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12 March 2018 Photo Hanno Otto
Odeion School of Music opening concert presented on 17 March 2018
The Odeion School of Music Camerata 2018.

The University of the Free State’s Odeion School of Music is presenting the annual opening concert on Saturday, 17 March at 7:30pm at the Odeion. The programme will comprise a curated sequence of solo recitals, chamber music, including ensembles recited by the talented OSM students.

The Free State Youth Wind Ensemble will make their debut as part of the programme with an Ammerland recital by the Dutch composer Jacob den Haan (1959 -) as well as Majestia by James Swearingen (1947 -), an American born composer. This composition will be accompanied by a variety of diverse works.

George Foster and colleague Danré Strydom founded the ensemble in the form of a collaboration initiative between the Odeion School of Music and the Free State Symphony Orchestra. Six cellists, Chris van Zyl, Aschlin Grobbelaar, Marcus Motaung, Matthys Coetzee and John Minnaar will join forces with Prof Anmari van der Westhuizen to recite the riveting Requiem for Six Cellos and Piano, Op.66 by David Popper. 

During the concert, the OSM will bestow the Order of the OSM on string pedagogues Francois and Tilla Henkins, as a gesture of gratitude and respect for their lifelong dedication to the education and mentoring of several excellent South African violinists and cellists.

The OSM Camerata will end the concert with a rendition of the Romanian Folk Dances, Sz.56 Béla Bartok for Orchestra under the baton of Xavier Cloete. The OSM Camerata is the laureate of the first International Ictus Music Competition (University and Conservatory Orchestras) presented last year for the first time. For more information about the Odeion School of Music and the upcoming concert please visit the website.

News Archive

UFS Library book launch programme fosters dialogue between students and authors
2017-03-30

Description: Library book launch 2017 Tags: Library book launch 2017

The University of the Free State (UFS) Sasol Library has hosted a series of book launches since 2016, bringing to the Bloemfontein Campus various new and seasoned authors who share their stories with the campus audiences. The Launch Your Book at the Library Programme hosted two authors on 23 March 2017, Itumeleng Sekhu and Marcia Ramodike. Both authors spoke about their life-changing experiences and shared their heart-wrenching stories, filled with courage and hope. 

“Libraries must take the lead in creating dialogue, expression of ideas and inculcating a culture of reading and writing. This programme was also established to bridge the gap and find ways to encourage students to read and write, by creating a platform where they can interact with authors and see that people who write books are ordinary people with real stories to tell,” said Marcus Maphile, Assistant Director: Library Marketing and Community Engagement.

Speaking about her book, Itumeleng Sekhu described her experiences from childhood and her life as a disabled person after being severely burnt in a fire accident in her home as a baby.  She said: “I tried to commit suicide several times because I had lost hope. Eventually after failing to do so, I realised at some point that it was time for me to let my light shine through.” She wrote her book, titled What Do You See?, which has received substantial media coverage, to encourage others who live with painful experiences, disabilities and what she terms “internal wounds”, hoping that her experiences could help to heal them.

Marcia Ramodike’s book, An Empty Pride to a Full Price, paints a picture of her life as a youth grappling with adult issues. She describes her pain after her mother’s death, and her constant battle with the legacy of the difficult socio-economic conditions she grew up in. When students asked Ramodike what she thought the right time was to write a book, she responded, “today is the right time to write your story”.

The UFS Library has hosted 16 book launches since 2016, with the biggest being the launch of Zubeida Jaffer’s book Beauty of the Heart. The programme aims to provide access to information and to share and debate ideas in support of democracy and freedom of speech.

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