The Odeion School of Music (OSM) at the UFS aims to cultivate and educate virtuous musicians, primarily through performance. Music students have regular opportunities to perform in performance classes, concerts, and public performances – both nationally and internationally. The OSM is proud of numerous soloists who have excelled in national and international music competitions.
The OSM Performance staff comprises a group of highly competent, committed, and experienced performance specialists. The OSM Performance Unit aims to strengthen students' artistic skills and knowledge in preparation for the demands of the labour market. Performance Studies aims to mentor students to grow into professional artists who are aware of their creative identity.
In addition to solo performances, our music students are thoroughly exposed to chamber music. Students can participate in several ensembles of different sizes, instrumentation, and genres. It is recommended that full-time Music students perform in at least one of the primary ensembles; some ensembles also welcome and include gifted non-Music students and staff of the university and interested community members.
The focus on art music is positioned within a culturally diverse and socio-economically unequal society. Therefore, the OSM's Performance Studies activities are designed to strengthen and shape their future development. They consciously intend to do so within the challenges and implications of cultural diversity and socio-economic inequality. This results in a variety of outreach and community projects.
The OSM strategically aligns performance studies and scholarship by integrating practice and theory in performance-related research, challenging traditional schisms between practice, pedagogy, musicology, music theory, music education, and related music sub-disciplines. The OSM Performance Unit teaches courses to provide contemporary tools for artistic and critical inquiry across the twenty-first-century musical landscape. The OSM views artistic research as a high priority.
A parallel entity to the OSM is the Odeion String Quartet (OSQ) – the only residential university string quartet in South Africa. The members of the Odeion String Quartet constitute the string lecturers of the OSM. The Free State Symphony Orchestra (FSSO) is another ensemble resident in the Odeion and a close partner of the OSM. The FSSO provides opportunities for advanced OSM students to perform under the tutelage of their lecturers during the regular seasons of the FSSO. The OSM also has an internship agreement with the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra, where identified students have opportunities for short-term internships with the CPO.
The OSM Vocal Division presents annual productions, which include operas, operettas, oratorios, and other stage productions. The OSM Liesbeth Schlumberger Organ Chair and the International Clarinet Extravaganza are presented bi-annually.
The OSM Concert Agency presents an annual concert series covering various genres by acclaimed musicians who have proven their artistry and expertise. The OSM presents an annual International Masterclass Series – as the opportunity and availability of the artists permit – to nurture and profit OSM students and other interested external clients. The OSM values the principle of peer instruction and offers masterclasses presented by outstanding artists.
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