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M
URIEL 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-m entioned
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 B owser
Mayor
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at the request of the Mayor
A PROPOSED RESOLUTION
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 A venue, 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
E
xecutive Office of the Mayor – Mayor’s Office of Talent and Appointments
John A. Wilson Building | 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, Suite 600 | Washington, DC 20004
T
handolwethu 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 Eli zabeth 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
______________________________________________________________________________
The John A. Wilson Building • 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW • Suite 300 • Washington, D.C. 20004 • Office (202) 724-7681
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