An Evening of Timeless Romantics 
With Nicol Viljoen & Piet Koornhof 

Date: Thursday, 24 April 2025 
Venu: Odeion Auditorium
Time: 19:00
Tickets: Quicket

Join us for a truly enchanting concert featuring a handpicked collection of Timeless Romantic Songs, lovingly arranged for violin and piano by the acclaimed Nicol Viljoen. Performed alongside celebrated violinist Piet Koornhof, this musical journey promises an unforgettable evening filled with elegance, nostalgia, and soul-stirring melodies.

From the golden age of jazz standards to evocative French chansons and sultry bossa novas, the programme will sweep you off your feet with its beauty and emotional depth. Each piece has been chosen for its ability to touch the heart - perfect for lovers of classic Romance and sublime artistry.

Programme Highlights Include:

• Gershwin’s ‘S’Wonderful’
• Kern’s ‘The Way You Look Tonight’ & ‘All The Things You Are’
• Piaf’s timeless ‘La Vie en Rose’
• Jobim’s lush ‘Corcovado’ & ‘One Note Samba’
• Evans’ dreamy ‘Waltz for Debby’
• Mancini’s iconic ‘Pink Panther Theme’ …and many more gems.

Meet the Artists

Nicol Viljoen, renowned music theorist, pianist, and former Head of the Odeion School of Music, brings decades of experience, scholarly insight, and heartfelt expression to every note. With a career rooted in both academia and performance, his interpretations are rich with nuance and passion.

Piet Koornhof is a violinist of international stature, having performed across the globe to great acclaim. With numerous recordings and collaborations to his name, he brings a unique blend of technical brilliance and lyrical warmth that will leave audiences spellbound.

Don’t miss this magical evening of music that speaks directly to the heart. Whether you’re a romantic at heart, a music connoisseur, or simply seeking a beautiful night out - this concert promises to be a memorable experience.

Tickets available at Quicket or at the door (card sales only):

R100 - Adults
R50 - Pensioners, students and learners

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ENQUIRIES:
Ninette Pretorius 
E: pretoriusn@ufs.ac.za
T: +27 51 401 2504 

QUATUOR AVENA SAXOPHONE QUARTET 

Date: Thursday, 10 April 2025 
Venu: Odeion Auditorium
Time: 19:00
Tickets: Quicket

A fusion of South Africa, France, Italy, and Japan, Quatuor Avena has been crafting dynamic musical performances in Strasbourg since 2016. Their saxophone-driven shows blend world music, choreography, and storytelling, as seen in productions like Around the World in 80 Minutes and Trajectories. They have performed at major festivals across Europe, Africa, and Asia, releasing their debut album Massar in 2023. The group has received several awards, including first prizes at international competitions in France and Japan.

Awards

• 2020: Académie Rhénane Music Prize (France)
• 2019: 2nd Prize, Gaetano Zinetti Competition (Italy)
• 2018: Prix d’honneur, Leopold Bellan Competition (France)
• 2017: Multiple 1st Prizes, including Boulogne Billancourt & Kurashiki Competitions

Around the World in 80 Minutes

The programme, which will be presented on the evening, is a musical journey through diverse cultures, featuring works from Bach, Bartók, Piazzolla, and more, enhanced by choreography by Isabelle Morane-Rist.

Meet The Musicians

Each of the musicians have distinguished careers as performers, educators, and collaborators. Their passion for cultural fusion and innovation defines their unique artistic identity.

• Nicolas Allard (Soprano Saxophone) – Jazz & classical artist and a saxophone educator in Alsace.
• Fabio Cesare (Alto Saxophone) – Award-winning soloist & chamber musician, Selmer Artist.
• Sumika Tsujimoto (Tenor Saxophone) – YouTube sensation with 100K+ subscribers, Selmer & BG France artist.
• Adam Campbell (Baritone Saxophone) – South African musician & educator, founder of Le Saxophone à la Française.

Tickets available at Quicket or at the door (card sales only):

R100 - Adults
R50 - Pensioners, students and learners

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ENQUIRIES:
Ninette Pretorius 
E: pretoriusn@ufs.ac.za
T: +27 51 401 2504 

ARON KOHLBERG PIANO RECITAL

Date:   Monday, 31 March 2025 
Venu: Odeion Auditorium
Time: 19:00
Tickets: Quicket

Engage, inspire, connect.

These are the pillars guiding world-renowned pianist and Steinway artist Yaron Kohlberg every day. Kohlberg ignites audiences through traditional and non -traditional performances, develops creative programming, and supports emerging artists, making him a leader and innovator in the world of classical music. While those crowds are often found in famous venues (Carnegie Hall, the Kremlin, Beijing’s Forbidden City, Kennedy Center, and Mexico City’s Bellas Artes being some of the iconic auditoriums he has performed as soloist), Kohlberg reaches beyond the concert-going public to engage new audiences with classical music in atypical places – a street piano in Singapore, a hotel lobby in Marrakech, a community centre in Bukhara, Uzbekistan.

Kohlberg often combines storytelling and transcriptions of popular tunes with traditional classical masterpieces, thrilling audiences and critics with his virtuosity and unique quality of sound. Winner of 10 international prizes and the 2007 silver medalist of the Cleveland International Piano Competition, Kohlberg is President of Piano Cleveland, the organizing body of the CIPC. Original programming he has co-created includes the upcoming Artist Development Program, an enrichment and professional development program for top-tier young pianists; The Listening Series, an in-person and virtual event that takes audiences from the couch to the concert hall as musicians take a deep dive into their work; and Virtu(al)oso, a global piano competition that raised more than $75,000 to support pianists during the pandemic. Articles about his creative ideas have been featured in several of the best classical music publications, including Pianist Magazine, Musical America, and The World of Piano Competitions magazine. He has appeared as soloist with numerous orchestras, including the Cleveland Orchestra, the Copenhagen Philharmonic Orchestra, the Israel Philharmonic and Jerusalem Symphony Orchestras, the Beijing and Chengdu Symphony Orchestras, the Norwegian Radio Orchestra, and the Palermo Teatro Massimo Orchestra in Italy, working with conductors Thomas Sondergard, Jahja Ling, Roman Kofman, En Shao, Steven Byess and Ryan McAdams. He has also collaborated with the Limón Dance company, cellists Toke Møldrup and Nicholas Altstaedt, pianists Yeol Eum Son and Dong Hyek Lim, choreographer and dancer Jin Xing, rock star Shlomi Shaban, composer Alexey Kurbatov and the Ariel String Quartet.

In addition to co-leading Piano Cleveland, performing, and serving on international competition juries, Kohlberg also lectures and conducts masterclasses at leading institutions around the world.

PROGRAMME:

Bach: Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring

Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 8, Op.13, ‘Pathetique’

Schubert: Impromptu Op. 90 No. 2

Schumann: Arabeske Op. 18

Debussy: Arabesque No. 1

Prokofiev: Sonata No. 3, Op. 28

Rachmaninov: Prelude in C sharp minor Op. 3 No. 2

Ren Guang: Clouds chasing the Moon 

Yaron Kohlberg: Improvisation 

The Beatles: Blackbird 

Shifrin/Kurbatov: Mission Impossible 

Tickets available at Quicket or at the door (card sales only):

R100 - Adults
R50 - Pensioners, students and learners

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ENQUIRIES:
Ninette Pretorius 
E: pretoriusn@ufs.ac.za
T: +27 51 401 2504 

MARABI MEETS HIGHLIFE:
JO KUNNUJI IN CONCERT WITH MLUNGISI GEGANA
With Joseph Kunnuji (trumpet), Mlungisi Gegana (double bass), John Smit (drum kit), Thembi Dunjana (piano) and Vuyani Gxavu (trombone)

Date:   29 March 2025
Venu: Odeion Auditorium
Time: 19:00
Tickets: Quicket

This concert is titled “Marabi Meets Highlife: Jo Kunnuji in Concert with Mlungisi Gegana.” The concert aims to sensitize the public to the need for unity and peace among Africans and within our cities. The Guardian recently published a report titled “Negative Stereotypes in International Media Cost Africa 3.2bn Pounds a Year.”  This report details how focusing on conflict (xenophobia, ethnic rivalries, election fraud etc.), corruption and poverty raises the perception of risk, heightens interest on sovereign debt and dissuades investors. As a public-facing form of academic activism, this collaboration between Jo Kunnuji (an academic) and Mlungisi Gegana (an award-winning South African jazz legend) will showcase how musical genres and knowledge sourced from different parts of the continent can be synthesized and made to work together while spreading a message on the need for Africans to link arms instead of being divisive. The concert aligns with the UN’s SDG 16 of promoting peaceful and inclusive societies.

Joseph Kunnuji is a musician and ethnomusicologist. He pioneered the Ethnomusicology and African Music program at the Odeion School of Music, University of the Free State. His doctoral research focused on re-contextualising indigenous Ogu music from Badagry, Lagos State, and other sites along the West African Atlantic coast, blending it with popular aesthetics and production models. Jazz aficionados across the country have been sitting up and listening to the sounds of award-winning jazz legend Mlungisi Gegana as a double bass & electric bassist, a band leader, music composer, music arranger, music producer and a session musician. He is widely versed in South African music idiom and has collaborated with some of the finest jazz musicians in South Africa. Gegana’s combos have graced stages of South Africa’s major jazz festivals and premier live music venues. He has performed with South African and international musicians on local and global stages, including Sweden, France, Norway, Algeria, Namibia, Mozambique, Lesotho, Zambia, Zimbabwe. Thembi Dunjana, is a Cape Town born pianist who started playing piano at the age of 11. After completing a jazz degree at the University of Cape Town, she released her debut album, receiving 2 Mzansi Jazz awards. In 2024, Thembi released her second album, which was recorded in NYC, and published under US record label Ropeadope/AfrikArise. Currently Thembi performs mainly in the Cape Town scene, and in other parts of South Africa and is also known for her YouTube content creation and teachings. John Smit has been involved in the music industry since 1994. Through the years he has recorded, sessioned as kit-drummer/bassist and audio mixed numerous national and international music productions covering from classical to rock, traditional to jazz recordings and live performances. From 2006- end 2023 he lectured part-time in Music Technology at the Odeion School of Music. Vuyani Gxavu began playing the trombone at the age of 14 in high school. He pursued a Bachelor of Music (BMus) at the University of the Free State (UFS) under Dr. Paul Loeb van Zuilenburg, completing hisBMus in 2008 andBMusHonoursin2009. Gxavu is an active performer with Bloemfontein orchestras, including the Free State Symphony Orchestra (FSSO) and the Bloemfontein Philharmonic Orchestra (BPO). Since 2014, he has served as Head of Brass at the Free State Musicon.

PROGRAMME

1. My first audience – Mlungisi Gegana
2. Jesu nikan – arr. by Jo Kunnuji
3. East to West – Mlungisi Gegana
4. Bloem Highlife – Jo Kunnuji
5. Sibamba ngazo zozibini – Mlungisi Gegana
6. Omo rere – Jo Kunnuji
7. Introspection – Mlungisi Gegana
8. Titilayo 2 – Jo Kunnuji
9. Tell it as it is – Mlungisi Gegana
10. Peace and Unity – Jo Kunnuji 
11. Uthando – Mlungisi Gegana
12. Centre 4 Play and Learning – Jo Kunnuji  

Tickets available at Quicket or at the door (card sales only):

R100 - Adults
R50 - Pensioners, students and learners

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ENQUIRIES:
Ninette Pretorius 
E: pretoriusn@ufs.ac.za
T: +27 51 401 2504 

SPINA and BENIGNETTI Piano Duo
with Eleonora Spina & Michele Benignetti

Date:  Thursday 27 February 2025
Venu: Odeion Auditorium
Time: 19:00
Tickets: Quicket

The spirit of music courses through the veins of Eleonora Spina and Michele Benignetti. Coming from a strong musical lineage with backgrounds as soloists and chamber musicians, Eleonora and Michele’s partnership as a piano duo took off in 2013 and was met immediately with positive critical acclaim. In June 2014, they were unanimously awarded the prestigious Diplôme Supérieur d’Exécution at the Ecole Normale De Musique Alfred Cortot (Paris), under the supervision of Chantal De Buchy.

Lifelong learners, they received master’s degrees with honours, in 2019, at the Maastricht Conservatory of Music - Zuyd University (the Netherlands). They also studied at the Universität für Musik in Graz (Austria). They were awarded the Gold Medal at the Manhattan International Music Competition (New York) and at the Global Music Awards (USA), they were winners of numerous competitions dedicated to chamber music and piano duo, among which, the Pietro Argento Competition (Italy), London Piano Masters - Royal College of Music (UK), Virtuoso Grand Prize

Competition (France) Concours Musical de France (France), International Artists Competition in Vienna. 

Their concert activity has seen them perform in concert halls throughout Europe and across the Globe. Repeatedly invited to play in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, their tours have always been surrounded by great success with audiences and critics.

Their acclaimed 2015 recording of Brahms’s complete works for two pianos for Brilliant Class Records has been praised by audiences and critics alike. The album ‘Lifetime’ followed in January 2017. Released by Sheva Collection, it went on to win Gold Medals for Best Album, Best Duo, and Best Emerging Artists at the 2017 Global Mu Awards in La Jolla, California (USA). The third album ‘Visions’ was also released on Sheva Collection, the London-based label, in July 2021. In September 2022, the album “Schubert’s Music for Piano Four Hands” was released with Apple Digital Masters certification, by UK label Ulysses Arts, featuring Schubert’s major works for piano duet and transcription of the Trout Piano Quintet D667 for piano four hands. In October 2024, the new album “Transcriptions for Piano Four Hands” was released by Piano Classics.

Eleonora and Michele are professors currently teaching at the Cité de la Musique et de la Danse in Soissons (France). They are often invited to give masterclasses at the Summer International Academy of Colombes and at the Summer Arts Academy of Flaine (France), at the Beijing International Music Institute and Tianjin School of Music (China), at Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music in Melbourne (Australia), UNAM Facultad de Musica and Conservatorio Nacional (Mexico City), at the University of Costa Rica and the Conservatorio Nacional (Guatemala City).

The Spina-Benignetti Piano Duo is an Official Yamaha Artist.
www.spinabenignetti.com

PROGRAMME: Transcriptions

César Franck (1822 – 1890): Prélude, Fugue et Variation Op. 18, transcription for piano four hands by A. M. Decaux
Franz Liszt (1811 – 1886): Les Préludes, transcription for piano four hands
Richard Wagner (1813 – 1883): Tannhäuser Ouverture, transcription by Hans von Bülow
Maurice Ravel (1875 – 1937): Valses Nobles et Sentimentales, transcription by Lucien Garban
Maurice Ravel: La Valse, transcription by Lucien Garban

ADMISSION:

R100 (adults)
R50 (pensioners, students and learners)

Tickets available at Quicket or at the door (card sales only):
https://www.quicket.co.za/events/301059-spina-benignetti-piano-duo/?ref=events-list#/

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ENQUIRIES:
Ninette Pretorius 
E: pretoriusn@ufs.ac.za
T: +27 51 401 2504 

A Spanish Night of Music and Dance
with Chris van Zyl (cello), Petro Engelbrecht (piano) and dancers

Date:  Thursday 5 December 2024
Venu: Odeion Auditorium
Time: 19:00
Admission: FREE

An exciting interdisciplinary event is awaiting the concertgoers of Bloemfontein! Cellist Chris van Zyl and pianist Petro Engelbrecht will present an evening of exuberant music in a programme with dancers. This Spanish and Latin-American music will transport you to far-off places where people truly enjoy life, dancing their sorrows away.

Chris van Zyl started his career as cellist with teacher Michael Haller. In 2011, he was appointed principal cellist of the Stellenbosch Chamber Music Festival Orchestra. In 2013, he joined the OSM Camerata and participated in the International Orchestra Festival in St Petersburg (Russia). In 2016, he attended masterclasses at the Gulbenkian Institute in Portugal under Varoujan Bartikian. Chris has also played in an orchestra at festivals like the Immling Festival (Germany) and the Gustav Mahler Festival (Italy). He was invited as a faculty member of the International Gauteng Chamber Music Festival in 2017 and 2019. He completed his BMus under the tutelage of Anmari van der Westhuizen at the UFS, and is currently enrolled for his master’s degree at Bard College Conservatory of Music.

Petro Engelbrecht completed her BMus (cum laude), BMusHons (cum laude), and MMus at Stellenbosch University under the supervision of Bennie van Eeden and Melanie Horne. In 2014 she received her DMus at the University of North-West. In 2002 she studied under Evelyne Brancart at Indiana University, Bloomington (USA), where she also performed as an accompanist. After returning from her overseas studies, she took up an appointment as accompanist at the UFS. She regularly accompanies at national music competitions and various choral competitions. In 2015 she began a concert series, Rhapsody in Bloem, as a platform for amateur musicians and founded the Rhapsody in Bloem annual music bursary and is currently a freelance musician.

Programme:

José Elizondo (Born 1972): Danzas Latinoamericanas
David Popper (1843 – 1913): Spanish dances Op. 54 Nos. 1, 4, 5
Enrique Granados (1867 – 1916): Andaluza (from “Danzas Espagñolas”)
Astor Piazzolla (1921 – 1992): Le Grand Tango
Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887 – 1959): O Canto do Cisne Negro
Manuel de Falla (1876 – 1946): Siete canciones populares espanolas

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ENQUIRIES:
Ninette Pretorius 
E: pretoriusn@ufs.ac.za
T: +27 51 401 2504 

TAKE FOUR

Date:  Thursday 21 November 2024
Venu: Odeion Auditorium
Time: 19:00
Admission: FREE

TAKE FOUR … an all-female piano quartet with:
Elna van der Merwe (piano), Zanta Hofmeyr (violin), Susan Mouton (cello), and Jean-Louise Moolman (viola)

Zanta Hofmeyr, Elna van der Merwe, Jeanne-Louise Moolman and Susan Mouton have been friends for many years. They are regarded as four of South Africa’s most accomplished classical musicians on violin, piano, viola and cello respectively. In August 2022, which very aptly is also Women’s Month, they combined in their first performance as a formal piano quartet under the name Take Four. Their programme for this concert will feature two major works by Mozart and Fauré: the Mozart Piano Quartet in E-flat KV.493 and the Fauré Piano Quartet Op. 15. South African audiences can look forward to participating in Take Four’s celebration of friendship and the uplifting power of music. Each one of these musicians has established themselves as outstanding performers in their respective fields in many different locations and contexts in South Africa.

Zanta Hofmeyr graduated from the Juilliard School of Music (New York) as student of Dorothy Delay and Hyo Kang. After her New York debut in the Carnegie Recital Hall, she returned to South Africa in 1985. She now teaches violin in Johannesburg and at Wits University. She performs regularly as soloist with symphony orchestras in South Africa. She has several recordings with different artists. In 2016, she served as an adjudicator at the Rudolfo Lipizer International Violin Competition in Italy. 
Susan Mouton studied at the University of Pretoria under Gerard van de Geest. She was the recipient of the Pretorium Trust bursary and one of the winners of the SA Music Scholarship. She joined the National Symphony Orchestra (1983), and was appointed Principal Cellist in 1987. She studied with Marian Lewin while completing her Performer's Diploma at Wits University, and was one of the winners of the UNISA Overseas Study Bursaries in 1987. Since 2000. she has been Principal Cellist of the JPO. In 2001. she was on the jury for the National String Competition, and in 2010, she was chosen as String Specialist on the jury for the International String Competition. 
Jeanne-Louise Moolman was appointed as violist of the Odeion String Quartet and Senior Lecturer at the Odeion School of Music in 2008. She studied under Alan Solomon at the University of Pretoria, where she obtained the BMus and BMus Hons degrees with distinction and also studied in Salzburg under Thomas Riebl. She won the ATKV Forté and Oude Meester competitions. In 1985, she was the winner of the University of Natal 75^th Anniversary Prize. She regularly performs with some of our country's foremost musicians and has given numerous solo performances in South Africa and Zimbabwe. In 2012, she was invited to perform at the International Viola Congress in Rochester (New York). 
Elna van der Merwe was a full-time accompanist and part-time Piano Lecturer at the Conservatory of Stellenbosch University until 2001. Since then she has been an ad hoc pianist and sought-after collaborative artist for local as well as international artists. She studied piano and organ at Stellenbosch University and has won several awards, stipends and competitions. She performed as soloist with various national orchestras. As an accompanist she has appeared in all the Unisa International Singing, Strings (since 1990) and recently the Flute and Clarinet Competitions. She has also recorded many CDs and DVDs.

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ENQUIRIES:
Ninette Pretorius 
E: pretoriusn@ufs.ac.za
T: +27 51 401 2504 

VIOLIN RECITAL with Marianne Cilliers-Legierski and pianist Petro Engelbrecht

Date:  Thursday 14 November 2024
Venu: Odeion Auditorium
Time: 19:00
Admission: FREE

You are invited to an evening of exquisite music with ex-South African violinist Marianne Cilliers-Legierski and pianist Petro Engelbrecht. They will perform Ysaye’s Sonata Nr. 1, Schumann’s Sonata in A minor and one of César Franck’s best-known compositions - his monumental Violin Sonata. Admission is FREE!
 
Marianne started her violin career with Francois Henkins (Bloemfontein), Derek Ochse (Bloemfontein) and Jack de Wet till she went overseas for postgraduate studies. She completed her BMus degree at UNISA and her masters and doctorate degrees at the Michigan State University (USA). She also completed a second master’s degree at the Universität Mozarteum (Salzburg, Austria). She has won numerous scholarships and prizes at competitions. These include prizes at the Sanlam Music Competition, the Trustbank Music Competition, Interlochen Summerschool Scholarship, the ATKV Competition, FAK Scholarships, the Ellie Marx Memorial Scholarship and Du Toit Van Tonder Scholarship at the UNISA Licenciate Competition, Mozart Ensemble Competition, Michigan State University Scholarships, and scholarships to several summer schools internationally in the USA and Europe. She has performed as soloist with orchestras in South Africa and the USA, the PACOFS Symphony Orchestra, Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Michigan State Concert Orchestra. She has worked for several orchestras. These include the Greater Lansing Symphony Orchestra under Gustav Meier (USA), Collegium Musicum (Austria), Philharmonie der Nationen under Justus Frantz (Germany, Spain), Berliner Symphoniker under Lior Shambadal (Germany, Italy, Japan, China, Vietnam), Deutsche Oper Kammersolisten under Piotr Borkowski (Poland, Germany, Korea), Filharmonia Gorzowska under Piotr Borkowski (Poland), Filharmonia Sudecka under Kosek (Poland), Kammerphilharmonie Köln (Germany, France, Spain), and the La Strada Ensemble (Germany). Concertmaster experience she acquired as concertmaster from the World Youth Opera Orchestra (USA) and Assistant Concertmaster of Les Ecoles D'Art Americaine de Fontainebleau Chamber Orchestra under Philippe Entremont (France). She has been teaching at music schools in South Africa, the USA and Germany.
 
Petro Engelbrecht completed her BMus (cum laude), BMusHons (cum laude), and MMus at Stellenbosch University under the supervision of Bennie van Eeden and Melanie Horne. In 2014 she received her DMus at the University of North-West. In 2002 she studied under Evelyne Brancart at Indiana University, Bloomington (USA), where she also performed as an accompanist. After returning from her overseas studies, she took up an appointment as accompanist at the UFS. She regularly accompanies at national music competitions and various choral competitions. In 2015 she began a concert series, Rhapsody in Bloem, as a platform for amateur musicians and founded the Rhapsody in Bloem annual music bursary and is currently a freelance musician.
 
Programme:
Eugène-Auguste Ysaÿe (1858 – 1931): Sonata No. 1
Robert Schumann (1810 – 1856): Sonata in A minor
César Franck (1822 – 1890): Sonata for violin and piano

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ENQUIRIES:
Ninette Pretorius 
E: pretoriusn@ufs.ac.za
T: +27 51 401 2504 

Adapt and Adopt with Strydom2

Date:  Thursday 31 October 2024
Venu: Odeion Auditorium
Time: 19:00
Admission: FREE

Join us for Adapt and Adopt on 31 October, featuring the talented sibling duo, Cezarre Strydom on piano and Professor Danré Strydom on clarinet. This eclectic concert showcases pieces adapted and reimagined for clarinet and piano, blending baroque elegance with bold 21st-century experimentalism. From the stately sounds of the 17th century to the wild energy of contemporary music, the program promises a delightful journey through time and style.

Prof Danré Strydom has established herself as one of South Africa’s premier solo, chamber, and orchestral musicians. After attending the Interlochen Arts Camp (USA), she began her formal studies with Heinrich Armer at the UFS.  She furthered her studies at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, working with renowned clarinettists Eli Eban and Eric Hoeprich.  She holds two master’s degrees in clarinet, early clarinet and bass clarinet performance from the Royal Conservatory at Ghent University and completed her PhD at the UFS.  After playing clarinet/bass clarinet for the award-winning Brussels Philharmonic from 2009 to 2013, she accepted a position as the woodwind lecturer at the Odeion School of Music. She is currently the principal clarinettist of the FSSO, an International Buffet Crampon artist, continental chairperson of the International Clarinet Association, and member of the “Suid-Afrikaase Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns”. Cèzarre Strydom, brother of Danré Strydom began piano lessons with Valerie van Biljon at the College of the Arts in Namibia. After lessons with Nettie Immelman in Bloemfontein, he furthered his musical studies in the USA at the Interlochen Arts Academy and the University of Michigan. His teachers have included Prof Logan Skelton, Arthur Greene, Dr TJ Lymenstull, Michael Coonrod and Derison Duarte, and he has performed across the USA, Mexico, Germany and Belgium. Upon returning to South Africa, Cèzarre worked as a staff accompanist at the University of the Free State. He is currently Head of Music at Paul Roos Gymnasium (Stellenbosch). 

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ENQUIRIES:
Ninette Pretorius 
E: pretoriusn@ufs.ac.za
T: +27 51 401 2504 

LOUIS NEL PIANO RECITAL

Date:  Thursday 25 July 2024
Venu: Odeion Auditorium
Time: 19:00
Admission: FREE

Join us for an exhilarating piano recital with Louis Nel! Louis started playing the piano at the age of 8 with Claudine van Breda, and is currently a pupil of Prof Joseph Stanford. In 2016 he was the overall winner of the Hennie Joubert National Piano Competition in Stellenbosch, and in 2017 of the Atterbury National Piano Competition. In October 2018 he was winner of the piano category as well as the overall winner during the National Youth Music Competition in Cape Town. In 2019 he was invited to perform as a soloist with the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra during the Len van Zyl Conductor’s Competition, and won the UNISA Music Scholarship Competition. Since then, he has completed an Honours degree in mathematics at the University of Pretoria and has continued to perform on the side, a highlight being performing as pianist for Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy in 2023.

PROGRAMME

J.S. Bach: Partita No. 2 in C minor BWV 826

S. Rachmaninoff: Piano Sonata No. 2 in B-flat minor, Op. 36

A. Johnson: Jazz Impromptu 2

R. Muczynski: Desperate Measures (Paganini Variations)

A. Johnson: Jazz Impromptu 3

F. Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody No. 12

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ENQUIRIES:
Ninette Pretorius 
E: pretoriusn@ufs.ac.za
T: +27 51 401 2504 

JAN BARTOŠ PIANO RECITAL

Date:  8 June 2024
Venu: Odeion Auditorium
Time: 19:00
Admission: FREE

The international press has described Jan Bartoš as “one of the finest European pianists” and “an emotional and sophisticated interpreter.” He has appeared in solo recitals, with major orchestras and in chamber music concerts worldwide and enjoys a prolific recording career as an exclusive artist on the Supraphon label. His recordings of the music of Janáček, Mozart, Beethoven and Novák have earned international critical praise from critics at Gramophone, Diapason, BBC Music Magazine, The Times, American Record Guide and The Guardian among other outlets.

In the current season, Jan Bartoš returned to tour the US with performances and masterclasses at the San Francisco International Piano Festival and in New York City. In October 2023 he gave concerts and masterclasses in Cleveland, Madison, New York, and Brown University. He gave a recital at the virtual edition of the Hong Kong Arts Festival and the Prague Spring Festival with the Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 1. In the previous seasons, Bartoš gave a solo recital at the Rudolf Firkušný Piano Festival in Prague, performed the complete Janáček piano works at the International Festival Janáček Brno, and joined the Prague Philharmonia in Martinů’s Double Concerto. He has appeared regularly with the Czech Philharmonic.

His CD release from 2020 is the first studio recording of Vítězslav Novák’s Piano Concerto, which the Guardian voted Classical Album of the Week. In 2019, Bartoš recorded solo piano works of Leoš Janáček for Supraphon to great critical acclaim. The NPR (National Public Radio) included the recording in “10 Classical Albums To Usher In The Next Decade.” His other notable CDs on Supraphon include a double album of Beethoven's solo piano works and Mozart Concertos. On Alfred Brendel's invitation, Jan appears as a solo performer on the 2021 Supraphon DVD My Musical Life that celebrates the piano legend.
 
He has been the recipient of several awards and scholarships, among them the 1st prize at Zaslavsky-Koch Competition (New York), the Peter S. Reed Foundation Award (New York), the International Mieczyslaw Munz Award (New York), the Rotary Musikförderpreis (Germany), the Rucorva Trust Award (the Netherlands), and the Schimmel Prize (Germany). He holds a Professional Studies Diploma from the Manhattan School of Music (New York), and a doctorate from the Academy of Performing Arts (Prague). He was the last pupil of the legendary pianist Ivan Moravec and continued to study abroad with Alfred Brendel, Leon Fleisher, James Tocco, and Zenon Fishbein. He is the Artistic Director of the Music is festival and the Ivan Moravec Academy. Jan teaches piano and chamber music at the Academy of Performing Arts (Prague). 


Programme:

Ludwig van Beethoven: 32 Variations in C minor on an Original Theme, WoO 80
Leoš Janáček: 1.X. 1905
Leoš Janáček: In the Mists
Bedřich Smetana: Dreams. Six Characteristic Pieces for Piano

 

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ENQUIRIES:
Ninette Pretorius 
E: pretoriusn@ufs.ac.za
T: +27 51 401 2504

 

MOONLIGHT, MUSICALS AND MORE,

Date:  13 June 2024
Venu: Odeion Auditorium
Time: 19:00
Admission: FREE

Moonlight, Musicals and More is a unique programme of beloved Musicals, sung by popular South African baritone Niël Rademan, accompanied by Elna van der Merwe (piano) and the beloved Bloemfontein viola player Jeanne-Louise Moolman. Solo works for viola and piano will also be performed. 

Niël Rademan is a highly acclaimed South African singer of cabaret, folksong, lied and operatic music. He has worked with artists such as Lynelle Kenned, Pumeza Matshikiza, Zanne Stapelberg, Pauline Malefane, Minette du Toit Pearce, Jolenne McClelland, Beverly Chiat, Barend van der Westhuizen and Clint Lesch. He sang in two productions on the West End (Londen) and performed all over Europe the past few years. He is a theatre practitioner with a master’s degree in Drama (focusing on the human voice), from the Stellenbosch University. He directed productions of West Side Story (Bernstein), Sound of Music (Rodgers & Hammerstein) and co-directed La Boheme (Puccini), The Pearl Fishers (Bizet) at the Artscape Operahouse. He was the founder and director of several award-winning groups and productions such as: The South African Sopranos, a children's musical; Wilde Willemietjie and 5MAESTROS! He was nominated for best FIESTA TV presenter in 2013, he was part of a cast that won a KANNA-award for best children's production, won a FIESTA award for his opera group "The South African Sopranos", and brought out a vocal album. He is currently the head of his own arts festival the "Hessequa Harmonie".

Jeanne-Louise Moolman was appointed as violist of the Odeion String Quartet and Senior Lecturer at the Odeion School of Music in 2008. She studied under Alan Solomon at the University of Pretoria, where she obtained the BMus and BMus Hons degrees with distinction, and also studied in Salzburg under Thomas Riebl. She won the ATKV Forté and Oude Meester competitions. In 1985, she won the University of Natal 75^th Anniversary Prize. She regularly performs with some of our country's foremost musicians and has given numerous solo performances in South Africa and Zimbabwe. In 2012, she was invited to perform at the International Viola Congress in Rochester (New York).

Elna van der Merwe was a full-time accompanist and part-time Piano Lecturer at the Conservatory of Stellenbosch University until 2001. Since then, she has been an ad hoc pianist and sought-after collaborative artist for local and international artists. She studied piano and organ at Stellenbosch University and has won several awards, stipends and competitions. She performed as soloist with various national orchestras. As an accompanist, she has appeared in all the UNISA International Singing, Strings (since 1990) and recently the Flute and Clarinet Competitions. She has also recorded many CDs and DVDs. 

Programme:
Fauré: Apres un Reve (viola)
Kreisler: Liebesleid (viola)
Velazquez: Besame Mucho (piano)
Lieder and songs from musical theatre

 

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ENQUIRIES:
Ninette Pretorius 
E: pretoriusn@ufs.ac.za
T: +27 51 401 2504

 

The Romantic Soul

Date:  30 May 2024
Venu: Odeion Auditorium
Time: 19:00
Admission: FREE

The Romantic Soul is a program of German Lied consisting of two sets of art songs by some of the most significant Lied composers of the Romantic era. Robert Schumann’s Liederkreis Op. 39 typically depicts the sympathy and interrelatedness of nature with the human soul, whereas the subjective intimacy of Gustav Mahler’s Rückert–Lieder Op. 44 address the familiar Romantic theme of withdrawal into a secluded world of love, art, and nature.

Dr Albertus Engelbrecht was appointed in opera houses of Nürnberg and Passau (Germany) for a total of seventeen years where he sang a diversity of leading roles such as Orfeo in Monteverdi's L'Orfeo, Ulisse in Monteverdi’s Il Ritorno d’Ulisse in Patria, Nerone in Monteverdi’s L’incorronazione di Poppea, Ramiro in Rossini's La Cenerentola, Duca in Verdi's Rigoletto, and Belmonte in Mozart's Die Entführung aus dem Serail. Guest contracts have taken him to Luzern (Switzerland) and Los Angeles (USA).  As concert singer, he performed regularly in Berlin, Frankfurt, Mainz and Vienna. A highlight of his career was concerts of Medelssohn's Walpurgisnacht in the Teatro San Carlo (Naples, Italy).  Albertus is lecturer in singing at the OSM since 2016 and obtained his PhD at the OSM in 2023.

Albie van Schalkwyk has established himself as performer in a number of fields over the past 30 years. One of the leading chamber musicians and vocal accompanists in South Africa, he has also performed as soloist with SA orchestras, performed solo recitals, given masterclasses, worked as a music producer for the SABC, and arranged music, including Broadway musicals and operas for two pianos and orchestral pieces for three to eight pianos. He completed his PhD at the UFS in 2012. His interest in vocal music and the art song in particular, has led to many partnerships with singers, culminating in the formation in 1994 of The Songmakers’ Guild.  This Cape Town based organisation has been providing a regular platform to performers in the field of the art song for 25 years. He has presented workshops and classes for singers and accompanists at several SA universities and spent his 2002/3 sabbatical working as coach in the Vocal Department of the Mozarteum Music University in Salzburg (Austria). Albie retired from his post as Associate Professor in Piano and Chamber Music at the SA College of Music, University of Cape Town, at the end of 2017 to his own private studio, the Musicumbrella Piano Studio. Apart from continuing his performance career as collaborative pianist, he plans a wide range of activities including individual piano teaching, masterclasses in piano, chamber music and art songs, vocal coaching and arrangements for multiple pianos.

Programme:

Robert Schumann (1810 – 1856): Liederkreis Op. 39

Gustav Mahler (1860 – 1911): Rückert Lieder Op. 44

 

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ENQUIRIES:
Ninette Pretorius 
E: pretoriusn@ufs.ac.za
T: +27 51 401 2504

 

WITS TRIO IN CONCERT

Date:  25 April 2024
Venu: Odeion Auditorium
Time: 19:00
Admission: FREE

Since their inauguration in 2012 the Wits Trio has become well-known throughout South Africa. In 2016 the Trio performed the complete trios of Johannes Brahms at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown.  At the Vryfees in Bloemfontein they received an award for the Best Performance of a new chamber concert programme. In 2017 they were featured at a SAMRO concert at the University of Pretoria where they performed the Wits Trio Tribute – a composition specially composed for them by the South African composer, Jeanne Zaidel-Rudolph. The Trio has toured extensively throughout the Western Cape and the Karoo intending to bring live classical music performances to venues outside of the major metropolitan areas. In 2018 Susan Mouton joined the Wits Trio as they undertook their performances of the piano trios of Franz Schubert. Since 2020 they have performed Beethoven trios in online concerts as part of the Beethoven celebration year as well as the Mendelssohn and Piazzolla works for piano trio.

Zanta Hofmeyr graduated from the Juilliard School of Music (New York) as student of Dorothy Delay and Hyo Kang. After her New York debut in Carnegie Recital Hall, she returned to SA in 1985 and currently teaches violin in Johannesburg and at Wits University. She often acts as string coach for youth orchestras and has been on the Faculty of Chamber Music Festivals in the USA and Stellenbosch. She performs regularly as soloist with symphony orchestras in South Africa. She has several recordings with different artists, the latest are French sonatas and three Beethoven sonatas.

Susan Mouton studied at the University of Pretoria under Professor Gerard van de Geest. During the course of her studies at the University of Pretoria, she was the recipient of the Pretorium Trust bursary. After graduating, she joined the National Symphony Orchestra (1983), and was appointed Principal Cellist (1987). She has performed as Principal Cellist of the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra since 2000. In 2001, she was on the jury for the National String Competition. In 2010 she was chosen as String Specialist on the jury for the International String Competition.

Malcolm Nay is one of the finest chamber pianists and accompanists in South Africa. After graduating with a BMus (Wits University), he studied with Pauline Nossel and Isabella Stenge. While studying with Bela Siki in the United Statesi, Malcolm was the recipient of numerous prizes at several international piano competitions. As a soloist, he has appeared with most of South Africa's major orchestras. He is also sought after as an adjudicator at prestigious music competitions and he continues to perform extensively at the larger festivals in South Africa. He is currently Associate Professor at WitsMusic, Wits School of Arts (WSOA).

Programme:

Mozart: Trio in E major, K.542
Babajanian: Piano Trio in F-sharp minor
Brahms: Trio in C major, Op. 87

 

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ENQUIRIES:
Ninette Pretorius 
E: pretoriusn@ufs.ac.za
T: +27 51 401 2504

 

Cape Town Baroque Trio
Ralitza Macheva (Baroque violin), Annien Shaw (Baroque violin) and Rosamund Ender (viola da gamba)

Date:  19 April 2024
Venu: Odeion Auditorium
Time: 19:00
Admission: FREE

Join us for a truly unique experience with artists Ralitza Macheva, Annien Shaw and Rosamund Ender performing on period instruments: two baroque violins and the viola da gamba. 

Bulgarian violinist, Ralitza Macheva is a graduate of the Pancho Vladigerov Music Academy (Sofia), and the Conservatorium van de Enschede, The Netherlands. Her primary teachers were Prof. Alexander Kramarov and Prof. Boyan Lechev. In several prestigious national Violin and Chamber Music competitions such as the “N. Simeonova”, “The Golden Diana” and “Béla Bartók” competitons, she was awarded the First Prizes. Working for a brief period as Principal Violinist in the Chamber Music Ensemble, “Amadeus”, in Seoul (South Korea), she subsequently returned to Bulgaria where she held the position of associate concertmaster of the Pleven Philharmonic Orchestra. Since her relocation to South Africa in 2000, she was the co-principal second violinist of the KZN Philharmonic Orchestra. From 2023 she joined Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra as principal second violin. She was appointed Leader of the Durban-based orchestra, Baroque 2000. 

Annien Shaw is a soloist, chamber musician, baroque violinist and teacher. She studied with Suzanne Martens, Jan Repko, Farida Bacharova and Louis van der Watt. She holds a PhD in Performance Practice (University of Cape Town), a PGDip and FRSM in solo performance (Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester UK), and a Masters in Chamber Music (University of Stellenbosch). She has extensive orchestral experience through her former employment with the Jeunesses Musicales World Orchestra, KZN Philharmonic and the CPO. She is a member of the Cape Consort and a guest concert master and soloist of Cape Town Baroque (CTB). During her studies at RNCM, she took baroque violin lessons with Pauline Nobes. She has lectured at Rhodes University and University of Cape Town and is currently a part-time lecture at Stellenbosch University.

Rosamund Ender obtained her BMus from the University of Stellenbosch. During her studies she played with professional orchestras like the CPO and the KZNPO regularly as an ad hoc player. Her studies next took her to Zürich, Switzerland where she studied in the class of Prof. Roel Dieltiens. She obtained a master’s in music Pedagogy, as well as a masters in Transdisciplinary Studies (Zürcher Hochschule der Künste). She was co-principal cellist with the Zürcher Kammerphilharmonie for six years. She started playing the viola da gamba after discovering a great passion for early music, and took private lessons with Paolo Pandolfo in Basel. In 2022 she returned to Cape Town to play full-time with the CPO, and to focus on a career as a performer on the cello, the baroque cello, and the viola da gamba.

Programme:

Vivaldi: La Follia for Two Baroque violins and Basso Continuo in d minor 

Corelli: Trio Sonata, op 3 no 1 in F major

Telemann: Intrada for Two Violins: Guiliver’s Travel 

Schonken: A Day in the life of musical conversation with ChatGPT for two Baroque violins and Viola da Gamba

Biber: Harmonia Artificiosa – Ariosa, Partia 5 in D minor for two scordatura Baroque violins and Basso Continuo

Listen to the inverview of Yolanda Maartens of OFM with Annien Shaw

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ENQUIRIES:
Ninette Pretorius 
E: pretoriusn@ufs.ac.za
T: +27 51 401 2504

 

WICKED TONGUES
with Carin van Heerden, Magdalena Rath, Michaela Vaught, Domenika Thanner and Veronica Traxler

Date:  15 February 2024
Venu: Odeion Auditorium
Time: 19:00
Admission: FREE

The mouth is our speaking, our singing, our kissing organ.

We devour, detect, taste, stutter, cluck, whistle, slurp, shout, bitch, pout, seduce, 

chatter, lie, love, kiss…. flirt, and play the recorder…

In this programme we examine all activities by the mouth, its sensuality, its triviality, its skill. A composition by the Austrian composer Helmut Schmidinger serves as common thread through the programme and is interrupted by Renaissance pieces describing the art and craft of wicked tongues. "Element of Prime" is an Austrian five-part recorder consort consisting of Carin van Heerden, Magdalena Rath, Domenika Thanner, Veronika Traxler and Michaela Vaught. The diversity of the recorder family and the resonance of the instruments when played in a consort represents the crowning glory ("prime") of music-making for the five musicians. They share a fervent love of the “Flaute dolce” and founded the ensemble in 2015 at the Anton Bruckner Private University in Linz. Since then, the ensemble has performed at the Brucknerhaus in Linz, Porgy & Bess Vienna, the Danube Festival in Strudengau and has appeared on Austrian national radio (Ö1). In 2019/2020 Element of Prime toured Austria as part of the Jeunesse education programme. The ensemble will also tour South Africa in February 2024. In their concert programmes they combine Renaissance music with contemporary works, often with close collaboration with these composers. 

 

Programme:

A programme of Renaissance music interspersed with a contemporary composition by the Austrian composer Helmut Schmidinger, celebrating and describing various activities of the mouth and tongue, e.g. dringing, kissing, laughing etc.

 

ENQUIRIES:
Ninette Pretorius 
E: pretoriusn@ufs.ac.za
T: +27 51 401 2504

 

 

A Tail of Courage

Written by: Nic Beukes
Directed by: Nic Beukes

Language: English

Dates: 26 - 28 March 2024
Time: 11:00 and 18:00 (click Read more for specific dates and times)
Venue: Rehearsal Room, Scaena Theatre Complex

Carl Is a small mouse with a big heart, but because he is cautious and thoughtful all his friends believe him to be a coward who is afraid of his own shadow. Come join Carl and his friends on their adventure as they explore the true meaning of what it means to be brave.

Read more

FOR SCHOOL BOOKINGS:
Karen Combrinck 
E: CombrinckK@ufs.ac.za
T: +27 51 401 2160

 

DANILO MASCETTI PIANO RECITAL

Date:  14 March 2024
Venu: Odeion Auditorium
Time: 19:00
Admission: FREE

The OSM Concert Series kicks off with a dive into the past, with The Diabelli Project: this programme recreates the editor Antonio Diabelli’s own biggest project, the publishing of several variations on his own Waltz that led Beethoven to compose his magnificent set of Variations Op. 120. The theme becomes here the very centre of the recital, and during the performance we meet several well-known composers in different stages of their life, from the young Liszt to the then very famous Hummel and Czerny, finishing with the masterwork of the late Beethoven.
 
Danilo Mascetti is an Italian pianist and fortepianist known for his intense performances and original programming, combining traditional repertoire with lesser-known piano works. Equally at home with classical piano and fortepiano, since his debut with Pomeriggi Musicali Orchestra in the prestigious Sala Verdi (Milan), Danilo regularly performs all over Europe. From 2014 he performed in China and Japan, debuted in London at Steinway Hall, in New York at Merkin Hall, Wallenstein Palace in Prague, Warsaw Philharmonic Chamber Hall, Conciliazione Auditorium in Rome, Russia, South Africa and Morocco. Recent performance highlights include concerts in Turkey at the Bodrum Gümüşlük Müzik Festivali; in Cambridge, with Brahms Concerto No. 1, at the West Road Concert Hall, and performances of newly written piano concertos by E. Karlidag and E. Sener with the Talent Unlimited Orchestra. In 2022 he presented a tour with the new programme Contemplations (Liszt and Messiaen. In 2023 he performed concertos by Mozart, CPE Bach and Chopin with historical orchestras in The Netherlands and Czechia and Italy, XIXth century performances of Brahms Quintet and Rachmaninoff solo works for De Witte Society, as well as the Dialogues tour in England, recitals for Concentus Moravie, and various chamber music concerts. Danilo is originally from Lake Como and is currently based in The Hague (NL) and Brno (CZ). He has worked since 2015 with non-profit organizations of Lombardy becoming co-founder and Artistic Director of Arte Solidale Festival (Lake Como)
www.danilomascetti.com

Programme:

Anton Diabelli (1781 – 1858): Vaterlandischer Kunstleverein, selected variations on the Diabelli waltz by various composers involved in the project (Schubert, Liszt, Moscheles, Hummel, Kalbrenner, Vorisek) and one or more newly composed variations.
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 – 1827): 33 Variations on a Theme by Diabelli Op. 120

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ENQUIRIES:
Ninette Pretorius 
E: pretoriusn@ufs.ac.za
T: +27 51 401 2504

 

The Magic of Opera

Date:  12 November 2023
Venu: Odeion Auditorium
Time: 15:00
Admission: FREE

You are cordially invited you to an afternoon concert with excerpts from the most beautiful and well-known operas. The production THE MAGIC OF OPERA is semi-staged and will include opera choruses, duets and arias from operas such as Verdi’s Il Trovatore, Nabucco, Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore and Mozart’s Magic Flute.

There are many highlights in the programme, but the audience can expect hits like the aria of the Queen of the Night, The Flower Duet, and the famous tenor aria, Dein ist mein ganzes Herz. All the singers are vocal students from the Odeion School of Music and will be accompanied by an orchestra consisting of students from OSM and professional players. It will take place on the stage of the Odeion Auditorium and will be hosted by a narrator who will give some background to the various musical items.

The Magic of Opera is an educational project whereby our vocal students have the opportunity to perform with an orchestra, and also, the students who play orchestral instruments get the chance to perform with professional players. It also offers the people of Bloemfontein the opportunity to experience beautiful opera music.

The whole program is about an hour long and I really believe it will be an afternoon that the whole family will enjoy.

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ENQUIRIES:
Ninette Pretorius 
E: pretoriusn@ufs.ac.za
T: +27 51 401 2504

 

IDA PELLICCIOLI PIANO RECITAL

Date:  9 November 2023
Venu: Odeion Auditorium
Time: 19:00
Admission: FREE

Join us for an evening of exquisite music with Italo-Croatian pianist, Ida Pelliccioli. Prepare to be wowed by this thought-provoking piano recital!

Ida Pelliccioli was born in Bergamo, Italy. She studied at the Nice Conservatoire de Région and at the Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris - Alfred Cortot in the class of Serguei Markarov, Unesco Artist for Peace. During her studies, Ida was awarded several scholarships, amongst which, one from the Zygmunt Zaleski Foundation and one from Fondation Albert Roussel.

Ida participated in a number of masterclasses, among others with Jean-Claude Pennetier, Gerard Wyss and received a double diploma in interpretation and pedagogy, at the École Normale in Paris. She received artistic guidance from Norma Fisher who teaches at the Royal College of Music in London, Stephen Gutman, and she is one of  the rare pianists to have received guidance from  the cuban concert pianist, Jorge Luis Prats. Ida chose to avoid the international competition circuit and, before becoming a full-time pianist, received a double masters diploma at the Sorbonne University - in Italian Literature and in Ancient Greek History, specializing for the latter in the practice of music during the Hellenistic period. Ida has been performing throughout Europe and Canada.  During the 2021/22 Season, she made her debut in Serbia, Luxembourg, Ireland and Romania. She will also debut in Switzerland in 2023 and Malta in 2024. In February 2018, she gave a solo recital in Milan under the patronage of Yamaha Italy. Ida shows a great interest in contemporary music and she will premiere works from the following composers in 2023  – Raffaele Bellafronte and Jean-Luc Gillet.

Ida has always been open to other forms of art and collaborations. She appeared on screen, playing the role of a pianist, for the American TV Series “Find me in Paris” – Season 1 and 2 (2017/2018) and the French series “Munch” (2018). In 2019, she has been cast to double the role of the pianist in the short movie ”Quand on ne sait pas voler” directed by Thomas Keumurian and produced by FILMO. In September 2022, she started performing chamber music with a quintet programme. In 2021 Ida also took up a teaching position at Paris Conservatoire du 8ème arrondissement. As of 2022/2023 her class comprises 36 students.

PROGRAMME:

Debussy and influences

This programme aims to create echoes between the music of Debussy and the music of two composers that influenced him. On one hand, Rameau, which Debussy described as the pinnacle of the French tradition. On the other hand, Albeniz, as an example of how Debussy found an important source of inspiration in reimagining the music of foreign lands.

Rameau - Suite in A minor from the “Nouvelles Suites pour clavecin”

Debussy - Hommage à Rameau (Images – Book 1, L.110)

Albeniz  - La Vega – Suite of the Alhambra No. 1

Debussy - La Puerta del Vino – from Préludes, Book II

                - Evening in Granada – Estampes, L.100

                - Masques, L.105

Albeniz – Asturias – Leyenda or Prelude, from Cantos de España, Op.. 232

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ENQUIRIES:
Ninette Pretorius 
E: pretoriusn@ufs.ac.za
T: +27 51 401 2504

 

REFLECTIONS

Date:  19 October 2023
Venu: Odeion Auditorium
Time: 19:00
Admission: FREE

The Odeion School of Music invites you to an exciting piano recital with alumnus Nicolene Gibbons. Come and enjoy exquisite compositions together with a photo montage compiled by well-known photographer Felix Meyburgh.

Alumnus Nicolene Gibbons was born in Bloemfontein. She studied piano at the University of the Free State with Catharina Struthers while also taking composition classes with Prof Johann Potgieter. Nicolene played on radio and television, especially her own compositions, from a very young age.  She obtained her BAMus qualification at the UFS with Nettie Immelman as piano lecturer.  She also won the overseas study bursaries of SAMRO, UNISA and ABRSM. Nicolene obtained a BMusHons cum laude at the University of Cape Town under the tutelage of Lamar Crowson.  She then studied at the Royal College of Music (London) where she received her master’s degree in piano as well as a master’s degree in composition from the University of Cambridge. Nicolene has worked for almost 30 years as pianist, composer and teacher in England, including the University of Cambridge and the Uppingham School. Later she specialized in chamber music and lied accompaniment. She has worked as pianist, composer and teacher in England for almost thirty years at the University of Cambridge and the renowned Uppingham School. Later she specialised in chamber music and lied accompaniment.  She moved back to South Africa five years ago and is now working and staying in Philippolis. She is currently teaching piano at the Odeion School of Music.  She recently took part in the Klein Karoo Klassique with cellist Anmari van der Westhuizen. Her solo concert in Bloemfontein as part of the Vrystaat Klank & Klassik was met with great enthusiasm.

"Photo montage compiled by Felix Meyburgh".

PROGRAMME:

Evard Grieg - Holberg Suite
Ludwig van Beethoven - Sonata Op. 57 (Appassionata)
Jacobus Kloppers - Reflections

 

ENQUIRIES:
Ninette Pretorius 
E: pretoriusn@ufs.ac.za
T: +27 51 401 2504

 

NIGHT MUSIC

Date:  12 October 2023
Venu: Odeion Auditorium
Time: 19:00
Admission: FREE


With artists Danré Strydom (clarinet), Anmari van der Westhuizen (cello) & Ben Schoeman (piano)

The Odeion School of Music proudly presents a rare and unforgettable concert of fascinating music for clarinet trio with artists Ben Schoeman (piano), Danré Strydom (clarinet), and Anmari van der Westhuizen (cello). The programme features trios by Mikhail Glinka, John Ireland, Jörg Widmann, and Nino Rota, who is best known for writing the soundtrack to the incomparable Godfather films.

International Buffet Crampon artist, Dr Danré Strydom, has established herself as one of South Africa’s premier solo, chamber and orchestral musicians. After attending the Interlochen Arts Camp, USA, she began her formal studies at the University of the Free State. She furthered her studies at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, where she worked with renowned clarinettists Eli Eban and Eric Hoeprich. She holds separate Master’s Degrees in Clarinet, early Clarinet – and Bass Clarinet Performance from the Royal Conservatory at Ghent University and completed her PhD at the University of the Free State. After playing clarinet/bass clarinet for the award-winning Brussels Philharmonic from 2009 to 2013, she accepted a position as woodwind lecturer at the UF’s Odeion School of Music. She is currently principal clarinettist of the Free State Symphony Orchestra, continental chairperson of the International Clarinet Association, chairperson of the Free State Eisteddfod, Vice President (FS) of the South African Society of Music teachers, and initiator and chairperson of the ZA International Woodwind Competition. Strydom organises the International Clarinet Extravaganza where international guests come to present masterclasses and concerts for all ZA clarinet players. Her clarinet and saxophone scholars and students have won numerous awards and scholarships, both nationally and internationally.

Prof. Anmari van der Westhuizen is Head of the Odeion String Quartet and adjunct professor in violoncello at the University of the Free State. She graduated from the University of Stellenbosch (BMus cum laude and BMusHons cum laude with full academic and cultural honorary colours), from the Mozarteum, Salzburg (Grosses Diplom cum laude), and from the Hochschule für Musik, Cologne, under the tutelage of Prof. Maria Kliegel (Konzertexamen). She also holds Licentiate Diplomas in Performing and Teaching from UNISA (cum laude). In 2013, Anmari received her PhD in Music Performance from the University of Pretoria and awarded full academic honorary.

Anmari has won prestigious competitions in South Africa including the ATKV Forte Competition, the SABC Competition, the Oude Meester Competition and the University of Natal 75th Anniversary Prize. As a young cellist, she was selected to participate in the International Youth Music Festival in Interlochen, USA. She received extensive chamber music training with specific emphasis on string quartet playing by members of the world's best string quartets, namely the Alban Berg String Quartet, the Amadeus String Quartet, the Borodin String Quartet, the Brodsky String Quartet, and the Hagen String Quartet, and with Hatto Beyerle, Györgi Kurtág and Professor Nikolaus Harnoncourt (Historic Performance Practice). Anmari has performed as soloist with all the major orchestras in South Africa. While living in Europe she appeared in numerous solo and chamber music performances, inter alia with Viennese ensembles Music-on-Line and the Wiener Streichorchester, and was a member of the Koehne String Quartet, Wien. She performed as a chamber musician and soloist in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Faroe Islands, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Poland, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, USA, Zambia and Zimbabwe. During 2015, Anmari received the “Vryfees” award for the Best Classical Performer at the Arts Festival and the “Rose” award from “Radio Rosestad” for her remarkable contribution towards arts and culture. In 2019, the Odeion String Quartet received the prestigious Huberte Rupert prize from the SA  Academy for Science and Art for their contribution towards arts and culture in South Africa. In addition, Anmari has performed several world premieres of cello compositions. In 2007 the Austrian Composers Union invited her to give a solo recital of contemporary solo cello works in Vienna, Austria, which included the world premiere of South African composer Roelof Temmingh's Variations, which was dedicated to her. She also gave the first performances of solo cello works by Austrian composers Wolfgang Nening and Hannes Heher, as well as works dedicated to her by Hubert Du Plessis and Hendrik Hofmeyr. During 2019 she played a concert at the international Schubertiade Festival at the Chateau de Coppet in Geneva, Switzerland. She was the conductor/ director of the UCT String Ensemble for ten years and is currently the conductor of the Odeion Sinfonia, OSM Camerata and conductor of the Free State Youth Orchestra.

Dr Ben Schoeman is a senior lecturer in piano and musicology at the University of Pretoria. He was awarded the first prize in the 11th UNISA International Piano Competition, the gold medal in the Royal Over-Seas League Music Competition in London, the contemporary music prize at the Cleveland International Piano Competition, and the Huberte Rupert Prize from the Suid-Afrikaanse Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns. He has performed at the Wigmore, Barbican, Cadogan and Queen Elizabeth Halls in London, Carnegie Hall in New York, the Konzerthaus in Berlin, the Gulbenkian Auditorium in Lisbon, Teatro Vittoria in Turin, the Romanian Athenaeum in Bucharest, and has appeared at the City of London, Edinburgh Fringe, Enescu, Grahamstown and Ottawa Music Festivals.

As a concerto soloist, he has collaborated with several conductors, including Wolfram Christ, Nicholas Cleobury, Bernhard Gueller, Carlos Izcaray, James Judd, Gérard Korsten, Theodore Kuchar, Diego Masson, En Shao, Yasuo Shinozaki, Arjan Tien and Conrad van Alphen.

Schoeman studied the piano under Prof Joseph Stanford at UP. After receiving both the PJ Lemmer and DJ Roode Overseas Scholarships from UNISA and the SAMRO Overseas Scholarship, he went on to postgraduate studies at the Accademia Pianistica ‘Incontri col Maestro’ in Imola, the Scuola di Musica di Fiesole near Florence and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London with renowned professors including Louis Lortie, Michel Dalberto, Boris Petrushansky, Ronan O’Hora and Eliso Virsaladze.

In 2016, he obtained a doctorate on the piano music of Stefans Grové from City, University of London and the Guildhall School of Music & Drama. Schoeman's solo album, featuring works of Franz Liszt, is available under the TwoPianists label. In collaboration with pianist Tessa Uys, he is currently recording all Beethoven’s Symphonies transcribed for piano duet by Xaver Scharwenka for SOMM Recordings in London – the first three volumes have been released and elicited critical acclaim in the BBC Music, Gramophone and the International Piano Magazines as well as on BBC Radio3. Dr Schoeman is a Steinway Artist.

 

PROGRAMME:

Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka (1804 - 1857)
Trio Pathétique in D minor for Clarinet, Cello and Piano (1832)

John Ireland (1879 - 1962)
Trio in D minor for Clarinet, Cello and Piano (1913)

Jörg Widmann (Born 1973)
Nachtstück for Clarinet, Cello and Piano (1998)

Nino Rota (1911 - 1979)
Trio for Clarinet, Cello and Piano (1973)

 

ENQUIRIES:
Ninette Pretorius 
E: pretoriusn@ufs.ac.za
T: +27 51 401 2504

 

STRYDOM2

Date:  1 October 2023
Venu: Odeion Auditorium
Time: 16:00
Admission: FREE

A brother-sister duo - making music together since ages 4 and 11 presents this exciting and unique programme with repertoire from the 18^th, 19^th, 20^th and 21^st centuries – a union of old and new.

International Buffet Crampon artist, DANRÉ STRYDOM has established herself as one of South Africa’s premier solo, chamber and orchestral musicians. After attending the Interlochen Arts Camp, USA, she began her formal studies at the University of the Free State. She furthered her studies at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, where she worked with renowned clarinetists Eli Eban and Eric Hoeprich. She holds separate Master’s Degrees in Clarinet, early Clarinet – and Bass Clarinet Performance from the Royal Conservatory at Ghent University and completed her PhD at the University of the Free State. After playing clarinet/bass clarinet for the award-winning Brussels a union of Philharmonic from 2009 to 2013, she accepted a position as woodwind lecturer at the UF’s Odeion School of Music. She is currently principal clarinetist of the Free State Symphony Orchestra, continental chairperson of the International Clarinet Association, chairperson of the Free State Eisteddfod, Vice President (FS) of the South African Society of Music Teachers, and initiator and chairperson of the ZA International Woodwind Competition. Strydom organizes the International Clarinet Extravaganza where international guests come to present masterclasses and concerts for all ZA clarinet players. Her clarinet and saxophone scholars and students have won numerous awards and scholarships, both nationally and internationally.

Cezarre Strydom began piano lessons with Valerie van Biljon at the College of the Arts in Namibia. After lessons with Nettie Immelman in Bloemfontein, he furthered his musical studies in the U.S.A. at the Interlochen Arts Academy and the University of Michigan. His teachers have included Prof. Logan Skelton, Arthur Greene, Dr. TJ Lymenstull, Michael Coonrod, and Derison Duarte, and he has performed across the US, Mexico, Germany, and Belgium. Upon returning to South Africa, Cezarre worked as a staff accompanist at the University of the Free State. He is currently Head of Music at Paul Roos Gymnasium in Stellenbosch, where his piano students regularly compete in national and international competitions.

PROGRAMME:

Ferdinand Ries (1784 – 1838)
Clarinet Sonata, Op. 29

Ernest Chausson (1855 – 1899)
Andante et Allegro for Clarinet and Piano Op. 129

Charles Villiers Stanford (1852 - 1924)
Sonata for Clarinet and Piano

Krzysztof Penderecki (1933 – 2020)
Three Miniatures for Clarinet and Piano

Andile Khumalo (Born 1978)
Wade Through Water

Göran Fröst (Born 1974)
Klezmer Dance No. 3
“Let’s be happy”

ENQUIRIES:
Ninette Pretorius 
E: pretoriusn@ufs.ac.za
T: +27 51 401 2504

 

MOST BEAUTIFUL SCHUBERT SONGS

Date:  7 September 2023
Venu: Odeion Auditorium
Time: 19:00
Admission: FREE

Join us for an evening with celebrated mezzo-soprano Teresa de Wit and pianist Lesley-Ann Mathews bringing you a programme with the Most Beautiful Schubert Songs.

Teresa de Wit (mezzo-soprano) obtained the UNISA Performers Licentiate with distinction in 2000 and started her opera training as a member of the Cape Town Opera Studio, as well as a member of Mimi Coertse’s Black Tie Ensemble. Teresa regularly performs in operas, concerts and oratorios in various theatres and concert halls in South Africa. Operas and operettas she has performed leading roles in  Carmen, The Barber of Seville, Le Nozze di Figaro, Madama Butterfly, Rigoletto, Cavalleria Rusticana, Martha, La Traviata, Die Fledermaus, Die lustige Witwe and Wiener Blut. Religious works include Handel’s Messiah, Vivaldi’s Gloria and Lauda Jerusalem, Mozart’s C Minor Mass,Requiem and Kronungsmesse, Rossini’s Petite Messe Solenelle, Haydn’s Nelson Mass, Bach’s Easter Oratorio and B Minor Mass, Karl Jenkin’s Feel the Spirit, Stella Natalis and The Armed Man and Saint Saens’ Christmas Oratoria. Since relocating to Kimberley, she has obtained a BMus, BMusHons and MMus cum laude from the UFS. Lesley-Ann Mathews obtained a BMus degree in piano performance at the Potchefstroom University for CHE (2002) cum laude. Here she acted as repetiteur for opera productions and received various scholarships. She obtained an MMus in chamber music under the guidance of Albie van Schalkwyk at the UFS in 2005 and was appointed as accompanist at the UFS in the same year. In 2007 she obtained a Licentiate in Vocal accompaniment from UNISA in 2007 (cum laude). Lesley-Ann has acted as accompanist and repetiteur for various productions, festivals and competitions in the Free State.

PROGRAMME

1.    Gretchen am Spinnrade Op 2

2.    Mignon Lieder
       2.1.  Heiss mich nicht reden Op 62 No 2
       2.2.  So lasst mich scheinen Op 62 No 3
       2.3.  Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt Op 62 No 4
       2.4.  Kennst du das Land? D321

3.    Die Forelle Op 32

4.    Auf dem Wasser zu singen Op 72

5.    Der Tod und das Mädchen Op 7 No 5

6.    Die junge Nonne Op 43 No 1

7.    Ave Maria Op 52 No 6

8.    Der Musensohn Op 92 No 1

9.    Du bist die Ruh Op 39 No 3

10.  Ständchen (Leise flehen) DV 957

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ENQUIRIES:
Ninette Pretorius 
E: pretoriusn@ufs.ac.za
T: +27 51 401 2504

 

HELLO BROADWAY & HELLO WEST END

Date:  10 August 2023
Venu: Odeion Auditorium
Time: 19:00
Admission: FREE

An exciting inclusion on the concert calendar for 2023 is an enjoyable concert with all of your favourite songs from musicals by Bernstein, Gershwin, Bricusse, Kern, Arlen and Rogers. 

Sandile Mabaso is an opera singer and teacher based in Durban, South Africa. He began his musical training at the Drakensberg Boys’ Choir School under the direction of Christian Ashley-Botha. He obtained his Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Pretoria. As a student in Pretoria, he sang the roles of Tamino in The Magic Flute (Mozart), and Alfredo in Die Fledermaus (Strauss). In 2009, he began private studies and was also selected to participate in The International Baroque Symposium, held at the North West University during this time. In 2010, he sang in the student production of Acis in Acis and Galatea (Handel) under Kobie van Rensburg’s direction. In 2013, he was a finalist in the Mimi Coertse Singing Competition.  His first professional engagement in opera was in 2006 for Opera Africa’s touring production of Princess Magogo (Khumalo).  He sang the role of iNkosi Mathole. After this tour, he was appointed as a Cape Town Opera Vocal Ensemble member. With this ensemble, he toured Germany, France and Sweden in the productions of Showboat (Kern) and Porgy and Bess (Gershwin). In 2012 he sang the role of Puck in The Fairy Queen (Purcell) for Umculo Cape Festival. In 2014, he made his solo debut with the KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Jeremy Silver.  In 2018, he sang his first role in a Pantomime for Durban’s Kickstart Theatre Company. He sang the role of The Genie of the Seven Seas for their annual Pantomime, Sinbad the Sailor. The German art-song genre has been his focus along with his operatic endeavours. He has presented a variety of lieder recitals at various venues and festivals across South Africa. In 2012, he was invited to perform Dichterliebe (Schumann) at UNISA's annual An die Musik recital. He presented other programmes at the Wakkerstroom Arts Festival, Woordfees Festival and the Hilton Arts Festival. In 2015, Baroque music became another focal area  after he was invited to tour South Africa’s garden route with a programme of Baroque music with harpsichordist Andrew Cruickshank. In 2018, He made his debut with Durban’s Baroque 2000. In 2019, he curated and presented a programme of Songs and Arias from this era.

Lynelle Kenned, a graduate of the UCT Opera School under the tutelage of Prof Virginia Davids, is a Multidisciplinary Performing Artist, TV Presenter, Corporate MC, Actress and Media Personality. Her list of awards includes the Kunste Onbeperk YOUNG VOICE 2019, a 2018 Naledi Award, a Fiësta Award in 2017, a Fleur du Cap Award in 2016, and 2022, a Woordtrofee along with being a recipient of the Global Spotlight Honoree Award. Performances include Maria in West Side Story, Maria in The Sound of Music, Mattie Allen in Orpheus in Africa, Musetta in La Boheme, Julie in Showboat, Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro, and Grace in the world premiére of Calling Me Home. Classical performances as soprano soloist include The Messiah, Easter Oratorio, St Matthew Passion, Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen, Brahms' Requiem, Faure Requiem, Les nuits d'été, Handel's Gloria and the Gloria by Vivaldi. Since 2012, she has been a television presenter on Pasella, and subsequently hosted Jý Geld, 123 Fixit, and Uit die Spens on KykNET and VIA. Films include A Christmas Chorus, Wonderlus, Playboyz and Twee Grade van Moord. A few memorable career highlights are the FNB/RMB Starlight Classics, live Dancing with the Stars broadcasts and the KykNET Fiëstas, performing with Welsh crossover superstar Katherine Jenkins, and receiving masterclasses with Juilliard’s Brian Zeger. Lynelle can be seen in the Media24 drama thriller series Minder as Niks She is also the head adjudicator in the singing category for the Huisgenoot Eisteddfod 2022.

Virgil Matrass is a professional jazz pianist, composer and arranger who seeks to inspire young, aspiring musicians to reach their full potential. He has extensive knowledge and experience in jazz and contemporary music. As a singer, he has performed with the renowned vocal a cappella group, The Creed, who released their debut album in November 2019. In 2011 He worked as an entertainer at the MARRIOT ASSOCIA HOTEL, in NAGOYA, JAPAN. Virgil completed his BMus studies at Nelson Mandela University, Gqeberha, Eastern Cape. He currently works as a music teacher, and accompanist to professional musicians and young up-and-coming music students at schools and tertiary institutions.

PROGRAMME

Harold Arlen (1905 – 1986)
Wizard of Oz
Over the Rainbow

Jerome Kern (1885 – 1945)
Showboat
Where’s the mate for me?
Make Believe
Can’t help loving dat man.
You are Love.

George Gershwin (1898 – 1937)
Porgy and Bess
Summertime
It ain’t necessarily so

Leonard Bernstein (1918 – 1990)
West Side Story
Maria
I feel Pretty.
One Hand, One Heart
Tonight
Somewhere

Richard Rogers (1902 – 1979)
The Sound of Music
DO RE MI
Sixteen going on seventeen
Edelweiss
So long Farewell
Climb ev’ry mountain

Leslie Bricusse (1931 – 2021)
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
Pure Imagination

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ENQUIRIES:
Ninette Pretorius 
E: pretoriusn@ufs.ac.za
T: +27 51 401 2504

 

City of Roses Jazz Ensemble

Date:  18 August 2023
Venu: Odeion Auditorium
Time: 19:00
Admission: FREE

The City of Roses (CoR) Jazz Ensemble will present its second concert on 18 August 2023 at 19:00 in the Odeion Auditorium. Entrance to the concert will be free. The programme for this concert will include:

St Thomas (Sonny Rollins)
Moanin' (Bobby Timmons)
Footprints (Wayne Shorter)
My Funny Valentine (Richard Rodgers)
Sidewinder (Lee Morgan)

Interval

So What (Miles Davis)
The Song of Delilah (Victor Young)
Alice in Wonderland (Sammy Fain)
Blue Train (John Coltrane)
Dat Dere (Bobby Timmons)

The founding of the City of Roses (CoR) Jazz Ensemble was inspired by the recently appointed Dr Joseph Kunnuji at the Odeion School of Music. Kunnuji’s profound knowledge and experience of jazz as a trumpeter and arranger opened the way for establishing a quality jazz ensemble, thereby renewing the quest for jazz at the OSM.

The ensemble’s focus for this concert will be on mainstream jazz as represented by the so-called Classical or Bebop period in its history (the mid-1940s to mid-1960s) characterised by the music of prominent figures of the time such as Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie and John Coltrane.  The ensemble consists of five versatile and seasoned musicians, namely Joseph Kunnuji (trumpet), Claire Röntsch (saxophone) Nicol Viljoen (piano and keyboard), Marc Röntsch (bass; also newly appointed at the OSM) and John Smit (drums).

JOSEPH KUNNUJI (PhD, University of Cape Town) is a Senior Lecturer in Ethnomusicology and African Musics at the Odeion School of Music. With a background in jazz studies, the orthodox church hymn-singing tradition and a few cosmopolitan African genres, Kunnuji’s teaching, research, compositions and performances reflect the inherent intersection of different worlds.

MARC RÖNTSCH is a musicologist, guitarist and bassist originally from Cape Town, and was recently appointed as a Senior Lecturer in Musicology at the Odeion School of Music, University of the Free State. Marc has performed with bands such as Black Moscow, The Hot Club of Cape Town and Tape Hiss and Sparkle, and has appeared as a soloist with the University of Stellenbosch Symphonic Orchestra and the Stellenbosch University Jazz Band.

CLAIRE RÖNTSCH (neè de Kock) is a saxophonist, session musician, composer, arranger, music lecturer and educator. She graduated with a BMus in Jazz Performance at the South African College of Music (SACM) in 2014 with distinction and has recently received her master’s degree in Jazz Composition from SACM under the tutelage of renowned local composers Dr Mike Campbell and Professor Amanda Tiffin.  In 2015, Claire won the Fine Music Radio Jazz Performance competition and has performed internationally in Europe and locally at the Cape Town International Jazz Festival. She is currently performing with The Swing Collective, The Lady Day Big Band and her own progressive jazz quartet (who perform her own compositions). Claire has recently been appointed as a conductor and arranger for the Free State Youth Wind Ensemble at the Odeion School of Music. 

JOHN SMIT has been involved in the music industry since 1994. Through the years he has recorded, sessions as kit-drummer/bassist and audio mixed numerous national and international music productions ranging from classical to rock, traditional to jazz recordings and live performances. For the past seventeen years, he has been lecturing in Music Technology at the Odeion School of Music.

NICOL VILJOEN is a Professor Emeritus and a Research Fellow at the Odeion School of Music. Viljoen’s versatile activities include those of a music theorist, concert pianist, chamber musician, jazz pianist, and church organist. Viljoen’s research during the past decades has focused on theoretical Schenker studies and their application within musical performance practice.

ENQUIRIES:
Ninette Pretorius 
E: pretoriusn@ufs.ac.za
T: +27 51 401 2504

 

ORGAN RECITAL by JAN BEUKES

Date:  20 June 2023
Venu: Odeion Auditorium
Time: 19:00
Admission: FREE

Join us for an exciting free organ recital with Jan Beukes on 20 July at 19:00 in the Odeion Auditorium.

Jan Beukes obtained the degrees BMus, BMusHons, MMus, and PhD (Music) from the UFS and a Licentiate in Organ Performance (UNISA). He completed a BMus degree in piano and organ as main instruments under the tutelage of Nettie Immelman and Leonore Kloppers; a BMusHons in Church Music and an MMus performance under Leonore Kloppers. In 2013 he obtained a PhD under the tutelage of Martina and Nicol Viljoen. He took part in masterclasses with Ludger Lohmann (Germany), Ewald Kooman (The Netherlands), Wolfgang Rubsam (USA) and Jacques van Oortmerssen (The Netherlands). Since 2002 he has been lecturing organ and organ method at the OSM and he joined the permanent staff in 2010. He frequently gives solo organ recitals and is actively involved in departmental concerts, especially as chamber musician. In 1998 Jan received an award from UNISA for outstanding music tuition, and since his appointment in 2002, his students have won various awards and competitions. Jan is currently Artistic and Operational Head of the Odeion School of Music.

PROGRAMME

DIETRICH BUXTEHUDE (c. 1637 – 1707)
Toccata in d BuxWV155
Vater unser in Himmelreich, BuwWV 207
Prealudium in C major BuxWV 137

JOHANN PACHELBEL (1653 – 1706)
Choral partita on Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan

JOHANN LUDWIG KREBS (1713 – 1780)
Choral prelude on Alle menschen müssen sterben

JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH (1685 – 1750)
Prelude and fugue in C minor

ENQUIRIES:
Ninette Pretorius 
E: pretoriusn@ufs.ac.za
T: +27 51 401 2504

 

CHOPIN MAZURKAS

Date:  18 July 2023
Venu: Odeion Auditorium
Time: 13:10
Admission: FREE

Join us for an exciting range of Lunch Hour Concerts featuring CHOPIN MAZURKAS performed by pianist Nicol Viljoen. Between 1827 and 1849 Frédéric Chopin wrote some 69 mazurkas for solo piano, 58 of which were published and constitute the most famous collection of works in this genre. In the available discographies of Chopin’s mazurkas, 51 are recorded and regarded as the official representation of the genre. These 51 mazurkas will be performed over four lunch-hour concerts during July until September this year. These lunch-hour concerts mark the first time in which they are performed in full at the UFS’ Odeion School of Music, as well as in the country. Normally, only selected mazurkas are presented by pianists as part of a particular concert recital.

Although the Mazurka (emanating as a dance form from folk songs which originated in the Polish province of Mazovia), had existed as a genre since the late 16^th century, it first came to be recognised as a serious and noteworthy musical art form ‘through Chopin’s eyes’ as it were. While readily incorporating elements of the traditional forms – such as often repeated patterns and sequences, rhythmic ostinati, modal inflections, folk chromaticism and drones – he nevertheless arrives at extremely concentrated and unified compositions with highly developed tonal structures, rich in musical content, expression, emotional depth and colouristic effects. Infusing his personal compositional idiom with a perception of folk music in the prevailing 19^th-century tonal language, he forged a uniquely personal and nuanced genre, almost synonymously linking his name to that of the Mazurka.

CONCERT I

18 July 2023 – 13:10

Mazurka in F# minor, Op. 6/1
Mazurka in C# minor, Op. 6/2
Mazurka in E major, Op. 6/3
Mazurka in Eb minor, Op. 6/4
Mazurka in Bb major, Op. 7/1
Mazurka in A minor, Op. 7/2
Mazurka in F minor, Op. 7/3
Mazurka in Ab major, Op 7/4
Mazurka in C major, Op 7/5
Mazurka in Bb major, Op. 17/1
Mazurka in E minor, Op. 17/2
Mazurka in Ab major, Op. 17/3
Mazurka in A minor, Op. 17/4

CONCERT II
1 August 2023 – 13:10

Mazurka in G minor, Op. 24/1
Mazurka in C major, Op. 24/2
Mazurka in Ab major, Op. 24/3
Mazurka in Bb minor, Op. 24/4
Mazurka in C minor, OP. 30/1
Mazurka in B/F# minor, Op. 30/2
Mazurka in Db major, Op. 30/3
Mazurka in C# minor, Op. 30/4
Mazurka In G# minor, Op. 33/1
Mazurka in D major, Op. 33/2
Mazurka in C major, Op. 33/3
Mazurka in B minor, Op. 33/4
 
CONCERT III
15 August 2023 – 13:10
 
Mazurka in C# minor, Op. 41/1
Mazurka in E minor, Op. 41/2
Mazurka in B major, Op. 41/3
Mazurka in Ab major, Op. 41/4
Mazurka in G major, Op. 50/1
Mazurka in Ab major, Op. 51/2
Mazurka in C# minor, Op. 51/3
Mazurka in B major, Op. 56/1
Mazurka in C major, Op. 56/2
Mazurka in C minor, Op. 56/3
 
CONCERT IV
5 September 2023 – 13:10
 
Mazurka in A minor, OP. 59/1
Mazurka in Ab major, Op. 59/2
Mazurka in F# minor, Op. 59/3
Mazurka in B major, Op. 63/1
Mazurka in F minor, Op. 63/2
Mazurka in C# minor, Op. 63/3
Mazurka in A minor, KKII/5
Mazurka in A minor, KKII/4
Mazurka in G major, Op 67/1
Mazurka in G minor, Op. 67/2
Mazurka in C major, Op. 67/3
Mazurka in A minor, Op. 67/4
Mazurka in C major, Op. 68/1
Mazurka in A minor, Op. 68/2
Mazurka in F major, Op. 68/3
Mazurka in F minor, Op. 68/4


ENQUIRIES:
Ninette Pretorius 
E: pretoriusn@ufs.ac.za
T: +27 51 401 2504 

 

TRIO DU CAP CLASSIQU

Date:  22 June 2023
Venu: Odeion
Time: 19:00
Admission: FREE

Join us for an evening of exquisite music with celebrated South African musicians Liesl Stoltz (flute), David Pinoit (cello) and Elna van der Merwe (piano).

South African flutist Liesl Stoltz began studying the flute with Éva Tamássy and furthered her studies in France at the École Normale de Musique de Paris under Shigenori Kudo. There she also studied with Pierre-Yves Artaud, Jean Ferrandis and Chantal Debushy and at the Accademia Internazionale Superiore di Musica: Lorenzo Perosi under Peter-Lukas Graf. Back in South Africa, she obtained the degrees MMus and DMus from UCT. Liesl won awards in various international competitions including first prize in the 12th Friedrich Kuhlau International Flute Competition in Germany. Local prizes include the ATKV Forté Music prize and the Huguenot Music Competition, to name a few. Her solo career of more than 27 years includes several concert tours in South Africa and Europe. She is a founding member of The Rainbow Exchange NPC and a Yamaha South Africa Artist.

David Pinoit began the cello in the class of Christian Wolf at the National Conservatory of the Dijon Region. After completing hisDiplome d'Etudes Musicales he went to study in Lausanne (Switzerland). He obtained his Master of Arts in Music in 2014. David regularly performs at various festivals, including those in France, Belgium, Switzerland and South Africa. In 2006, he won the first prize for chamber music in the Avallon Trio Piano Competition. In 2014 after he completed his Master of Arts in Music Performance under cellist Francois Salque, he moved to Durban and worked for the KZNPO until September 2017. He then moved to Cape Town where he joined the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra 2020. 

Acknowledged as one of South Africa’s leading concert pianists and musicians, Elna van der Merwe was a full-time accompanist and part-time Piano Lecturer at the Conservatory of Stellenbosch University until 2001. Since then, she has been an ad hoc pianist and sought-after collaborative artist for local and international artists. She studied piano and organ at Stellenbosch University and has won several awards, stipends and competitions. She performed as soloist with various national orchestras. As an accompanist, she has appeared in all the UNISA International Singing, Strings (since 1990) and recently the Flute and Clarinet Competitions. She has also recorded many CDs and DVDs.

PROGRAMME
Louise Farrenc (1804 – 1875): Trio Op. 45
Claude Debussy (1862 – 1918): Sonata No. 1
Hendrik Hofmeyr (Born 1957): It takes two…
Philippe Gaubert (1879 – 1941): Trois Aquarelles

ENQUIRIES:
Ninette Pretorius 
E: pretoriusn@ufs.ac.za
T: +27 51 401 2504

 

PIANO RECITAL - Yeon-Min Park

Date:  16 June 2023
Venu: Odeion
Time: 19:00
Admission: FREE

Yeon-Min Park achieved her triumph as the 1st prize winner of the prestigious George Enescu International Music Competition in May 2021 as well as a “Special Mention” for the best interpretation of George Enescu’s composition. She performed Rachmaninoff Concerto No. 3 in the Final round with the George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of John Axelrod. In spite of various hardships which she has faced in her life, she always follows a personal motto “It’s not over till it’s over”.

She discovered the indescribable passion of becoming a concert pianist with her first solo recital at the age of 23 and immediately embarked on a breathtaking progress on her instrument. During the intervening years, Yeon-Min Park won the 1st prize and audience prize of the Lyon International Piano Competition in 2019, 1st prize of the Suzhou Jinji Lake International Piano Competition in 2017, 1st prize of the 40th Palma d’Oro International Piano Competition, 1st prize of the Hanoi International Piano Competition in 2015, 1st prize of the International Piano Competition in Mayenne in 2016, top prize of the Seoul International Music Competition in 2017 and top prize as well as Chamber Music prize of the Darmstadt Chopin Competition.

In 2021/22, Yeon-Min Park appeared as the soloist in Stravinsky Concerto for Piano and Wind Instruments for her debut with theRundfunk Sinfonieorchester Berlin under Vladimir Jurowski, Tchaikovsky Concerto No. 1 with Korean Coop Orchestra at Seoul Arts Center and Beethoven Triple Concerto with the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra at the Golden hall in the Musikverein Vienna as well as solo recitals in Düsseldorf, Seoul, Palermo etc. and will appear in the Grafenegg Festival, Sand Chopin Festival, Vevey Spring Classic.

With her immense repertoire, which covers works from the Baroque to the Contemporary periods, Yeon-Min Park has given performances in South Korea, China, Italy, Germany, Israel, France, Romania, Portugal, Poland etc, in various forms such as  solo, chamber and orchestral concerts. She has collaborated with various orchestras such as Südwestdeutscher Philharmonie Konstanz, Philharmonisches Kammerorchester Wernigerode, Russian Chamber Philharmonic St. Petersburg, Korean Symphony Orchestra, Hanoi Philharmonic Orchestra, Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra, Busan Philharmonic, Bucheon Philharmonic, Suzhou Symphony Orchestra, Israel Symphony Orchestra Rishon LeZion etc.

Born in Mokpo, South Korea, Yeon-Min Park earned her Bachelor of Music degree from the Seoul National University under the tutelage of Prof. Aviram Reichert and completed her Masters degree at the University of Music, Drama and Media Hanover in 2017 in the class of Prof. Bernd Goetzke. She is currently continuing her “Soloklasse” study at the same institution.

 

PROGRAMME
SCHUBERT-LISZT: Frühlingslaube, Auf dem Wasser zu Singen
LISZT: Ballade No. 2; Totentanz for piano solo; Piano Sonata in B minor

ENQUIRIES:
Ninette Pretorius 
E: pretoriusn@ufs.ac.za
T: +27 51 401 2504

 

OSMC IN CONCERT

Date:  4 June 2023
Venu: Odeion
Time: 15:30
Admission: FREE

The OSMC will present its second concert for the year on the 4^th of June 2023 at 15:30 in the Odeion Concert Hall. The campus of the University of the Free State Eentrance to the concert will be free.  The programme for this concert will include:

Double Concerto for Violin & Cello
Antonio Vivaldi
Soloists: Pieter Joubert [Violin] & Willie Naudé [cello]

Violin Sonata in G minor [Devil’s Trill]
Giuseppe Tartini
Soloist: Pieter Joubert [Violin]

Cello Concerto in A minor, H432
Carl Phillip Emanuel Bach
Soloist: Ashlin Grobbelaar [Cello]

Serenade for Strings in E minor
Edward Elgar

Prof Anmari van der Westhuizen was appointed as the principal conductor and artistic director of the OSMC in 2022. Under her guidance, the ensemble undertook two national concert tours. More recently, the ensemble was selected to participate at the SA National String Convention in March 2023, hosted by the Nelson Mandela University, and curated by Dr Mariechen Meyer.

The OSMC was founded by Marius Coetzee in 2012 as a flagship chamber orchestra. The main objective of this strategy was to create a catalyst for excellence. From a pedagogical perspective, the OSMC serves as a feasible incubator for nurturing fully-rounded musicians who are thoroughly prepared for the demands of their trade as orchestral musicians, soloists and conductors.

The OSMC has a professional internship agreement with the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra to solidify and advance the skills of young orchestral musicians. 

INTRODUCING THE SOLOISTS:

VIOLINIST/ PIETER JOUBERT

Pieter Joubert hails from Bloemfontein, where he studied the violin at age six under Francois Henkins. In 2020 he won the Human-Naudé Bursary Competition. He was a semi-finalist in the 2019 and 2021 National Youth Music Competition in Parow, and in 2021 he won the second prize in the strings category. In 2022 Pieter was chosen as the overall winner of the inaugural UCT Strings Competition, with additional prizes such as "Best performance of a South African work" and "Top-placed 1st or 2nd-year student."

As a soloist, he has performed with the Free State Symphony Orchestra, the UCT Symphony Orchestra and the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra. 

Joubert received masterclasses from internationally acclaimed violinists such as Gérard Korsten (Austria), Pieter Schoeman (UK), Daniel Auer (Austria) and Andrej Bielow (Ukraine). 

Since 2021, he has continued his studies full-time under Professor Farida Bacharova at the University of Cape Town.

CELLIST / ASHLIN GROBBELAAR

Ashlin Grobbelaar started his musical journey as part of the Mangaung String Programme in Bloemfontein and is currently studying with Graham du Plessis at the University of Cape Town. They lead the cello section of the UCT Symphony Orchestra and are the current principal cellist of the MIAGI Youth Orchestra and the South African National Youth Orchestra. Ashlin plays regularly as an ad-hoc cellist with the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra. They recently participated in the UCT Strings Competition, where they were placed as a runners-up. In addition to being an active chamber and orchestral musician, Ashlin strives to create opportunities to make music education more accessible to those of a similar background.

CELLIST / WILLIE NAUDé

"Cellist Willie Naudé is a studious & enthusiastic chamber musician. I am observing his progress with interest."

Charlotte Potgieter Principal Second Violin Section Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra

Cellist Willie Naudé (21) is a third-year music student at the Odeion School of Music [OSM] from the University of the Free State, where he is studying under the tutelage of Prof. Anmari van der Westhuizen. 

Naudé recently interned at the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra [CPO].In 2022, Naudé won the National Victoria K. Bennet competition and progressed to the final round of the annual Human Naudé bursary competition 2022. He was selected as a musician for the first YOUNG VIRTUOSI CHAMBER COLLECTIVE. He received coaching under the guidance of revered South African Violinist Charlotte Potgieter, principal of the second violin section of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra in the Netherlands.

Naudé received masterclasses with international visiting cellists, the likes of Ben Capps, Thomas Carrol, Alexander Buslov, and Gerard Korsten, to name a few. At the OSM, he is the principal of the cello section of the Free State Youth Orchestra and often plays under the mentorship of Prof Anmari van der Westhuizen in the Free State Symphony Orchestra.

ENQUIRIES:
Ninette Pretorius 
E: pretoriusn@ufs.ac.za
T: +27 51 401 2504

 

 
 
 

Devotion

Date:  8 June 2023
Venu: Odeion
Time: 19:00
Admission: FREE

The choice of the programme stems from Albertus’ affinity for the 19^th-century German Lied, because of the manifold possibilities for the application of different vocal colours and fine nuances which this genre offers. Robert Schumann’s song cycle, Dichterliebe, is one of the most well-known art song cycles and arguably one of the most ample examples of this genre. The sixteen songs from this cycle depict a wide palette of different emotions, which the singer can vocally express through the colouration of the voice or rather different vocal registrations. For the second half of this programme, he chose a selection of Richard Strauss songs that were composed later than those of Schumann at the turn of the 20^th century. From his personal experience, he finds that they not only indicate a difference in musical style, but also a different vocal approach to that of the mid-19^th century art song. Strauss’ songs in his opinion are more operatic in nature and the long, sustained vocal lines necessitate in many instances a more intense and heroic vocal production. Therefore, they form an interesting contrast with the generally more intimate songs from Schumann. The title for this concert signifies his devotion to Lied but also the underlying message of all chosen songs, namely expression of great love.

Albertus Engelbrecht was appointed in opera houses of Nürnberg and Passau (Germany) for a total of seventeen years where he sang a diversity of leading roles such as Orfeo in Monteverdi's L'Orfeo, Ulisse in Monteverdi’s Il Ritorno d’Ulisse in Patria, Nerone in Monteverdi’s L’incorronazione di Poppea, Ramiro in Rossini's La Cenerentola, Duca in Verdi's Rigoletto, and Belmonte in Mozart's Die Entführung aus dem Serail. Guest contracts have taken him to Luzern (Switzerland) and Los Angeles (USA).  As concert singer, he performed regularly in Berlin, Frankfurt, Mainz and Vienna. A highlight of his career was concerts of Medelssohn's Walpurgisnacht in the Teatro San Carlo (Naples, Italy).  Albertus is lecturer in singing at the OSM since 2016. 

Albie van Schalkwyk has established himself as performer in a number of fields over the past 30 years. One of the leading chamber musicians and vocal accompanists in South Africa, he has also performed as soloist with SA orchestras, performed solo recitals, given master classes for singers and accompanists, worked as a music producer for the SABC, and arranged music for various combinations, including Broadway musicals and operas for two pianos and orchestral pieces for three to eight pianos. He completed his PhD at the UFS in 2012. His interest in vocal music and the art song in particular, has led to many fulfilling concert partnerships with singers, culminating in the formation in 1994 of The Songmakers’ Guild.  This Cape Town based organisation has been providing a regular platform to performers in the field of the art song for 25 years. He has presented workshops and classes for singers and accompanists at several SA universities and spent his 2002/3 sabbatical working as coach in the Vocal Department of the Mozarteum Music University in Salzburg (Austria). Albie retired from his post as Associate Professor in Piano and Chamber Music at the SA College of Music, University of Cape Town, at the end of 2017 to his own private studio, the Musicumbrella Piano Studio. Apart from continuing his performance career as collaborative pianist, he plans a wide range of activities including individual piano teaching, masterclasses in piano, chamber music and art songs, vocal coaching and arrangements for multiple pianos.

PROGRAMME

Robert Schumann (1810 - 1856): Dichterliebe Op. 48

Richard Strauss (1864 - 1949): Befreit Op. 39; Zueignung Op. 10 No. 1; Die Nacht Op. 10 No. 3; AllerseelenOp. 10 No. 8; Ruhe, meine Seele Op. 27 No. 1; Cäcilie Op. 27 No. 2; Heimliche Aufforderung Op. 27 No. 3

ENQUIRIES:
Ninette Pretorius 
E: pretoriusn@ufs.ac.za
T: +27 51 401 2504

 

Devised by: Marijda Kamper & Walter Strydom
Language: English
Directed by: Marijda Kamper & Walter Strydom
Assistant Director: Amira van Biljon

Dates: 25 - 27 May 2023
Times: 11:00 and 18:00 (click Read more for specific dates and times)
Venue: Rehearsal Room, Scaena Theatre Complex 
Tickets:
R25.00 General Admission
R20.00 Group bookings of 5+
Tickets are available at www.webtickets.co.za or at the door. 

Theatre for young audiences as you’ve never seen before! Acclaimed theatre artists, Marijda Kamper and Walter Strydom, bring you a highly entertaining, fast-paced, and innovative theatre experience for all ages.

Read more

 

 

CHARL DU PLESSIS TRIO
50 ways to leave your lover.

The Charl du Plessis Trio is one of the most recognizable instrumental groups in South Africa. They have released nine albums, won four SAMA awards and regularly perform in Europe and Eastern Asia. Their style combines classical music with influences of jazz, pop and world music and is aimed at the curious listener. In their latest programme, they perform music of Bach, Grieg’s Peer Gynt Suite and new arrangements of ABBA, and Paul Simon. The trio comprises Charl du Plessis (piano), Werner Spies (bass) and Peter Auret (drums).

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750): Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach: Menuet, BWV Anh. 116
Edward Grieg (1843 – 1907): New Peer Gynt Jazz Suite
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750): Brandenburg Concerto No. 3, BWV 1048
ABBA: Suite á Jazz
Paul Simon (*1941): 50 Ways to leave your lover

Date: 4 May 2023
Venue: Odeion Auditorium
Time: 19:30
ADMISSION: FREE

For more information, please contact:
Ninette Pretorius 
E: pretoriusn@ufs.ac.za
T: +27 51 401 2504
  

 

 

Preconcert Lecture and Piano Recital
“Apartheid in Search of Black Musical Dignity” - The 'unknown' legacy of Milton Oersen (1918-2016), South Africa's first black concert pianist".

WITH
John Theodore (Born 1956) – pianist
Johann Buis (Born 1955) – musicologist, preconcert lecturer
JS Bach (1685 - 1750) - Prelude and Fugue in B-flat minor, BWV 867
L van Beethoven (1770 - 1827) - Piano Sonata No. 21 in C major, Op. 53, Waldstein
AN Scriabin (1872 - 1915) - Études (Op. 8 nos. 4, 5; Op. 42 nos. 4, 5)
B Ndodana-Breen (Born 1974) - Umdlalo Emlanjeni (”Games by the River”)

Date: 25 April 2023
Time: 17:30
Venue: Odeion Auditorium
ADMISSION: FREE

For more information, please contact:
Ninette Pretorius 
E: pretoriusn@ufs.ac.za
T: +27 51 401 2504
 

 

 

 

 

Everyman

inspired by the medieval morality play
Text: Annebelle Smit
Director: Annebelle Smit

Dates: 12 - 14 April 2023
Time: 18h00
Venue: Scaena Theatre
Tickets:
R25.00 p/p
R20.00 Group bookings of 10+

Bookings: webtickets.co.za. Tickets available at the door. 

The classic play, Everyman, has been reimagined for a modern audience with a powerful message about the importance of being prepared for death. The production places the story in a contemporary context, following the journey of a successful businessman forced to confront his mortality. Read more ...

 

 

Everyman

inspired by the medieval morality play
Text: Annebelle Smit
Director: Annebelle Smit

German Piano Trios

Three celebrated musicians, Samson Diamond, Anmari van der Westhuizen and Nicolene Gibbons will collaborate in presenting an exquisite programme of German Piano Trios by composers Beethoven and Schubert.

Nicolene Gibbons was born in Bloemfontein. She studied piano at the University of the Free State with Catharina Struthers while also taking composition classes with Prof Johann Potgieter. Nicolene played on radio and television, especially her own compositions, from a very young age.  She obtained her BAMus qualification at the UFS with Nettie Immelman as piano lecturer.  She also won the overseas study bursaries of SAMRO, UNISA and ABRSM. Nicolene obtained a BMusHons cum laude at the University of Cape Town under the tutelage of Lamar Crowson.  She then studied at the Royal College of Music (London) where she received her master’s degree in piano as well as a master’s degree in composition from the University of Cambridge. Nicolene has worked for almost 30 years as pianist, composer and teacher in England, including the University of Cambridge and the Uppingham School. Later she specialized in chamber music and lied accompaniment. She moved back to South Africa five years ago and is now working and staying in Philippolis. She recently took part in the Klein Karoo Klassique with cellist Anmari van der Westhuizen. Her solo concert in Bloemfontein as part of the Vrystaat Klank & Klassik was met with great enthusiasm.

Samson Diamond has been appointed leader of the award-winning Odeion String Quartet since 2013.  He enjoys an association with the London-based Chineke! Orchestra founded in 2015.  In April 2022, he appeared as leader of this orchestra for performances and recordings in London and in 2019 toured as concertmaster with performances at prestigious venues in England, Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany.  He appears as soloist with major orchestras in South Africa, and recently alongside Jeanne-Louise Moolman performing Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante with the KZNPO. In 2021, Diamond recorded Beethoven’s Romances with the JPO.  He studied with Rosemary Nalden, the founder-director of the internationally acclaimed Buskaid Project, and further with Richard Ireland, Pauline Nobes and Philippe Griffin. 

Anmari van der Westhuizen graduated from Stellenbosch University (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, the Faroe Islands, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Poland, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the USA, Zambia and Zimbabwe.   

PROGRAMME

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 – 1828): Trio, Op. 97 (Archduke)

Franz Schubert (1797 – 1828): Piano Trio in E-flat major, Op. 100

ADMISSION: FREE

13 April 2023  |  Odeion  |  19:30

 

 

 

Everyman

inspired by the medieval morality play
Text: Annebelle Smit
Director: Annebelle Smit

City of Roses

The City of Roses (CoR) Jazz Ensemble will present its launch concert on the 16^th of March 2022 at 19:30 in the Odeion Concert Hall. Entrance to the concert will be free.

The founding of the City of Roses (CoR) Jazz Ensemble was inspired by the recently appointed Dr Joseph Kunnuji at the Odeion School of Music. Kunnuji’s profound knowledge and experience of jazz as a trumpeter and arranger opened the way for establishing a quality jazz ensemble, thereby renewing the quest for jazz at the OSM.

The ensemble’s focus for this concert will be on mainstream jazz as represented by the so-called Classical or Bebop period in its history (the mid-1940s to mid-1960s) characterised by the music of prominent figures of the time such as Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie and John Coltrane.  The ensemble consists of five versatile and seasoned musicians, namely Joseph Kunnuji (trumpet), Claire Röntsch (saxophone) Nicol Viljoen (piano and keyboard), Marc Röntsch (bass; also newly appointed at the OSM) and John Smit (drums).

JOSEPH KUNNUJI (PhD, University of Cape Town) is a Senior Lecturer in Ethnomusicology and African Musics at the Odeion School of Music. With a background in jazz studies, the orthodox church hymn-singing tradition and a few cosmopolitan African genres, Kunnuji’s teaching, research, compositions and performances reflect the inherent intersection of different worlds.

MARC RÖNTSCH is a musicologist, guitarist and bassist originally from Cape Town, and was recently appointed as a Senior Lecturer in Musicology at the Odeion School of Music, University of the Free State. Marc has performed with bands such as Black Moscow, The Hot Club of Cape Town and Tape Hiss and Sparkle, and has appeared as a soloist with the University of Stellenbosch Symphonic Orchestra and the Stellenbosch University Jazz Band.

CLAIRE RÖNTSCH (neè de Kock) is a saxophonist, session musician, composer, arranger, music lecturer and educator. She graduated with a BMus in Jazz Performance at the South African College of Music (SACM) in 2014 with distinction and has recently received her master’s degree in Jazz Composition from SACM under the tutelage of renowned local composers Dr Mike Campbell and Professor Amanda Tiffin.  In 2015, Claire won the Fine Music Radio Jazz Performance competition and has performed internationally in Europe and locally at the Cape Town International Jazz Festival. She is currently performing with The Swing Collective, The Lady Day Big Band and her own progressive jazz quartet (who perform her own compositions). Claire has recently been appointed as a conductor and arranger for the Free State Youth Wind Ensemble at the Odeion School of Music. 

JOHN SMIT has been involved in the music industry since 1994. Through the years he has recorded, sessions as kit-drummer/bassist and audio mixed numerous national and international music productions ranging from classical to rock, traditional to jazz recordings and live performances. For the past seventeen years, he has been lecturing in Music Technology at the Odeion School of Music.

NICOL VILJOEN is a Professor Emeritus and a Research Fellow at the Odeion School of Music. Viljoen’s versatile activities include those of a music theorist, concert pianist, chamber musician, jazz pianist, and church organist. Viljoen’s research during the past decades has focused on theoretical Schenker studies and their application within musical performance practice.

 

ADMISSION: FREE

ENQUIRIES: Ninette Pretorius
E: pretoriusn@ufs.ac.za 
T: +27 51 401 2504

 

 

 

Everyman

inspired by the medieval morality play
Text: Annebelle Smit
Director: Annebelle Smit

JEANNE-LOUISE AND ELNA IN CONCERT

Jeanne-Louise Moolman and Elna van der Merwe
23 February 2023  |  Admission FREE
Odeion  |  19:30

Two special friends and musicians, Jeanne-Louise Moolman, and Elna van der Merwe will join forces and present this programme with exquisite varied pieces as well as a special commissioned work by Peter McLea. 

Jeanne-Louise Moolman was appointed as violist of the Odeion String Quartet and Senior Lecturer at the Odeion School of Music in 2008. She studied under Alan Solomon at the University of Pretoria, where she obtained the BMus and BMus Hons degrees with distinction, and also studied in Salzburg under Thomas Riebl. She won the ATKV Forté and Oude Meester competitions. In 1985, she won the University of Natal 75^th Anniversary Prize. She regularly performs with some of our country's foremost musicians and has given numerous solo performances in South Africa and Zimbabwe. In 2012, she was invited to perform at the International Viola Congress in Rochester (New York). Elna van der Merwe was a full-time accompanist and part-time Piano Lecturer at the Conservatory of Stellenbosch University until 2001. Since then, she has been an ad hoc pianist and sought-after collaborative artist for local and international artists. She studied piano and organ at Stellenbosch University and has won several awards, stipends and competitions. She performed as soloist with various national orchestras. As an accompanist, she has appeared in all the UNISA International Singing, Strings (since 1990) and recently the Flute and Clarinet Competitions. She has also recorded many CDs and DVDs.

PROGRAMME

Johannes Brahms: Sonata Op. 120 No. 2
George Enesco: Concert Piece
Peter McLea: Commissioned work for the concert – World première
Mokale Koapeng: Boabab Dance
York Bowen: Romance