Eleven young local musicians are among the contestants in the 12th Grahamstown National Music Competition, hosted by Rhodes University Department of Music and Musicology, Thursday 21 June to Saturday 23 June 2018. A highlight of the Music Department’s calendar, the competition has once again attracted top young performers from across South Africa. The competition provides a platform for young performers who specialise in Western Art music. “Without performance experience, performers struggle to establish a performing identity,” said organiser Catherine Foxcroft. “The competition therefore hopes to provide a learning experience for beginner, intermediate and advanced performers as a stepping stone in the road…
Author: Staff Reporter
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Every few years, Makana Brick runs a bricklaying course at its premises on the northern outskirts of the city, offering tuition and advice to employees of local building contractors and other institutions. The intense 2018 course over 10 days attracted 17 fledgling artisans eager to enhance their bricklaying skills. It was funded by Makana Brick and run by experienced instructors of the East Cape Training Centre. The inaugural course in 2013 gave skills to 10 people. The latest course ended last week, and Makana Brick CEO Colin Meyer said he was pleased with its success and thanked local bricklayers for…
By Natasha Pretorius Service activities at St Andrew’s College got off to a great start this term and boys from all grades have various opportunities to collect hours towards their President’s Award. Each boy at St Andrew’s is encouraged to complete at least their Bronze standard which is made up of 24 hours of community service, three months of consistent physical recreation, three months of participating in developing a skill and a two-day adventurous journey. Activities such as Music, Debate, Choir and Chess can be used as a skill and each of the school’s outdoor education programmes is tailored to meet…
Style, safety and comfort. The new VW GTI. Photo: Supplied. Three letters, inextricably associated with Volkswagen: GTI (Gran Turismo Injection). In the new Polo GTI the engine starter button becomes the trigger for a great driving experience, as the development team has created a style of dynamic handling that facilitates committed driving and yet integrates supreme safety and high levels of comfort. This alliance of dynamism, safety and comfort is the secret behind the success of the GTI concept and a core characteristic of the new Polo GTI. GTI front styling. Front end features include an independent bumper with integrated…
Grahamstown born Julia Heemstra who now lives in the USA and has joined hands with the the NGO Waves for Water to donate water purifiers to local schools and clinics. Heemstra is seen at left with with pupils of Samuel Ntlebi. At right, Heemstra is with pupils and cooks at Nombulelo High School who were delighted to receive the filters especially in light of the current water crisis. The dual purpose filters are designed to easily fit on taps or buckets; meaning that the water can be made safe for drinking from multiple sources. Heemstra hopes to secure more funding to…
The Department of Rural Development and Agrarian Reform MEC Xolile Nqatha used his official address at the 2018 graduation at Fort Cox College of Agriculture and Forests to caution students against striving to be tenderprenuers. He called upon the graduates to work towards being their own bosses, having their own farms and to plough the knowledge they have acquired at Fort Cox in the province. “You graduate at a time where unemployment is worryingly high, at a time where scores of agriculture graduates are struggling to find jobs, at a time where our province is ravaged by poverty with about…
The newly-established Centre for Biological Control (CBC) at Rhodes University has been awarded a R68m contract by the Department of Environment Affairs (DEA), one of the largest partnerships the University has secured to date. The research focus of the Centre is the sustainable control of invasive alien plants through biological control using insects. The Centre is involved in the development of these agents in its Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) approved quarantine facility, and the mass-rearing and implementation of the insects once they have been cleared for release. “This is by far one of the largest contracts Rhodes…
Eastern Cape Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Liziwe Ntshinga issued a stern warning to violent protesters in Kirkwood last night after protesters torched at least one orchard store and three tractors were destroyed. Provincial spokesperson Captain Khaya Tonjeni said that on Tuesday, 5 June 2018 around 6pm, a group of about 200 workers blocked the route R336 extension leading to the Moses Mabhida area, Kirkwood, with rocks and burning tyres. “A group thereafter dispersed and police later received reports of attacks on orchards in the area,” Tonjeni said. “At this stage, no case dockets have been opened, but at least one…
Local vocal group, Byrdsongs, had a particularly important member of the audience at their concert at The Monument on Saturday evening (2 June). Their programme included Three Spiritual Nocturnes by celebrated South African composer, Peter Klatzow, which was commissioned by three sisters in memory of their mother, Elsie Fraser Munn. One of the sisters is Grahamstown resident and former Rhodes Music Department lecturer, Ishbel Sholto-Douglas, who was in the front row for the performance. This is the third time that Ishbel has heard the piece live. She said, “It was a superb interpretation. It was more relaxed and exuberant than…
The National Arts Festival has announced a programme of work that is “inspiring, innovative, jaw-dropping and attention grabbing” for the inaugural Creativate Digital Arts Festival, due to take place 28 June-1 July in Grahamstown as part of the National Arts Festival. “Creativate seeks to explore the space where creativity, innovation and technology converge. It’s a playground for artists and audiences interested in how the digital age is helping to bring our imaginations to life, and who want to experience the creative tools of the future,” Festival CEO and co-curator of the new Festival, Tony Lankester, said. The jam-packed programme comprises a…