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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
Anzél Gerber (cello) & Ben Schoeman (piano)

28 May 2015

Odeion

19:30

 

Praised by various critics for her ability to capture the audience through her mature artistic approach, extraordinary musicality and technique, Anzél Gerber is increasingly performing on internationally renowned stages.  Her art as cellist has been shaped by Russia's most prominent teachers and soloists, starting with Alexander Fedortchenko (Spain), and Alexander Kniazev (Moscow State Conservatory).  Later, as part of her PhD in performance (Goldsmiths College, University of London, 2008), she pursued her studies under Natalia Shakhovskaya.  She is a dedicated exponent of the Russian school.

 

She received her first cello lessons from Glenda Piek and later Marian Lewin.  Under Lewin's tutelage she won several music competitions and scholarships, which enabled her to further her studies abroad.  She received guidance from David Geringas, Karine Georgian, Ralph Kirshbaum and Maxim Vengerov and has also attended masterclasses by Mstislav Rostropovich, Natalia Gutman, Heinrich Schiff, Bernard Greenhouse, Gary Hoffman, Maria Kliegel, Young-Chang Cho, Philippe Muller and Julius Berger.

 

As soloist she has collaborated with numerous conductors, including Gérard Korsten, Yasuo Shinozaki, Guido Ajmone-Marsan, David Tidboald, Leslie B Dunner, Christopher Dowdeswell, Robert Maxym, Gordon Hunt, Richard Cock and Hector Hevia.  Together with Ben Schoeman she received the Baronessa Constanza Arezzo Giampiccolo di Donnafugata IBLA Award as overall winners of the IBLA Grand Prize International Music Competition (Italy, 2012). 

 

She served on the faculty and was a member of the jury for the International Music Academy and Competition in Cremona (Italy, July 2013).  She is lecturing cello performance at the University of Stellenbosch since 2014. 

 

Ben Schoeman is regarded as one of South Africa's foremost pianists.  He studied at the University of Pretoria, the Accademia Pianistica 'Incontri col Maestro' (Imola, Italy), the Guildhall School of Music & Drama (UK) and the Scuola di Musica di Fiesole (Italy).  His teachers include Joseph Stanford, Michel Dalberto, Louis Lortie, Boris Petrushansky, Eliso Virsaladze and Ronan O'Hora.  He is currently completing a doctoral thesis on the piano music of South African composer Stefans Grové.  He has won the first grand prize in the 11th UNISA International Piano Competition (2008), first prize in the Royal Overseas League Music Competition (London, 2009), the Standard Bank Young Artist Award for Music (2011) and the Contemporary Music Prize at the Cleveland International Piano Competition (USA, 2013).  He has given solo, chamber music and concerto performances throughout Europe, Canada, the USA and South Africa in such prestigious concert halls as the Wigmore, Barbican, Cadogan and Queen Elizabeth Halls (London), the Konzerthaus (Berlin), Paleis het Loo (the Netherlands), the Gulbenkian Auditorium (Lisbon), Teatro del Giglio (Lucca) and the Romanian Athenaeum (Bucharest).  He has performed at major festivals in the United Kingdom, Italy, South Africa, Romania and Canada. 

 

His solo album, featuring works of Franz Liszt, was released in 2011.  Ben was awarded the KykNet Fiësta and Kanna Awards in recognition of his performances of Liszt's music during the bicentenary of the composer (2011).  He is a Steinway Artist.

 

PROGRAMME

Anton Rubinstein: Sonata no. 1 in D major for cello and piano, Op. 18

Benjamin Britten: Sonata for cello and piano, Op. 65

Frédéric Chopin: Sonata for cello and piano in G minor, Op. 65

Bohuslav Martinu: Variations on a theme of Rossini for cello and piano (1942)

 

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 2504051 – 401 2504)

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