Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items

Odeion to host international artists at Clarinet Extravaganza

03 January 2020 | Story Rulanzen Martin | Photo Supplied

Bence read more — Bence Szepesi will be one of the main attractions at the Clarinet Extravaganza

Some of the biggest names in classical music will be part of the second International Clarinet Extravaganza to be hosted by the Odeion School of Music (OSM) from 28 January 2020 until 1 February 2020. The 2020 festival hopes to build on the success of the inaugural festival held in 2016.

Some of the artists will include Eddy Vanoosthuyse and Severine Sierens from Belgium, Marco Mazzini from Peru, Feng Mei from the USA, and Bence Szepesi from Hungary.

“The objective of the festival is to expose South African clarinettists (of all ages and levels) and educators to current international clarinet trends, excellent artistry, and the opportunity to receive masterclasses from top clarinet pedagogues,” says Dr Danré Strydom, OSM lecturer and convener of the festival.

The festival will consist of various concerts, clarinet workshops, composition competitions for high-school learners and university students, individual and group masterclasses, and an evening concert with the Free State Symphony Orchestra. There is also a special prize to be won by the top participant. The winner will receive a full scholarship to attend the 2020 Clarinets on stage Academy in Belgium.

News Archive

Lunch-time lecture on the subject of contested memories

2011-08-23

Guests at the lecture from the left: Dr. Sheila Aronstam, a former UFS Council member; Dr. Eva Hoffman and Henya Bryer a survivor of the Holocaust
Photo: Amanda Tongha

Acclaimed Polish author and academic Dr Eva Hoffman visited the University of the Free State’s (UFS) Bloemfontein Campus on 16 Augustus 2010 to deliver a lunch-time lecture on the subject of contested memories.

Speaking about the after-effects of unjust violence on second-generation Holocaust survivors, Dr Hoffman drew some parallels between the history of Eastern Europe and that of South Africa, stating that with some categories of conflict and prejudice the context in this region of the world might not be too remote. Dr Hoffman, born to Jewish parents who survived the Holocaust, told the audience that in most instances the past was still alive in the present.

Talking about traumatic memories, Dr Hoffman revisited her family’s suffering during the Holocaust and stated that the second generation lives with the paradoxes of indirect knowledge. According to her there has to be acknowledgment of the injustice to put the conflict and tension inherited from a repressed history truly to rest. Referring to the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), she said wrongs could not be forgiven until they were admitted.

Dr Hoffman, who is the author of books such as Lost in Translation: life in a new language and Stetl: the life and death of a small town and the world of Polish Jews, praised the university for being on the forefront of social issues in democratic South Africa.

Back

Economic and Management Sciences

Education

Health Sciences

The Humanities

Law

Natural and Agricultural Sciences

Theology and Religion

Open Distance Learning

Business School

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