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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)


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Quintessence In Concert

25 April 2019

Odeion

19:30

A unique combination of three international artists in collaboration with two exceptional South African artists!

This ensemble will perform an exciting programme of works by Bozza, Fokkens, Mykietyn, Francaix and Fibich.

Meet the artists:

David Bester (violin)
David Bester teaches violin at Nelson Mandela University (Port Elizabeth). As soloist, he has performed with the Stellenbosch Camerata, the KZNPO, GPO and the ECPO. After obtaining his BMus and MMus (both cum laude) in music performance from Stellenbosch University under Suzanne Martens, he furthered his studies in Belgium. David has received masterclasses from acclaimed violinists Pavel Vernikov, Ivry Gitlis, Barnabás Kelemen, Ilya Gringolts, Priya Mtichell, Daniel Rowland, and Jan Repko. He has also had the opportunity to work closely alongside musicians such as Pinchas Zukerman, Benjamin Schmid, Joshua Bell, and Leila Josefowicz. David won the string category of the ATKV Muziq competition. He has also been the recipient of the Mabel Quick Bursary (2014), Hans Endler Prize (2012-2014), SAMRO Bursary (2011 and 2013), Graham Beck Bursary (2010), and the Stellenbosch University Merit Bursary (2011-2015).

Piotr Thieu Quang (clarinet)
Piotr Thieu Quang started his clarinet education at the age of nine in Jerzy Czyran’s class. Since 2016 he has been studying with Prof Miroslaw Pokrzywinski (Fryderyk Chopin University of Music, Warsaw). He is a laureate of many clarinet and chamber competitions such as the 17th Academic Clarinet Competition in Wloszakowice (2018 – 2nd prize and three special awards), 8th West Pomeranian Clarinet Festival in Szczecin (2018 – 3rd prize), International Clarinet Competition in Warsaw (2016 – 1st prize: clarinet quartet category), 11th Clarinet Festival in Piotrków Trybunalski (2015 – 3rd prize in solo category, 1st prize in chamber ensembles category). He participated in several solo and chamber masterclasses conducted by Florent Héau, Jean Marc Fessard, Karel Dohnal, Karl Leister, Antonio Saiote, Jacob Shaw, Marcin Zdunik and Aleksander Debicz. He has performed in concert halls such as the Royal Castle (Warsaw), the Philharmonic Hall (Warsaw) and the Krzysztof Penderecki European Center for Music (Luslawice).

Dariusz Dinh Thieu Quang (French horn)
Dariusz is a Polish French horn player and student at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music (Warsaw). He has already performed with the Teatr Wielki Opera Narodowa (Warsaw), the Poznan Philharmonic, Rzeszów Philharmonic, Pomeranian and Gdansk Philharmonic, as well as the Nospr and Czestochowska Philharmonic. He has performed in countries including Germany, Switzerland, Lithuania, Hungary, Bulgaria, Malta and Vietnam. He is a laureate of national and international competitions, including: 2nd prize at the 4th Polish Horns’ Competition Edwin Gonik, Lódz (Poland) 2015, 2nd prize (1st not awarded) at the 7th International Wind Instruments Competition, Wroclaw (Poland) 2013, 1st prize at the 5th Polish Competition of Brass Instruments Ludwika Lutak, Krakwo (Poland, 2013), Distinction at the 3rd National French Horns’ Competition Edwin Golnik, Lódz (Poland, 2012).

Anmari van der Westhuizen (cello)
Anmari van der Westhuizen graduated from the University of Stellenbosch (BMusHons), from the Mozarteum, Salzburg (Grosses Diplom), and from the Hochschule für Musik (Cologne) with Maria Kliegel (Konzertexamen). In 2013 Anmari received her PhD from the University of Pretoria. She has won prestigious competitions including the ATKV Forte Competition, the SABC Competition and the Oude Meester Competition. Anmari has performed in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Faroe Islands, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Poland, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, USA, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Joanna Wicherek (piano)
Joanna Wicherek studied piano, chamber music, historical keyboard and organ in Warsaw (Frederic Chopin Music University), Freiburg (Musikhochschule Freiburg) and Vienna (Universität für Musik und Darstellende Kunst). Her recordings include a CD with the Early Music on the soundtrack to the film, Violated Letters (2010). She has been awarded several prizes including the Standard Bank Ovation Award at the National Arts Festival, Grand Prix at the Competition of the 20th and 21st centuries for young performers (Warsaw) and the International Competition of Contemporary Chamber Music (Krakow)

PROGRAMME

  • Eugène Bozza: En Fôret
  • Rob Fokkens: Mammals of Southern Africa
  • Pawel Mykietyn: Although Daedalus Reached…
  • Jean Francaix: Theme and Variations
  • Zdenek Fibich: Quintet Op. 42

ADMISSION

  • R150 (adults)
  • *R80 (pensioners)
  • *R80 (UFS staff)
  • *R60 (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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