28 May 2015

Odeion

19:30

Praised by various critics for her ability to capture the audience through her mature artistic approach, extraordinary musicality and technique, Anzél Gerber is increasingly performing on internationally renowned stages.  Her art as cellist has been shaped by Russia's most prominent teachers and soloists, starting with Alexander Fedortchenko (Spain), and Alexander Kniazev (Moscow State Conservatory).  Later, as part of her PhD in performance (Goldsmiths College, University of London, 2008), she pursued her studies under Natalia Shakhovskaya.  She is a dedicated exponent of the Russian school.

She received her first cello lessons from Glenda Piek and later Marian Lewin.  Under Lewin's tutelage she won several music competitions and scholarships, which enabled her to further her studies abroad.  She received guidance from David Geringas, Karine Georgian, Ralph Kirshbaum and Maxim Vengerov and has also attended masterclasses by Mstislav Rostropovich, Natalia Gutman, Heinrich Schiff, Bernard Greenhouse, Gary Hoffman, Maria Kliegel, Young-Chang Cho, Philippe Muller and Julius Berger.

As soloist she has collaborated with numerous conductors, including Gérard Korsten, Yasuo Shinozaki, Guido Ajmone-Marsan, David Tidboald, Leslie B Dunner, Christopher Dowdeswell, Robert Maxym, Gordon Hunt, Richard Cock and Hector Hevia.  Together with Ben Schoeman she received the Baronessa Constanza Arezzo Giampiccolo di Donnafugata IBLA Award as overall winners of the IBLA Grand Prize International Music Competition (Italy, 2012). 

She served on the faculty and was a member of the jury for the International Music Academy and Competition in Cremona (Italy, July 2013).  She is lecturing cello performance at the University of Stellenbosch since 2014. 

Ben Schoeman is regarded as one of South Africa's foremost pianists.  He studied at the University of Pretoria, the Accademia Pianistica 'Incontri col Maestro' (Imola, Italy), the Guildhall School of Music & Drama (UK) and the Scuola di Musica di Fiesole (Italy).  His teachers include Joseph Stanford, Michel Dalberto, Louis Lortie, Boris Petrushansky, Eliso Virsaladze and Ronan O'Hora.  He is currently completing a doctoral thesis on the piano music of South African composer Stefans Grové.  He has won the first grand prize in the 11th UNISA International Piano Competition (2008), first prize in the Royal Overseas League Music Competition (London, 2009), the Standard Bank Young Artist Award for Music (2011) and the Contemporary Music Prize at the Cleveland International Piano Competition (USA, 2013).  He has given solo, chamber music and concerto performances throughout Europe, Canada, the USA and South Africa in such prestigious concert halls as the Wigmore, Barbican, Cadogan and Queen Elizabeth Halls (London), the Konzerthaus (Berlin), Paleis het Loo (the Netherlands), the Gulbenkian Auditorium (Lisbon), Teatro del Giglio (Lucca) and the Romanian Athenaeum (Bucharest).  He has performed at major festivals in the United Kingdom, Italy, South Africa, Romania and Canada. 

His solo album, featuring works of Franz Liszt, was released in 2011.  Ben was awarded the KykNet Fiësta and Kanna Awards in recognition of his performances of Liszt's music during the bicentenary of the composer (2011).  He is a Steinway Artist.

PROGRAMME

Anton Rubinstein: Sonata no. 1 in D major for cello and piano, Op. 18

Benjamin Britten: Sonata for cello and piano, Op. 65

Frédéric Chopin: Sonata for cello and piano in G minor, Op. 65

Bohuslav Martinu: Variations on a theme of Rossini for cello and piano (1942)

ADMISSION

R130 (adults)

R90 (pensioners)

R70 (UFS staff)

R50 (students and learners)

R50 (group bookings of 10+)

Tickets available at Computicket.

ENQUIRIES

Ninette Pretorius (tel. 051 – 401 2504051 – 401 2504)