V&A Waterfront Take the Stage Series is a platform for emerging South African musicians and musical ensembles to showcase their talents at V&A Waterfront. Experience these emerging artists live for a series of pop-up performances which are free for all to attend.

Before his death in January 2018, legendary South African music icon Hugh Masekela lauded guitarist Cameron Ward as “one of his favorite musicians.” A member of Masekela’s band since he was 21, Ward is now poised to establish himself as an international solo artist – with ambitions to one day take his place among the giants of South African music – like his mentor.

Influenced by revered international guitarists Wes Montgomery, George Benson, Jonathan Butler and Jimmy Dludlu, to name a few, Ward, with his distinguished boyish features, grew up in the Lotus River area along the Cape Flats, in Cape Town, South Africa.

The young protégé headlined with Masekela at such venues as Carnegie Hall in New York, Yoshi’s Jazz Club in Oakland and The Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.   Internationally, Ward has played in countless venues across Africa, and crisscrossed Europe, playing the Lugano Music Festival in Switzerland, the North Sea Jazz Festival in the Netherlands, the Montreal Jazz Festival, the Back to Black Jazz Festivals in London and Brazil, the famed Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club in London and the Blue Note Jazz Club in Tokyo, Japan.

In 2016, he rearranged the traditional U.S. gospel anthem “Where He Leads Me” into a saucy and melodic African jazz tune. The song became a popular standard with Masekela’s band. In  December 2017, Ward released the DVD&CD combo, Cameron Ward, Live at the Orbit, his sophomore project further showcasing his diverse smooth Jazz, Afro Jazz/Afro Pop repertoire.  Six musicians comprise The Cameron Ward Band