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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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LUKÁŠ VONDRÁCEK piano recital

6 March 2015

Odeion

19:30

 

"Lukáš Vondrácek drew the finest possible lines and added bell-like sounds as soft as butter, allowing the disparate compositional elements to become part of a greater whole. It comes as no surprise that this young musician is recognized as one of the greatest pianistic talents of our times.” (Stuttgarter Zeitung, April 2012)

 

"27-year-old Czech pianist Lukáš Vondrácek and conductor Anu Tali collaborated on a brilliant reading of Rachmaninoff’s “Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini,” bringing out inner voices and colors that made this work seem reborn. There were ripples of humor, stretches of passion and intense musicality that delineated the kind of music-making generally relegated to the best of chamber performances." (Herald-Tribune (Sarasota), November 2013)

 

 

Born in Opava (Czech Republic) in 1986, Lukáš gave his first concert at the age of four and now, has already visited 27 different countries giving in excess of 1000 concerts.  His first international tour was at the age of ten. 

 

He also spent time studying at the Vienna Hochschule with Prof Peter Barcaba, at the Academy of Music in Katowice (Poland), with Prof Andrzej Jasinsky, and at Ostrava University with Prof Rudolf Bernatik.  Currently Lukáš is pursuing an Artist Diploma at the New England Conservatory (Boston) under the tutelage of Prof Hung-Kuan Chen.  He performed debut recitals at La Cite in Paris, the Palais des Beaux Arts (Brussels), the Auditorio Nacional (Madrid), the Concertgebouw (Amsterdam) and the Tonhalle (Zurich).

 

Lukáš made his debut with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Vladimir Ashkenazy in May 2002.  As a concert soloist Lukáš has played with orchestras throughout the world: the Philharmonia, Royal Liverpool, and Royal Scottish National Orchestra (UK), St. Petersburg Philharmonic, Hong Kong Philharmonic, Cape Town Philharmonic, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester (Berlin), Malta National Orchestra and the symphonies of Iceland, Dallas and Cincinnati. 

 

He has toured in Japan with the NHK Symphony. In December 2007 he performed in Sao Paulo (Brasil), with one of the leading orchestras in South America, the Orquestra Sinfonica do Estado de Sao Paulo.  During the 2008/2009 season he made his recital debut in Istanbul before returning to the US for a number of concerts with the El Paso, the Colorado, and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestras.  Performances in Germany, Switzerland, Canada, the United States, Nigeria and Great Britain were among the highlights of the 2010/2011 season.  Engagements of 2011/2012 include concerts with the Orchestre National de Belgique, Orquestra Sinfonica Portuguesa, London Philharmonic and Washington's National Symphony Orchestra.

 

In 2010 he won first prize at the 10th Hilton Head International Piano Competition in South Carolina (USA).  In 2012 he took first prize, grand prize plus four special prizes at the 2012 UNISA Vodacom International Piano Competition (Pretoria). 

 

PROGRAMME

Mozart: Sonata No. 10 in C major, K.330

Smetana: Three Czech Dances (Furiant, Hulán, Cibulicka)

Dohnanyi: Capriccio from Four Pieces, Op. 4 No. 2

Suk: Piano Pieces, Op. 7 (No. 1 Love Song, No. 4 Little Idylls)

Schumann: Symphonic Etudes, Op. 13

 

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)

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