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02 November 2023
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Story Kekeletso Makau
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Photo SUPPLIED
The UFS Heads of Mission Breakfast event attracted a distinguished delegation of foreign diplomatic missions.
The second Heads of Diplomatic Mission breakfast was hosted by the University of the Free State (UFS) in collaboration with the Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection (MISTRA) in Pretoria, South Africa on 26 October 2023.
The event served as an opportunity to position the UFS as a preferred partner for international collaboration in higher education, research, and innovation – following the success of the inaugural event in 2022. More than ten diplomatic missions were represented by distinguished foreign mission representatives who shared in the deliberations on this year’s theme, namely partnerships and collaborations.
The keynote address was delivered by the UFS Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Prof Francis Petersen, with contributing presentations from MISTRA researcher Laurence Caromba, UFS Professor of Pharmacology, Prof Motlalepula Matsabisa, and Senior Lecturer from the Centre for Gender and Africa Studies, Dr Grey Magaiza. A key goal of Prof Petersen’s presentation was to highlight the benefits of reciprocal collaboration and co-creation of knowledge with international partners, including industry partners. Contributing presentations posited the UFS as a partner of interest in research, innovation, and technology in the international arena and showcased the value of university and diplomatic partnerships in support of the UFS Internationalisation Strategy and Vision 130.
Caromba, a MISTRA researcher, reiterated the importance of collaboration between universities, research institutes, and the diplomatic community, further reaffirming the partnership value proposition entrenched in the UFS-MISTRA collaboration in co-hosting this year’s event. MISTRA, a renowned influential think tank, served as an excellent partner for the event.
The UFS currently boasts more than 100 vibrant international partnerships and is the incumbent coordinator of large EU-funded Erasmus+ projects among South African universities, with UFS researchers having co-authored more than 5 000 scientific publications with universities worldwide (2018-2022).
An engaging question-and-answer session concluded with insights and further action items for continued engagement post the event.
OSM Camerata hosts concert as part of International Ictus Music Competition
2017-05-29
In 2015 the Odeion School of Music Camerata premiered the Hendrik Hofmeyr
Double Concerto for Recorder and Harpsichord with esteemed South African artists
Stefan Temmingh and Erik Dippenaar.
Photo: Supplied
The Odeion School of Music Camerata (OSMC) at the University of the Free State (UFS) will be celebrating its fifth birthday in style when it participates in the 2017 International Ictus Music Competition. The competition is an innovative new online competition for ensembles, orchestras and band/wind ensembles (middle school, high school, youth ensemble, community ensemble and college/conservatory/university) that compete through video submission.
Opportunity for fundraising
As part of the competition the OSMC will host a concert that will also serve as a fundraising opportunity. The concert takes place on 31 May 2017 in the Odeion on the Bloemfontein Campus. The OSMC was strategically founded in 2012 by Marius Coetzee as the Odeion School of Music’s flagship chamber ensemble with the main objective of creating a catalyst for excellence.
International exposure at stake
Substantial money prizes are at stake in the International Ictus Music Competition and ensembles will receive written feedback from a jury consisting of renowned maestri including Stilian Kirov, who was awarded 1st Prize in the Debut Berlin Competition on 18 May 2017. Top prize-winners will be interviewed by a representative from the competition. It will be broadcast internationally to enable them to share their hard work and passion for music with the world.
Over the past five years the OSMC has premiered 10 new works by South African composers specially commissioned for them. A highlight remains its participation in the 13th International Conservatory Festival in St Petersburg Russia, where the ensemble received a standing ovation during a gala concert in the Glazunov Concert Hall.
Date: 31 May 2017
Time: 19:30
Place: Odeion (Bloemfontein Campus)
Entry: R20