Soloist:                Eljee du Plooy (organ)

Date:                    Thursday 24 April 2014

Venue:                 Odeion

Time:                    19:30

The Free State Youth Orchestra, conducted by Alexander Fokkens will give a free performance in the Odeion on Thursday 24 April. The FSYO compromises of students from the Odeion School of Music, students from the University of the Free State as well as learners of the highest level on all instruments from the High Schools in the Free State province. Many of the members this year are from the very successful Mangaung String Program under Peter Guy.

One of the main objectives are to create a seamless path in music education; working within their school programs, complimented by training and exposure to a high level youth orchestra that utilises the students at the OSM and UFS, leading them to continue their musical training at the Odeion School of Music and University of the Free State and ultimately giving them the potential to play in the Free State Symphony Orchestra (FSSO).

Alex Fokkens (Artistic director of the FSSO) is the principal conductor of the FYO. Weekly rehearsal are conducted by Anmari van der Westhuizen but there are also regular sectional rehearsals which are led by members of the Odeion String Quartet (for string players), Danré Strydom for the woodwinds and George Foster for the brass instruments.

The programme for 24 April will consist of the Symphony No. 104 “London” (Haydn), Three Cornered Hat Suite (De Falla) and the Symphony No. 1 “Organ Symphony” (Guilmant) with Eljee du Plooy as the organ soloist.

Eljee du Plooy received a bursary for post-graduate studies in 2012 in the final round of the SAKOV organ competition. In 2013 he won the organ category prize of the ATKV Musiq Competition and another bursary from SAKOV. He completed his MMus degree cum laude in 2013 and was awarded the Fanie Beetge Prize for best post-graduate student. Eljee is currently organist of the NG  Gemeente Hospitaalpark.

Admission: Free

Enquiries:

Ella Kotze (FSSO), tel. (051) 401-2342 (08:00 – 13:00)

www.fsso.org.za