with celebrated SA violinist, Piet Koornhof, and American pianist, Thomas Hecht

7 May 2015

Odeion

19:30

“…major talent...”

— The New York Times

"Koornhof is an utterly brilliant performer”

— The Cape Times

“…fantastic...full mastery…”

— Gazzetta del Sud

Violinist Piet Koornhof has performed extensively as recitalist and chamber musician, and as soloist with orchestras in Southern Africa, Europe, North America, Russia, Singapore and New Zealand. His overseas performances include recitals with American pianist Thomas Hecht at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music (Singapore) and at the Echos Festival (Italy).

In 1994 he was the first South African to undertake an extensive recital tour of Russia, with pianist Vladimir Yurigin-Klevke. In 1998 he gave masterclasses and performed at Victoria University of Wellington (New Zealand). In 1999 he performed at the Palaces of St. Petersburg International Chamber Music Festival as a member of the Potch Trio, and appeared as soloist with the Moscow Chamber Orchestra.

Piet's most recent CD-recordings (Delos), are the complete JS Bach trio-sonatas for flute, violin and piano with Raffaele Trevisani and Paola Girardi, and the Hendrik Hofmeyr Double CSoncerto for flute, violin and string orchestra with Trevisani and the Moscow Chamber Orchestra led by Constantine Orbelian. His chamber music CD-recordings as founder and violinist of the South African Chamber Music Society for Koch Discover International have garnered high international acclaim. His CD-recording of piano trios of Babadjanian and Vasks as a member of the celebrated Potch Trio was released in South Africa in 2005. A CD of unusual short lyrical pieces for violin and piano with Truida van der Walt, “Remembrances”, became available in 2007. 

Piet made his concert debut at the age of nine while he was a pupil of Alan Solomon.  He was awarded scholarships by amongst others the South African Music Rights Organisation, Anglo American Corporation, the Aspen Music School and the Juilliard School where he studied with Dorothy DeLay. He also took part in masterclasses by Itzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zukerman and Segiu Luca.

Piet has been teaching violin, viola, chamber music and methodology of violin at the School of Music of the North West University (Potchefstroom) since 1986. He holds a doctorate in music performance from the same institution where he is associate professor.  His masters thesis about the teaching strategy of renowned violin teacher, Dorothy DeLay, provided the material for his article in Strad magazine (August 2001).

American pianist Thomas Hecht was invited to Singapore in 2003 as the conservatory's Founding Head of Piano Studies. Over the span of nearly three decades he has concertized internationally as concerto soloist, recitalist, chamber musician and as a member of the acclaimed duo-piano team Hecht & Shapiro - winners of the Munich International Two Piano Competition and USA National Duo Piano Competition. He was the former Head of Piano Studies and Artist-In-Residence at the School of Music at Victoria University (New Zealand) and prior to that served for many years as Professor of Piano and Artist-In-Residence at the Cleveland Institute of Music (USA).  He has performed with leading orchestras such as the New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony, Stuttgart Symphony Orchestra, Johannesburg Festival Orchestra, Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Artsakh Symphony Orchestra and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. 

Career highlights include performances at the Lincoln Center (New York), Berlin Philharmonic Hall, the Kennedy Center (Washington) and solo recitals in Korea, Japan, China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Thailand, Italy, Serbia, Montenegro, Germany and throughout all the major centres of Australia and New Zealand. Hecht is a graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory where he won first prize in the concerto competition and the Kaufmann Award for excellence in chamber music.  Later he was accepted for graduate studies at the Peabody Institute as a student of Leon Fleisher.

Hecht enjoys a well-deserved reputation as one of the leading teachers of his generation, having produced a multitude of first prize winners in solo and two piano competitions throughout the United States, Europe and Australasia.   Throughout his career he has represented the USA, New Zealand and Singapore on jury panels of the Gina Bachauer, Geneva, Isangyun, Ibiza and Paralympic International Piano Competitions in addition to the national piano competitions of Japan, Thailand, Australia and South Africa.  He is a Steinway Artist and records for the Azica, Elysium and Atoll labels.

PROGRAMME

Arvo Pärt: Fratres

Giya Kancheli: Time…and again

Balys Dvarionas: Various compositions

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 2504)