Easter Sunday 2020, when the world was in lockdown. The video was an instant hit, attracting hundreds of thousands of views in just a few days. It was later shared by UK-based The Music Man, where it quickly attracted millions more views.
Their sudden and unexpected fame kicked off a fairytale musical adventure complete with international acclaim and comical incidents of mistaken identity. After being erroneously identified as the son and granddaughter of Andrea Bocelli, first by a Colombian newspaper and then by an Israeli press organisation, the pair attracted attention from the press and TV shows worldwide.
Father/daughter duo Adrian and Emma-Jean, together with acclaimed musical director Johan Heystek, return to South African stages with their wonderfully entertaining new musical revue show, Striking a Chord.
The father/daughter bond is palpable as these two compelling performers take the audience on an awe-inspiring musical journey woven together with amusing anecdotes and thoughtful commentary. The show features the duo’s most popular covers, such as The Prayer, Time to Say Goodbye and Sound of Silence; musical theatre standards, like I Dreamed a Dream and Defying Gravity; and unusual arrangements of classics Pie Jesu & Bring Him Home, Barry Manilow’s One Voice and I Write the Songs, as well as a classical mash-up that includes the classical standard O Sole Mio. The show runs for 70 minutes without an interval.
“I went to the first performance in London, and it was so fabulous that I had to go to the second performance in Tonbridge as well. Your incredible voices and amazing performances had us crying one minute and laughing at Adrian’s dad jokes the next. This is the best show I’ve seen in years.” – Michelle Welsh.
Some media reviews received:
- “There is a palpable connection to each other and to the music.” – Graeme Richards, Expresso Breakfast Show
- “Some goosebump moments with those harmonies and the way their voices blend.” Rebogile Mabotja, Radio DJ, Radio 702
- “Adrian and Emma-Jean were mistakenly identified as relatives of a very famous Italian opera singer. It’s a testament to just how good they are, and it’s such a compliment.” – Carolyn Steyn, Radio Host, Hot 102.7 FM
Striking a Chord runs for 70 minutes with no interval. The show is ideal for all ages.
Striking a Chord stars Adrian & Emma-Jean Galliard, with musical director Johan Heystek on piano.
Adrian states excitedly, “There’s something special about singing with Emma. Our family connection means that our voices blend in a way that really seems to touch people. Working with Johan has brought so much additional light and shade to the show. We are excited to bring something we feel is very special to the audiences at Theatre on the Square.”
Emma-Jean Galliard concludes, “We’re so excited to perform at Theatre on the Square after watching so many wonderful productions there over the years.”