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22 September 2021 | Story Michelle Nöthling | Photo Supplied
Annemarie Le Roux.

“I love working with children.” This is one of the first things Annemarie le Roux mentions when asked to describe herself. This love for children propelled Annemarie into the field of education and she graduated in 2006 with a BEd in Foundation Phase at the UFS. Annemarie immediately immersed herself in the Deaf community, enriching the lives of children at the Thiboloha School for the Deaf in Qwaqwa and the De la Bat School for the Deaf in Worcester. 

The academic world enticed Annemarie back to the University of the Free State (UFS) and she was appointed as a junior lecturer in the Department of South African Sign Language (SASL) and Deaf Studies in 2013. Going from strength to strength, Annemarie completed her master’s degree in SASL in 2019, and published an article earlier this year that she co-wrote with Marga Stander. In this article, they found that SASL “has become an increasingly popular language that hearing university students want to learn as a second language” and subsequently explored different teaching methods used for this emerging group of interested students. 

Although now firmly established in academia, Annemarie is still committed to the practical application of SASL. “I am closely involved in student and community engagement through the SIGNALS Sign Language student association that helps empower the Deaf community and South African Sign Language.” She also interprets for the Deaf community whenever she gets an opportunity, as well as for Deaf students in class and meetings.

On the importance of Sign Language and the recognition of the Deaf community in South Africa, Annemarie believes it will open greater opportunities for development. “More people will be able to learn SASL, and it might even become a subject in school for hearing children.”

News Archive

Odeion: The Fortepiano in the late 18 th century - A lecture recital by John Reid Coulter, Monday, 27 October 2008
2008-10-01

The Fortepiano in the late 18 th century - A lecture recital by John Reid Coulter
Monday, 27 October 2008
Odeion
19:30


with
Deirdré Blignaut ~ soprano
Carmi Nel ~ violin
Piet van Rooyen ~ violoncello
Nicol Viljoen ~ fortepiano

including songs & solos by
W.A. Mozart, F.J. Haydn, C.P.E. Bach
& four Scottish & Irish folk song arrangements
by L. van Beethoven

John Reid Coulter is one South Africa’s leading exponents of historical performance practice. He completed his studies in harpsichord with Jacques Ogg at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague. He has taught at the universities of Potchefstroom, Witwatersrand and Pretoria. John has an avid interest in the building of early keyboard instruments and has built a number of harpsichords and a fortepiano. He has performed as soloist and continuo player in The Netherlands, Norway and Germany. His baroque ensemble ‘Banda di Giovanni’ has premiered a number of works in South Africa, the most recent being the cantata ‘Apollo e Dafne’ by G.F. Handel in 2004 and the Serenata à tre ‘Mio cor, povero cor’ by Antonio Vivaldi in May 2007. John is also well known as an adjudicator at music festivals and as a composer has won numerous awards.

Deirdré Blignaut obtained a BA (Languages) degree from the University of the North West in 1988. She graduated cum laude and was awarded Best Student, Faculty of Arts. She began her career as translator at Transnet and later joined the Department of Arts and Culture as terminologist. In 1995 music become her full-time career and field of study. She studied singing with Prof Werner Nel until 2000 and repertoire with the late Anna Bender currently she studies with Eugenie Chopin. In 2002 she obtained a Performer’s Licentiate cum laude and was invited to participate in the Unisa International Bursary Competition. Deirdre is currently she is working towards a MMus (Performing Arts) through the University of Pretoria. She teaches voice at Pro Arte Alphen Park, lectures Methodology of Singing at the University of Pretoria and was recently appointed voice lecturer at the School of Music, North West University.

The fortepiano used in the concert was built by John Reid Coulter in 1986 and is a copy of a Stein fortepiano ca. 1780.

Admission: Free

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