Performing a concerto with an orchestra is a dream for many young musicians.
Performing a concerto with an orchestra is a dream for many young musicians.
Now eight of the best young players in South Africa will do just that in the Concerto Festival in Grahamstown in October. These youngsters are the finalists from the Grahamstown National Music Competition who battled it out in the Concerto section in early August.
Only six finalists were meant to be named, but the standard of playing was so high that the judges selected eight contestants to perform a movement of a concerto with the Rhodes orchestra. For most of them, it will be their debut as soloists, a night to remember forever.
The Rhodes Orchestra may have groaned at having to learn two extra concerto movements, but lead by their enthusiastic conductor Juan Munoz they have had nearly three months to prepare pieces by Haydn, Mozart, Liszt, Grieg and Kabalevsky. They will accompany three Rhodes music students, all pianists: Jacques du Plessis (age 21, East London), Cathy Hodgson (age 19, Grahamstown) and Mia Pistorius (age 21, Pretoria). Wayne Greenberg on cello (age 23, Johannesburg) is also studying at Rhodes. The other pianists are Pieter Crathorne (23) from Stellenbosch, Cindy Ju (10) from Northriding, and Tim Abel (18), who is studying at St Andrew’s College. The single violinist is Inge Lubbe (10) from Pretoria.
All the finalists have been awarded a monetary prize, but two awards remain undisclosed. They are the overall concerto prize of an extra R1000 and a prize of R1000 for a Haydn work, sponsored by the Honourable Mr Justice John Foxcroft. The performers will be too busy playing to bite their nails, but finally they and the audience will hear who the winners are at the end of the evening. Advocate Torquil Paterson will make the presentations on behalf of the Grahamstown Music Society (GMS), who hosted and ran the competition.
The competition is a joint venture of St Andrew’s College and Diocesan School for Girls, St Andrew’s Prep, Rhodes University music department and the GMS. Sponsorship from a local music lover, the Honourable Mr Justice John Foxcroft as well as Advocate Torquil Paterson SC, Unisa, Lee Gold and the music department at Rhodes made the competition possible, which will definitely continue in 2010.
The new soloists of 2009 will be exciting to hear and they need a good audience. The concert will be held in the Guy Butler Theatre of the 1820 Settlers Monument on Saturday, 3 October at 7.30 pm. The GMS welcomes all schoolgoers for free, to celebrate the experience of hearing such talent in young performers. Tickets at R40 for adults will be available at the door.
