International recognition can change what becomes possible for an artist, as well as for the students they mentor.

Associate Professor Danré Strydom, clarinettist at the Odeion School of Music (OSM), has been included on the international list of Vandoren artists. She is the first from Africa.

Vandoren’s roster includes some of the world’s most distinguished woodwind performers and educators, many of whom perform with leading orchestras and chamber ensembles and hold senior positions at international universities.

A recognition linked to Bloemfontein’s growing reach

Prof Strydom believes the recognition is partly connected to the exposure generated by the Clarinet Extravaganza and the International Woodwind Competition, which have been held in Bloemfontein since 2022. The events have quickly grown into highly recognised events on the national calendar for South African woodwind players.

What the honour makes possible

For Strydom, the significance of the recognition is practical as much as it is symbolic. “This recognition brings greater national and international visibility,” she said. “It could lead to more concert performances, easier access to funding, invitations to present lectures, and support for projects.”

Vandoren is known for producing professional equipment for woodwind instruments, including mouthpieces and reeds. As a Vandoren artist, Strydom will have access to these resources, supporting her continued work at the highest level. She is already a Buffet Crampon artist and serves as the Africa Chair of the International Clarinet Association.

From early promise to an international pathway

South African-born Strydom started music tuition at a young age. At 15, she joined her first clarinet teacher, Jenny Truter Brand, in the Namibia National Symphony Orchestra as second clarinettist. During high school, she received a range of awards and scholarships, including the R Muller Award for achievement in music and academics, the First National Bank Prize of Excellence, and Best Student awards.

She completed her BMus and BMusHons degrees cum laude at the University of the Free State under the guidance of Heinrich Armer. During her student years, she served as principal clarinettist of the Free State Youth Orchestra and the Odeion Chamber Orchestra. She also played second clarinettist in the Free State Symphony Orchestra. She was selected as the leader of the South African Youth Wind Orchestra and participated in the WASBE conference.

Among the awards linked to her early career are the FAK Music Award, the ATKV Cultural Diversity Award, and the Old Presidency Award. Most recently, she received the UFS Exceptional Young Achiever and Humanities Excellence awards.

After her undergraduate studies, she continued her training abroad, first at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music in the United States, where she completed a solo diploma cum laude under Eli Eban. She later studied at the Royal Conservatory of Ghent, Belgium, where she obtained three separate master’s degrees in clarinet performance, early clarinet, and bass clarinet. She later completed a PhD at the OSM.

Prof Strydom joined the Odeion School of Music as a junior lecturer for woodwinds in January 2014. She has since built a reputation as a prolific educator who produces prize-winning clarinet and saxophone students and regularly serves as an adjudicator in South Africa and abroad. Prof Strydom is currently the principal clarinettist of the Free State Symphony Orchestra. 

Upcoming performance

On 21 May, Prof Strydom will perform in the Odeion Concert Hall in Bloemfontein with oboist Johan Ferreira, bassoonist Liesl van der Merwe, French horn player Shannon Armer, and pianist Laetitia Orlandi. Two masterworks for this combination will be featured on the programme: Beethoven’s Quintet in E-flat major, Op. 16, and Mozart’s Quintet for piano and winds in E-flat major, K. 452.