Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
Categories
UFS News Media Release Research
Years
2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Months
January February March April May June July August September October November December
Previous Archive
26 November 2018 | Story Xolisa Mnukwa | Photo Johan Roux
Graduation
End-of-year graduation ceremonies kicks-off today.

Livestream

Graduation is the highlight of the academic calendar, and the University of the Free State (UFS) stands by to awarding  its last batch of degrees for the year with the December Graduations which started yesterday.

Kovsie family and friends will be congratulating 173 masters and doctoral graduates in the upcoming ceremonies, and confer more than a thousand certificates, diplomas, undergraduate and honours degrees during the graduation processes.

Speaking at the upcoming processions will be Dr Anchen Laubscher: Group Medical Director of Netcare Ltd, and chair of the Hospital Association of South Africa (HASA) subcommittee for Clinical Quality.

Graduates can further look forward to the likes of Dan Kriek: President of Agri SA, and Danie Meintjes: former Group Chief Executive Officer at Mediclinic International plc, and Non-Executive Director of the Mediclinic International Board.

Author and Chancellor’s Distinguished Young Alumnus of the year 2018, Ace Moloi will also address the audience and bestow words of praise and encouragement as their food for thought.

Graduates can likewise expect speeches from Dr Millard Arnold who belts careers in law, business, diplomacy, journalism, film, and photography to name a few.

Lesedi Makhurane: former Director of Organisational Development at the University of Cape Town (UCT) and University Executive Development (USB-ED) lecturer at the Stellenbosch University will through his speech, endorse the notion of resilience amongst graduates and propel them to live a purpose-driven life.

Visit the graduation home page, where future graduates can in addition access the graduation career guide.  Additional enquiries can be made by emailing graduations@ufs.ac.za

Graduation ceremonies for various faculties will be taking place on the following dates:

4 December 2018
09:00 Economic and Management Sciences, Education 
EMS and EDU Graduation Programme

14:30 South Campus: Open Distance Learning
South Campus Graduation Programme

5 December 2018
09:00 The Humanities, Theology and Religion
HUM and THEO Graduation Programme

14:30  Law, Natural and Agricultural Sciences
LAW and NAS Graduation Programme

6 December 2018
09:00: Health Sciences (including School of Nursing)
Health Sciences Graduation Programme

14:30: Master's and Doctorates (all faculties)
M and D Graduation Programme

News Archive

New violinist for Odeion String Quartet
2013-02-06

Samson Diamond
06 February 2013



The Odeion String Quartet has a new member, a young accomplished violinist with a string of awards to his name. Samson Diamond, who won the Standard Bank Young Artist Award for Music in 2010, has joined the quartet. He is the first male member the quartet has had for about five years. The Soweto-born violinist replaced Denise Sutton, former leader and first violinist. He will lead the quartet, a flagship of the university and the only resident string quartet at a South African university. The other three members are Sharon de Kock (violin), Jeanne-Louise Moolman (viola) and Anmari van der Westhuizen (cello).

Twenty-eight year old Diamond, a graduate of the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, UK, says he is looking forward to working with students from the Odeion School of Music. “I am sure there are many talented students here.”

The musician, who obtained both his Bachelor of Music Honours degree and his Masters of Music Performance degree with distinction, will be based in Bloemfontein on a full time basis. As a member of the quartet, he will be giving concerts, coaching chamber music for the various chamber ensembles and will also give individual lessons to some of the violin students at the School.

Diamond, who started playing the violin at age ten, boast a long list of achievements. At age 12, he was leader of the Buskaid Soweto String Ensemble, one of the country's prominent youth projects. He was a founding member of the jazz classical band Quattro Fusion and former leader of the Diamond quartet. He has performed before many distinguished guests, including Queen Elizabeth II, the Duke of Edinburgh and former presidents Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki.

Diamond says being the first male member in years will not bring about a change in the quartet He says it is about the standard of playing and the calibre of music.

“Music is music whether you work with men or women.”

Diamond’s first performance as member of the quartet will be on 21 February 2013. Details about the performance will be communicated later.

We use cookies to make interactions with our websites and services easy and meaningful. To better understand how they are used, read more about the UFS cookie policy. By continuing to use this site you are giving us your consent to do this.

Accept