Years
2019 2018
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)


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Brandenburg String Trio

Description: Brandenburg String Trio Tags: Brandenburg String Triowith Avigail Bushakevitz (violin), Ernst-Martin Schmidt (viola) & Andrea Casarrubios (cello)
18 May 2017
Odeion
19:30

 

The Brandenburg String Trio comprises SA violinist Avigail Bushakevitz, German violist Ernst-Martin Schmidt and Spanish cellist Andrea Casarrubios.  The trio members have performed in the world's greatest halls, such as Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), the Royal Albert Hall (London) at the BBC Proms, Carnegie Hall (New York) and the Philharmonie (Berlin).

 

No stranger to South African audiences, violinist Avigail Bushakevitz has performed as soloist with all the major orchestras in the country and has won multiple national and international competitions including first prizes at the UNISA National Strings Competition and the UNO Competition (Jerusalem). In 2016 Avigail was named South African Standard Bank Young Artist of the Year. Together with her brother, Ammiel, she has toured South Africa, and performed in New York and various European countries. In 2014 the duo was awarded first prize in the international Spanish competition Paper de Musica de Capellades. After completing her master’s degree at the Juilliard School (New York), Avigail continued her studies in Tel Aviv. In 2013 Avigail moved to Berlin taking up her current position as a first violinist in the Konzerthaus Orchestra Berlin

 

Violist Ernst-Martin Schmidt was born in East Berlin where he first studied violin at the CPE Bach specialist music school. He completed his bachelors and master’s degrees at the Musik Hochschule Hanns Eisler (Berlin). During the final two years of studies he commenced two years' playing in the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2005 he joined the viola section of the Konzerthaus Orchestra Berlin.

 

Cellist Andrea Casarrubios studied at the Peabody Institute (Baltimore) and at the University of Southern California. After completing her master’s, she went on to work with Ensemble ACJW at Carnegie Hall (New York). She is also a composer with compositions premiered at illustrious venues such as Carnegie Hall. The New York Times praised her cello playing as having “traversed the palette of emotions” with “gorgeous tone and an edge-of-seat intensity”. She has won many awards and is a first prize winner of the American Fine Arts Festival International Concerto Competition 2012 and the SOR Solo String Concerto Competition 2009.

 

PROGRAMME:

Henry Purcell - Fantasia in D minor, Z. 743 (version for string trio)

Franz Schubert - String Trio in B flat major, D. 471 (unfinished)

Jean Françaix - String Trio (1933)

Gideon Klein - String Trio (1944)

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart  - String Trio (Divertimento) in E flat major, K.563

 

ADMISSION

R130 (adults)

*R90 (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)

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