SA’s Ofentse Pitse “still buzzing” from work on Netflix’s Queen Charlotte

South African conductor Ofentse Pitse, who defied the odds to become the first black female and youngest female to conduct an orchestra in South Africa, says she is “still buzzing” after working on Netflix’s hit show Queen Charlotte, the prequel to the Bridgerton series.

On Wednesday morning, Ofentse – who wasn’t allowed to join her school’s music programme because she didn’t have a piano at home – posted some photos from the recording for Queen Charlotte, and captioned them: “Her Majesty, the Queen’s conductor ?”

Ofentse said: “Still buzzing from what we did with this project, how we brought our fullness as women to the project and raised the bar.

“My journey has been about driving inclusivity and allowing us to be seen. I want to express how SEEN I felt on this entire ride.

“The conversations were led by superpowers who prefer being in the background.”

Ofentse then went on to express gratitude to each and every woman who helped her in delivering a breathtaking performance with American superstar Alicia Keys.

Ofentse led a first of a kind orchestra made up of 70 ‘women of colour’ from South Africa, Sweden and France, according to Netflix, to accompany Alicia as she rerecorded a sung version of her 2003 classic “If I Ain’t Got You” for Queen Charlotte as a celebration of the Grammy-winning song’s 20th anniversary.

Today Ofentse said the musicians she worked with were exceptional – “I’m talking bad-to-the-bone, exceptional!”

“Let me make emphasis on my concertmaster, who is the extension of the conductor; @violinistwithacamera. Sarah, you helped fly this plane with me, all-in, couldn’t have wished for a better co-pilot,” added Ofentse.

After thanking everyone involved in the Netflix show, Ofentse kept the best for last, addressing «water bender, superpower” Alicia Keys herself: “I’ll keep our sacred moments as our sacred moments. We got it, we did it. To strength, to resilience, overcome.”

The song appears in Episode 3 of Queen Charlotte, and you can watch the recording of the song, with Ofentse Pitse here.