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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 Creation
 
 
 

The Creation

Symphony Choir of Johannesburg  and the Free State Symphony Orchestra conducted by Alexander Fokkens

Soloists:          Magdalene Minnaar (soprano)

         Kgaugelo Mpyane (tenor)

         Aubrey Lodewyk (baritone)

Date:                Sunday 7 September 2014

Venue:             NG Kerk Heuwelsig

Time:               15:00

 

Haydn’s masterpiece, The Creation will be performed at the NG Kerk Heuwelsig on Sunday 7 September by the Symphony Choir of Johannesburg and the Free State Symphony Orchestra conducted by Alexander Fokkens. The soloists are Magadalene Minnaar (soprano), Kgaugelo Mpyane (tenor) and Aubrey Lodewyk (baritone).

Magdalene Minnaar has entertained audiences across the globe with her versatile voice and enigmatic stage presence, evident in her acclaimed performances of the female lead in the international touring production Show Boat and The Phantom of the Opera. Since completing her two years at the Cape Town Opera Studio, highlights include performing as soloist at the opening of the Cape Town Stadium with the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra, Richard Cock and the 20Tenors, as well as the annual RMB Starlight Classics, Last Night at the Proms, Sean Bovim’s spectacular tribute show Queen at the Ballet and Deon Opperman’s multi-media oratorio Die Skepping.

Kgaugelo Mpyane is a final year BMus student at the Odeion School of Music at the University of the Free State majoring in both viola performance and voice. He won the Musicon Solo singing competition in 2010 and 2011 and the UNISA festival, this time in the advanced category, where he won both the classical and non-classical categories, and won the overall prize for the festival. Since 2010 Kgaugelo has sung as a soloist with various leading choirs in South Africa. In 2011 he sang in Handel’s Messiah with Bel Canto Voices. In 2012 he sang as a soloist in Nabucco and Wagner’s Lohengrin as Lohengrin  with The Voices of the Nation Choir (Pretoria).

Aubrey Lodewyk was a huge favourite with the audience at the Rodgers & Hammerstein tribute concert at the Vryfees in July. In 2011 he performed the role of Mandela in the world premiere of Mandela Trilogy and again in its European debut in Cardiff. Aubrey made his debut as Silvio in I Pagliacci at the New Israeli Opera in Tel Aviv, sang the role of William in Jan Meyerowitz opera Il Mulatto in Marseille for the Festival Musique Interdites and was a soloist at the Mandela Day celebration concert in Paris. In 2014 Aubrey performed the role of Guglielmo in Cosi fan Tutte and made his debut in Munich in the title role in Mandela Trilogy (June 2014).

The Symphony Choir of Johannesburg was established in 1947 by Edgar Cree as the SABC Choral Society.  Since 1980, the choir has grown and evolved under the leadership of Richard Cock, and has become the leading choir of its type in South Africa.  Its concerts are regularly broadcast nationwide on SAFM.  The choir has gone from strength to strength under the creative and disciplined directorship of Richard Cock.  Their repertoire is varied and wide: they have sung most of the major well-known oratorios, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Haydn’s Creation and Nelson Mass, Vivaldi’s Gloria and the Requiems of Brahms, Mozart, Verdi, Fauré and Duruflé – to name a few. 

Admission:

R120 (adults)

R80 (pensioners)

R50 (students/learners/group bookings of 10+)

 

Tickets are available from Computicket outlets or book online at www.computicket.com

 

Enquiries:

Ella Kotze (FSSO), tel. (051) 401-2342 (office hours)

www.fsso.org.za

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