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06 September 2021 | Story Dr Nitha Ramnath | Photo Sonia Small (Kaleidoscope Studios)


Star-studded performance

Well-known artists such as Caroline-Grace, an alumna of the UFS, together with the Odeion String Quartet, the Odeion School of Music Camerata (OSMC) and Corneil Muller, dazzled us with their star-studded performances during the recent 2021 Rector’s Concert. As if that’s not enough, the outstanding performances by Thabo Pitse and HD El Classico, the BOSSa Quartet, Organized Chaos, Boitumelo Mohutsioa (aka Be), Dineo Bokala, Ilse Fourie, and students Sivuyisiwe Mbeka, Zama Zulu, and Hlubandile Zibula left us in awe. 

For more than a year, physical performances have been replaced by virtual ones in an attempt to adapt to the current context. The presence of an audience has always been an integral part of music concerts; but we find ourselves in unusual times today, where physical distancing has altered the relationship between performers and the audience, and further changed the way in which artists express their profession. The pandemic and containment measures have tested the mental health, well-being, and resilience of everyone.

Concert dedicated to our students

In an attempt to ensure that you, our audience and our artists, could have an experience as close to normal as possible, creative methods had to be employed to connect our talented artists with you at a time when people are kept apart and at a distance. This year, the UFS presented its second virtual Rector’s Concert, which was pre-recorded in the Odeion Theatre on the Bloemfontein Campus in adherence to strict COVID-19 protocols. 

The 2021 Rector’s Concert was dedicated to our students – particularly our first-year students who are studying at a distance and have not yet had the opportunity to spend time on our campuses.  The concert was certainly a virtual celebration of our many accomplishments, despite the challenges we are all facing this year – and our talented artists have made this possible.  

Watch recording of the 2021 Rector's Concert below:

 


News Archive

UFS welcomes Prof Francis Petersen in style
2017-05-19

 

Description: Bloem welcoming celebration web story photo Tags: Bloem welcoming celebration web story photo

Photo: Johan Roux

 

Photo Gallery

Through a series of joyous events, the University of the Free State’s (UFS) Qwaqwa, South, and Bloemfontein Campuses officially welcomed Prof Francis Petersen as the 14th Rector of the UFS during the past week.

Celebrations end on a high note
The Bloemfontein Campus would not be upstaged and they came out in full support. Performances by staff and student talent impressed the crowd. Invited school performances brought flair and a youthful energy to the celebrations.

Prof Petersen thanked all in attendance, including his family. “It has been a great time of prosperity and well wishes from all three campuses. I have experienced a sense of belonging. I want this experience for all staff, students, and for all those who visit our campus,” said Prof Petersen.

“There is an African idiom that says: ‘If you want to go fast, travel alone; but if you want to travel far, travel together’. If we want to go far as an institution, we will all need to travel together and that means working together,” Prof Petersen added.

Prof Petersen concluded by stating that the UFS is a good institution, but together, it will be a great institution, not just in Bloemfontein or the Free State, but in South Africa, in Africa, and finally globally.

 

Description: Bloem Welcoming photo 2 Tags: Bloem Welcoming photo 2

Prof Francis Petersen, Vice-Chancellor and Rector of the UFS
Photo: Johan Roux


 

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