Music-lovers can look forward to an evening of piano and saxophone tonight when Christo Greyling and Paul Richard perform in aid of the Corner House, a group home for psychiatric care.
Music-lovers can look forward to an evening of piano and saxophone tonight when Christo Greyling and Paul Richard perform in aid of the Corner House, a group home for psychiatric care.
Jared Lang, departmental administrator of Rhodes' Department of Music and Musicology, said that Greyling is currently a BMus Honours student studying under Catherine Foxcroft at the University's Department of Music and Musicology.
Greyling passed both his grade 8 Royal Schools (2007) and grade 8 UNISA (2012) piano exams with distinction. In 2012 he was invited to compete in the UNISA National Scholarship Competition in Pretoria where he received one of the two UNISA music scholarships and was awarded second prize overall.
He also received first prize in SASMT Music Competition, second prize in the Youth Music Competition, second prize in the ensemble category of the SASMT music Competition (clarinet and piano), was a finalist in the Mavis Hill Music Competition, third and fourth prize winner in the National Grahamstown Music competition and was recipient of a special award for most promising entrant. In 2009 Greyling was invited to compete in the National SASMT 90th Anniversary Music Competition in Pretoria.
He performed Mendelssohn Capriccio Brillante Op. 22 with the symphony orchestra in the Feather Market Centre in Port Elizabeth in 2010 and performed with the Odeion String Quartet the following year.
Lang said that Greyling also attended the Vienna and Tyrolean International Piano Academy in 2012 where he toured and performed as a soloist in a series of concerts in Austria.
He has also received master classes from a number of international performers such as Krassimira Jordan (Bulgaria), Thomas Kreuzberger (Austria), Dingyuan Zhang (China), Spencer Meyer (USA), Yossi Reshef (Germany), Jill Richards (SA), Franklin Larey (SA) and Mark Nixon (UK).
He is planning on furthering his studies in Europe in 2015.
Born in France in 1986, Richard started the saxophone at the age of eight and gained a place at the Conservatoire National de Region de Besançon in 2002, said Lang. Richard obtained his bachelor of Musicology from the University of Franche-Comté in 2007 and was awarded the First Prize in the same year for Chamber Music.
After four years of studying with Cécile Dubois, a highly recognized saxophone teacher in France, he obtained his Diploma of Musical Studies for Saxophone (First Prize of the Conservatoire) in 2010 and was awarded the First Prize Unanimously with Felicitations of the Jury at the Music Competition of Epinal (France) in the same year.
After finishing his studies at the Conservatoire in France, Richard moved to South Africa where he taught Saxophone at the Durban Music School and at St Mary’s DSG in Kloof. Richard then registered at Rhodes, where he obtained distinctions for his BA Honours in Saxophone, Composition and Chamber Music with Academic Honours in 2013. Richard is currently studying towards his Masters in Saxophone and Composition.
He won the Seventh Grahamstown Music Competition, which took place in June 2012. Constantly seeking for new repertoire for his instrument, Richard works closely with South African composer, Hannes Taaljard, and premiered some of his works in 2013, as well as a work by Clare Loveday.
With a passion for conducting, Richard has conducted various wind bands and orchestras as well as a choir in 2009. He has also composed pieces for various ensembles and a Musical Comedy in 2008 for the Music School of Arbois (France). An experienced ensemble performer, he plays in various formations such as wind bands, big bands, and saxophone quartets.
Lang said in 2006 Richard started teaching saxophone and theory in numerous music schools and is currently teaching Saxophone and Clarinet at Woodridge Preparatory and College in Port Elizabeth.
Event: Christo Greyling (piano) and Paul Richard (saxophone)
Venue: Beethoven Room
Date: 5 March 2014
Time: 19h30
Entrance: Free (Donations are welcome – all proceeds in aid of the Corner House, a group home for psychiatric care)
