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Entertaining, celebratory, and a display of talent, are some of the ways in which the University of the Free State (UFS) community described the 2024 Vice-Chancellor's Concert. The concert, now in its eighth year, was held in the Odeion Auditorium on the UFS Bloemfontein Campus on 6 September 2024 under the theme Together Forever. In attendance were representatives from ABSA, who are longtime sponsors of this initiative, as well as Prof Francis Petersen, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the UFS, among others.

An evening of music

In his opening address, Prof Petersen described the evening as an opportunity to “sit back, relax, and listen to talent within the university, as well as talent that is linked to the university”. As such, the audience was treated to performances by talent from within and outside the university, including the Odeion String Quartet to open the show; Lynelle Kenned, who is a multidisciplinary performing artist; Corneil Muller, an internationally recognised singer and UFS alumnus; as well as the Eunice Vitae Cantamus Choir from Eunice Girls’ High School.

The audience also witnessed the return of performers from previous concerts, such as the UFS Institutional Choir, who received a wave of applause for their blending of sounds in their performance of an African medley. Prof Patricks Otomo, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Zoology and Entomology, was also a returning act, serenading the audience with a performance of Feels like home by Randy Newman. As such, the audience described the evening as electric and a highlight of the year. In fact, Tshegofatso Sello, a UFS student who was an audience member, indicated that, “the concert was an exceptional experience for me, with the artists delivering high-energy performances”.

A farewell tune

As the concert came to an end, all the artists gathered on stage for a final performance dedicated to Prof Petersen, as this marked his final Vice-Chancellor's Concert at the UFS. Prof Petersen, who described the moment as bittersweet, expressed his gratitude to the UFS community for its commitment in nurturing the concert. “It’s been fantastic to start this initiative here at the UFS, and I hope that it will grow from strength to strength,” Prof Petersen said.