Mongezi ‘Chris’ Ntaka is a South African Township music guitarist, composer, arranger, producer and music instructor with four decades of recording, touring and teaching. Mongezi started his career in the early 1980’s and studied under some of South Africa’s Township, folk and African Jazz musicians, including Ntemi Piliso, Marks Mankwane, Ray ‘Chikapa’ Phiri, William Malekula and Daniel Kachamba. His career began while he was still a teenager. He joined Lucky Dube as a lead guitarist, went on to record several platinum records with him, and went on several world tours that took him to many countries in Africa, Europe, Australia, Asia, North America, the Caribbean and South America. After leaving Lucky Dube’s band, Mongezi has performed, recorded and toured with Eric Donaldson, Vusi Mahlasela, Hugh Masekela, Habib Koite and Lorraine Klaasen. He has also recorded and performed with Taj Mahal, Jonas Gwangwa, Oliver Mtukudzi, Sibongile Khumalo and Dave Matthews.

Mongezi Ntaka has performed in many concert venues and festivals around the world, including at the Carnegie Hall in New York City, the Kennedy Center and Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC, the Ordway Theater in Saint Paul, Minnesota, the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, California, Esplanade Concert Hall in Singapore, Reggae Sunplash in Montego Bay, Jamaica, the Standard Bank Arena in Johannesburg, South Africa, Rufaro Stadium in Harare, Zimbabwe, Namibian Independence Day in Windhoek, Namibia, the Montreal Jazz Festival, Place Des Arts, and Oscar Peterson Concert Hall in Montreal, Canada, The Telus Center in Toronto, Canada, the Anchorage Performing Arts Center in Anchorage, Alaska, The Zenith in Paris, France and many other celebrated venues.

As a composer, guitarist and arranger, Mongezi Ntaka has collaborated with theater companies, including the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland Oregon, the Arena Stage, Mosaic Theater and the Howard University Theater Department in Washington, DC, and the Hudson Theater in Hudson, Quebec - Canada. Mongezi also has conducted workshops at educational institutions, including St. George’s University in Grenada, West Indies, George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, and the Kuumba Preparatory School of the Arts in Washington, DC.