SPECIAL EVENT
Stellenbosch Music Festival
Venue: Various venues throughout Stellenbosch
Time: Various
Price: Various
Performances: 23 Sep - 2 Oct 2004
Top chamber musicians, symphonic concerts, a world premiere by South
Africa's best, world-class visiting trios from overseas, rising stars from
Cape Town, extraordinary young string players from Soweto, award-winning
young musicians from the Cape, street festivals and community projects
make up the 17th Stellenbosch Festival.
This year's festival is dedicated to Mrs Huberte Rupert in recognition
of her invaluable contribution to music. She is to be honoured with a
specially commissioned song cycle by Hendrik Hofmeyr based on selected
poems by N P van Wyk Louw. The new composition will be premiered on
Sunday, 26 September by mezzo soprano Hanneli Rupert with Albie van
Schalkwyk at the piano. Included in this programme is a selection of
Pieter de Villiers’ Boerneef songs in celebration of the composers
eightieth birthday in June this year.
Pieter Schoeman, one of South Africa's best known violinists and
currently the co-concert master of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, will
open the festival concert series. He will be joined by cellist Anmari van
der Westhuizen, pianist Albie van Schalkwyk, the Lamar Crowson and
Sontonga String Quartets, members of the UCT String Ensemble and students
of Prof Jack de Wet, Pieter Schoeman's former teacher and mentor. The
concert includes works by Vivaldi, Schubert and Brahms trios.
Two performances by the University of Stellenbosch Symphony Orchestra
with soloist Suzanne Martens will showcase both the soloist's fine
musicianship and the talented young musicians of this orchestra. Corvin
Matei will be conducting the two concerts.
Trios, quartets, quintets and string ensembles feature prominently at
this year's festival. On Heritage Day one of our finest quartets, the
Sontonga String Quartet, will perform Die grosse Fuge by Beethoven and
Songlines by Kevin Volans. Jürgen Schwietering on the viola will join the
quartet for Dvorak’s Quintet in E flat major. On September 27 classical
guitarist James Grace and the Sontonga will play works by Boccherini,
Leo Brouwer, Péter Louis van Dijk and Castelnuovo-Tedesco.
The Festival Winds with Annamarie Bam (clarinet), flautist and long
distance swimmer Carina Bruwer, Estelle Gouws, Dieter Morschel, Walter
Coupe on oboe, bassoon and horn respectively and Elna van der Merwe at the
piano will perform works by Mozart, Ibert and Poulenc. Well-known
organist Zorada Temmingh on the magnificent Endler Hall organ will be
joined by soprano Sanet Allen and trumpeter Michael Blake in the
penultimate concert of the festival.
Two world class piano trios, namely the German/Russian Trio Bamberg
and the Triangulo Trio from Brazil feature in afternoon concerts on the
two Saturdays of the festival period. Delicious meals and fine wines will
be served in the Foyer of the concert venues between the afternoon and
evening shows on these two occasions, making this an ideal opportunity to
attend both concerts, relax and join up with other music lovers.
The workshop in Kayamandi for young aspiring musicians of the
Stellenbosch area and the Endler Hall concert by the internationally
acclaimed young musicians of the Buskaid Soweto String Ensemble has been
made possible by the Stellenbosch Executive Mayor's Youth Fund. These
events will be especially meaningful to the young music students of the
recently established Kayamandi Music Project of the Greater Stellenbosch
Development Trust.
Another gifted young student of Prof Jack de Wet features prominently
in this year's Young Masters concert series of the festival. Violinist
Avigail Bushakovitz – the overall winner of the 2004 Huguenot Competition
– will be joined by brothers Ammiel (piano, classical guitar) and Benjamin
(classical guitar) in a demanding programme of works by Mozart, Bruch,
Klatzow, Paganini and Carulli.
Promising young singers from the UCT Opera School, the fun
performances by the Stellenbosch Youth Orchestra conducted by Lona
Antoniadis at the Endler Hall, the Western Cape Field Band Foundation in
Cloetesville and the play The Very Long Trunk Call with children from all
our communities at the amphitheatre of the Kayamandi Trust Centre showcase
exciting young talent and will appeal to children of all ages and musical
inclinations.
The University of Cape Town String Ensemble under the baton of cellist
Anmari van der Westhuizen with soloists Kobie du Plessis (harp) and Srdjan
Cuca (violin) will conclude the 2004 festival with works by Handel, Bach,
Debussy and Vivaldi's Four Seasons.
Two popular street festivals showcase arts and crafts from the
winelands. Special art exhibitions, including Earthworks/Claybodies at the
Sasol University Art Museum curated by Wilma Cruise round off the 2004
Stellenbosch Festival.
Ticket prices range from R 10 and R 25 for children and students to R
70.
Booking for all concerts at the Festival Office 29 Church Street,
Stellenbosch.
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