The 9th Grahamstown Music Competition kicks off tomorrow (Wednesday 24 June) with the opening concert at the Beethoven Room at 7.30pm at Rhodes Department of Music and Musicology. The competition itself then gets under way at 9am on Thursday (in the same venue) and culminates with the final on Saturday evening (full details below).
The 9th Grahamstown Music Competition kicks off tomorrow (Wednesday 24 June) with the opening concert at the Beethoven Room at 7.30pm at Rhodes Department of Music and Musicology. The competition itself then gets under way at 9am on Thursday (in the same venue) and culminates with the final on Saturday evening (full details below).
Members of the public can come along and watch all the procee
dings and, while there is an entry fee for the opening and final concerts, you can watch the rest of the competition for free.
Organiser, Katherine Foxcroft, says that the annual competition is designed to foster upcoming musical talent in South Africa in a supportive style.
It is open to any musician – including singers – from anywhere in the country, as long as they are under 25.
This year, organisers are expecting 32 participants from across South Africa – including Pretoria, Bethlehem, Cape Town, Stellenbosch, PE, East London and Durban.
There are five participants in the junior category (up to Grade 7), 20 in the senior (up to Grade 12) and seven in the tertiary (in a tertiary institution or private study).
Foxcroft adds that piano and wind instruments dominate the entries this year.
Three local entries are Sascha van der Merwe (junior), Tegan van der Merwe (senior) and Rhodes music student, Garreth Robertson (tertiary).
The adjudicators are Dr Tinus Botha (senior lecturer at North West University) and Ms Jenny Brand (Kingswood College woodwind teacher).
Participants go through a series of rounds.
The first requires one Baroque and one Romantic work, the second, one Classical and one 20th Century.
Six semi-finalists from each category are chosen from these first two rounds who then have to play one new and one previously played piece in the third round.
Three finalists from each category proceed to the finals.
First, second and third prizes are awarded in each category – with R3500 going to the tertiary winner and R2500 to the junior and senior winners.
There are also prizes of R1000 for best woodwind performer, best string performer, best performance of a South African composition and most promising entrant from Grahamstown.
All of the competition rounds takes place at the Beethoven room, are open to the public and are free – apart from the finals which have an entry fee.
The dates and times are: First round (all categories) – Thursday 25 June, 9 am to 5pm Second round (all categories) – Friday 26 June, 9am to 5pm Semifinal round – Saturday 27 June, 10am to 2pm Final round – Saturday 27 June, 7 pm.
The organisers would like to thank Rhodes University Department of Music and Musicology, Kawai Pianos, Grahamstown Music Society, Mossel Bay Music Society, Mr Tim Huisamen, Henry the 18th B&B and one donor who wished to remain anonymous for their generous assistance with this year's competition.
