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03 January 2023
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Photo Evert Kleynhans
Dr Dolf van Niekerk.
The University of the Free State (UFS) would like to express its condolences to the family and friends of South African author, Dr Dolf van Niekerk, on his passing.
Dr Van Niekerk, the recipient of an
honorary doctorate from the UFS, passed away on 31 December 2022. The UFS awarded a Doctor of Letters to Dr Dolf van Niekerk during its April 2021 graduation ceremony.
Dr Van Niekerk was a celebrated author who also achieved fame as a dramatist and radio presenter. An alumnus of the UFS, he received a BA degree from the university cum laude in 1949. He also played a role in academia and was an emeritus professor at the University of Pretoria until his retirement in 1994. His work includes 27 books in philosophy, poetry, fiction, drama, and memoirs, for which he has received numerous awards. These include the
Eugene Marais Prize, the MER Prize, and the Scheepers Award for Youth Literature.
“Dr van Niekerk is a Kovsie alumnus with a deep connection to the Free State. He played a significant role in the country’s literary history, and it was an honour for the university to award him with an honorary degree. A wordsmith of note, Dr van Niekerk’s contributions to South African literature, radio, and stage will live on," says
Prof Francis Petersen, Rector and Vice-Chancellor.
OSM students off to Canada and Belgium
2016-07-01
Naledi Dweba will have the opportunity to
take part in tutorials such as reed making
and instrument adjusting when attending
the Belgian Clarinet Academy. Photo: Supplied
Although he is only a first-year student at the Odeion School of Music (OSM), he will learn from, and share his knowledge with, the best in the world. Tuhafeni Michael from the University of the Free State has been selected for an international choral music residency at the Kokopelli Choir Association in Edmonton, Canada during June-July 2016.
Michael and Naledi Dweba are two OSM students that will enhance their skills abroad. Dweba, one of Danré Strydom’s clarinet students, has received a scholarship to attend the 2016 Belgian Clarinet Academy in Ostend, Belgium from 6-12 July.
Guest speaker at celebrations
Apart from receiving extensive training as choral conductor, Michael will also serve as a guest speaker during the Kokopelli Choir Association 20th anniversary. He will teach choral music from his native Namibia.
After the residency, he is expected to serve as an ambassador for the Kokopelli Foundation in Southern Africa. Apart from sharing his skills, he will also assist in recruiting new talented students, and act as mentor to other aspiring choral conductors.
“I’m hoping to really learn from some of the best choral conductors of our times, as well as from fellow students attending the course,” says Michael.
Masterclasses in rest of Europe
Dweba’s scholarship provides a week-long, intensive immersion in clarinet. Individual students receive at least 3 intensive private lessons, and participate in clarinet ensembles, receive chamber music coaching, observe and perform in masterclasses. The main instructors of the event will be Robert Spring (Arizona State University), Eddy Vanoosthuyse (Brussels Philharmonic Orchestra), and Deborah Bish (Florida State University).
After the scholarship, he will attend masterclasses in Germany and the United Kingdom.