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Stefan Velkov Guitar Recital
2018-04-19

19 April 2018

Odeion

19:30

Bulgarian-born Stefan Velkov was introduced to music since earliest childhood. His official training in music theory, piano and guitar started at the age of seven.

Stefan received his first music degree as a guitar and light music performer from the Bulgarian State Conservatoire (later renamed to Bulgarian Academy of Music). At this stage (the late seventies of the 20th century) the guitar in Bulgaria was still regarded mostly as a light-music instrument. That is why it was included as a study subject only within the Light Music Department of the Conservatoire. The interest and the knowledge of the classical guitar was still at its infancy, but its popularity was growing fast. This made it necessary for the Bulgarian Ministry of Culture to make a historic decision: for the first time in Bulgarian music history, a decision was made to send a young Bulgarian guitarist to Germany to receive a proper music degree in classical guitar and to return to Bulgaria and introduce classical guitar as a subject at the Bulgarian Academy of Music.

After competing with all the most talented guitarists of the country, Stefan won the competition which enabled him to receive a master's degree in classical guitar from the Berliner Hochschule fur Musik Hanns Eisler. He completed his studies in guitar, piano and composition with a special reward of the Hochshule as one of the five best students. During his studies he also won the competition for the best guitar composition.

During his studies abroad (1981 - 1988) Stefan met and had masterclasses with most of the best guitar professors and guitar maestros of our time: Maria-Livia Sao Marcos (Switzerland/ Brazil), Costas Cotsiolis (Greece), Dieter Kreidler (Germany) and Leo Brouwer (Cuba).

In 1986 he was appointed as the first classical guitar lecturer at the Bulgarian Academy of Music and chairperson of the guitar festivals and competitions. This was the time when his own active concert career began. Stefan's repertoire includes most of the great masterpieces ever written for this instrument, but he became more and more known for his own compositions for guitar which, according to critics, outshine the best known masterpieces created for classical guitar.

Stefan’s arrival in SA (1991), coincided with the search of the Free State Musicon for a qualified guitar lecturer in order to introduce the subject classical guitar as part of its music training programme. He was offered the position of senior guitar lecturer at the Musicon which he holds until present day. During this time he also taught at the University of the Free State (1992 - 1999).

Stefan has given concerts in Bulgaria, Poland, Germany, Czech Republic, England and South Africa.

PROGRAMME

  • Velkov: Summer Dream
    From the golden heritage of the classical guitar:
    • Villa-Lobos: Prelude
  • Two Magnificent Arpeggios
    • Giuliani
    • Brower
  • Two Romantic Pieces:
    • Velkov: Serenade
    • Velkov: Adagio (The Magic Of Love)
  • Velkov: Bulgarian Suite for Guitar
    • I Bulgarian folk dance
    • II Bulgarian folk-singing
    • III Bulgarian folk dance in 7/8
    • IV Bulgarian folk-song
    • V Bulgarian folk dance in 9/8
  • Velkov: Tango
  • Velkov: Two Modern Dances
  • Velkov: The Wild Horse

ADMISSION

  • R120 (adults)
  • *R80 (pensioners)
  • *R70 (UFS staff)
  • *R50 (students, learners and block bookings of 10+)

Tickets available at Computicket or online at http://online.computicket.com/web/

*Please note that tickets for pensioners, students, learners and UFS staff can only be purchased at a Computicket outlet (Shoprite Checkers) or at the doors since a valid card or ID has to be presented to qualify for the above mentioned discount.

ENQUIRIES
Ninette Pretorius (tel. 051 401 2504)


Back
THE BOW PROJECT

THE BOW PROJECT
with the “Nightingale String Quartet” from Denmark and Mantombi Matotiyana
26 Julie 2009
Odeion
16:00

 


The UFS Department of Music presents the third concert in the series of Special Project Concerts: “THE BOW PROJECT”.

The Bow Project was conceived by New Music Indaba director Michael Blake in 2002 as part of the National Arts Festival. It has developed over the past 6 years as a platform for South African composers from many different traditions to study and reinterpret or reimagine, for string quartet, the uhadi bow songs of the great Nofinishi Dywili. It was always the intention to undertake a national tour with highlights of the project, and to record that programme for CD release. Following the presentation of parts of the Bow Project in Europe last year, this has now become possible. A young female string quartet from Denmark – the Nightingale String Quartet - consisting of Gunvor Sihm (violin), Josefine Dalsgaard (violin), Marie Louise Broholt Jensen (viola) and Louisa Schwab (cello) will join Mantombi Matotiyana for a two-week tour of concerts and workshops plus a CD recording in South Africa in July 2009.

The original artistic objective of the project was to encourage South African composers to engage with traditional music as a compositional resource. Rather than just using some indigenous elements in their work, they were each asked to make a transcription of a song, and use that as the basis for their work. The Bow Project concerts at the National Arts Festival, with the combination of Mantombi Matotiyana singing the original songs, and a string quartet playing the composers reinterpretations, regularly drew full houses and several times required extra performances. The Bow Project has been hailed both nationally and internationally as one of the most important South African musical projects ever.

ADMISSION:
R50 (adults)
R30 (pensioners, students and learners)
Tickets available at Computicket (Shoprite/Checkers shops, Mimosa Mall Information desk, online at www.computicket.com) or at the doors. Telephonic bookings: 011 – 340 8000 or 083 915 8000.

ENQUIRIES:
Ninette Pretorius (tel. 051 - 401 2504)
 

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