T HE OFFICI A L M AG A ZINE OF T HE C A PE TOW N PHILH A R MONIC ORCHEST R A #ISSUE 12
inside 03 STEPHEN HOUGH
THE RENAISSANCE MAN
04 MINNESOTA ORCHESTRA MEETS THE MOTHER CITY
12 VIRTUOUS GLOW
LES AMATEURS VIRTUOES
THE MAGIC of
OLGA SCHEPS
SO WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL? PAGE 5
CO N C ERTO
A season of excitement beckons
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EDITORIAL TEAM
eight trumpets and some offstage musicians prevent it from being an everyday experience.
he upcoming concert seasons will be a momentous period for the CPO. We’re looking forward to moving back into a fully restored City Hall, a venue with new seats, better lighting and proper air conditioning! It will take a long time to improve the Grand Parade and surrounding area, but it is a significant start.
If you want to be part of this historic opening celebration, you must book early. The next chance to hear the Resurrection in Cape Town might not happen in your life time! A week later we welcome the Minnesota Orchestra to Cape Town. This is the first South African tour by one of the major American symphony orchestras. The November season has two more surprises: the Verdi Requiem on 22 November, as well as the Friends of Orchestral Music Benefit Concert with the sensational Olga Scheps on 29 November.
The City of Cape Town has asked us to move our opening concert from the first Thursday in August to Saturday 4 August so that they can join us in the celebrations. Our choice for the opening is appropriate: Mahler’s gigantic Symphony No. 2, the “Resurrection”, an 80-minute symphony for soloists, choir, organ and orchestra! Mahler's Resurrection has not been performed in Cape Town for many decades. the sheer scale of the symphony makes it a daunting task: ten French horns,
CHIEF EXECUTIVE & EDITOR IN CHIEF LOUIS HEYNEMAN louis@cpo.org.za
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And we close the year with a real bang: one of the world’s foremost pianists, Stephen Hough, joins the CPO in a Celebrity Gala on 20 December with an all-Beethoven programme. Booking for this special concert will only open in September.
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PATRICK GOODWIN
A
t the age of 24 in 2007, I joined the Cape Town Philharmonic as Deputy Concertmaster becoming Concertmaster in 2016. In the past eleven years I have played a great many concerts and productions as part of the CPO, that includes some highlights like playing 18 Scheherazades in 21 days on tour in the United States; performing the on-stage version of Lucia di Lammermoor with Pretty Yende and Richard Bonynge conducting; working with Krzysztof Penderecki, Sergei Nakariakov and Joshua Bell, and being equally inspired by our own outstanding and much beloved local artists. An enduring “highlight” is working with our regular conductors like principal guest conductor Bernhard Gueller who always make this orchestra feel like home and bring out the very best in the orchestra the musicians know so well. In an orchestra like the CPO which is so busy and multi-faceted, we play everything from symphonies to opera, ballet, musicals, school concerts and lighter pops programmes. The diverse repertoire has been invaluable to me as a musician, violinist and leader. I’ve also been privileged to co-lead with our two guest concertmasters, Farida Bacharova and Suzanne
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So what does a concertmaster actually do? First of all, like all musicians in the orchestra, I have to spend time learning and practising the notes for upcoming Gerlinde Moser concerts! I am part of the audition panel for new players to join the CPO and also enjoy being involved with the CPYO Youth Orchestra, giving sectionals to the first violins. RE/MAX Living in Cape Town
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Then, beyond the obvious and basic requirements of playing my instrument, there are many other A t t o r facets neys offstage. Concertmasters need to prepare bowings and markings in consultation with the orchestra librarian and other string principals. We often are consulting with DIG/TAL management and musicians and constantly she f. biz working towards building and maintaining a high level of musical excellence from the whole orchestra. We work closely with the conductor, clarifying what needs to be addressed to the string section (and sometimes other sections, too) and very often have to make quick decisions. In my experience, one has to trust your own musical “gut”, trust your colleagues and trust your conductor. The orchestra will trust you back and that’s when the magic of leading happens!
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EVERYTHING HAPPENING AND COMING SOON
We appreciate what the Chairperson of Cape Town Opera, Susan Smith, thought of our last Concerto! "Concerto is a great showcase for CPO and always a good read – the latest edition with its youthful focus is particularly enjoyable."
Here’s what people told us by email or on social media, especially about the Debut Gala Concert May I just comment on this wonderful event, what a unique experience, I did bring eight overseas friends along and they also loved it. I think the cultural mix at the height of the tourist season is such a good idea and gives another dimension to the CPO. Please repeat this in future. Janny, on Facebook Terrific performance of ALL artists. It was beyond our expectations. All music selection choice for the evening was amazingly beautiful. Superb talent in the Western Cape. Glad to hear this will continue. BRAVO!! Elsa, on Facebook We experienced yesterday a night of youth, talent and brilliance. It was a joyful and wonderful event, full of ideas and motivation in a perfect setting. A big compliment to all participants, singers, musicians and staff around! Roland Seidler (German Consul)
And when we loaded the You Tube videos, tributes such as this one followed! Absolutely wonderful. I am so proud of all our local artists. Our Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra is purely amazing with conductor Brandon Phillips = he is just unbelievably masterful and versatile = we are so blessed to have him. Thank you, Brandon and all the other wonderful artists Johan, on Facebook
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What do you think? The Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra is keen to know what you think about various aspects of the operation – and funders want a better picture of our audience, how we are serving our community, who our audience actually is now and how it is evolving. We have canvassed the viewpoints of many of our regulars, but would like to expand this. Please take the time to answer questions that may be put to you at a concert by a member of the CPYO. After all, we are here for you, the audience, and we really want to know what you think. If you want to be part of this, let us know at 021 410 9809/info@cpo.org.za
JOIN THE CONVERSATION!
info@cpo.org.za
British pianist Stephen Hough is visiting Cape Town for the first time for a special Celebrity Gala concert in December.
HOUGH THE RENAISSANCE MAN
H
e is one of the top 25 pianists of all time, according to the British Classic FM and in the same league as Chopin, Rachmaninov, Brendel, Argerich and Lang Lang… and he is coming to Cape Town. British pianist Stephen Hough will perform Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4 in a special celebrity gala on December 20, with Bernhard Gueller on the podium, in the Cape Town City Hall. Hough (CBE) is a real Renaissance man, a polymath, poet, painter, composer, teacher and writer. The Guardian wrote
about “the most perfect piano playing conceivable”, while The Washington Post described him as “a virtuoso who begins where others leave off”. Hough has recorded more than 60 CD’s which have won several major prizes. The all-Beethoven programme inlcudes the Leonora Overture No.3 and Beethoven Symphony No 7. The CPO's Principal Guest Conductor Bernhard Gueller is on the podium.
............................................................... Stephen Hough's Celebrity Gala on 20 December is not part of the end-of-year season. See full Calendar listing on page 10.
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MARVELLOUS MINNESOTA ORCHESTRA IN THE MOTHER CITY Musical Director of the Minnesota Orchestra, Finnish conductor Osmo Vänskä, is leading the first major American orchestra tour to South Africa. The programme on 10 August in the Cape Town City Hall includes: En Saga (Sibelius), Harmonia Ubuntu (Bongani Ndodana-Breen), Candide Overture (Bernstein) and Beethoven's Symphony No. 5. Bookings open at Computicket.
SAMRO & CPO SUPPORTING YOUNG COMPOSERS
Marketing and Managing Editor Shirley de Kock Gueller's best picked gems from the music grapevine. ..........................................................................
South Africa has a thriving community of composers, with performance of their music supported by the South African Music Rights Organisation.
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he CPO has been supported by SAMRO since inception, and with its help is able to introduce new works into the symphonic repertoire. In the last few years, several new pieces have been performed. Earlier this year the CPO performed a new composition by Antoni Schonken, and in November last year the young Stellenbosch composer, Kristi Boonzaaier, worked for the second time with the CPO in the performance of his piece ’n Aand op Simonsberg. This is the third work by Boonzaaier performed by the CPO. In 2015, the orchestra premiered his clarinet concertino at the National Youth Music Competition.
“TO BE ASKED TO WRITE A PIECE FOR CPO IS A DREAM...”
“I’m immensely grateful and happy to work with the orchestra again. I am grateful that this orchestra works to KRISTI BOONZAAIER further build relationships with living composers and assist in building their careers. I was humbled by the
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request to compose a piece in honour of President Nelson Mandela to mark 100 years since his birth and the orchestra’s homage to him. “While very excited, I was awestruck by the magnitude of the task. I immediately set out to learn more of Madiba to ensure that I can aptly represent the greatness of his acts and what they mean to me in this piece of music. “To be asked to write a piece for the CPO's inauguration concert is a dream. “I have linked my personal homage — The Ode to Madiba: I am because we are — to the great Resurrection Symphony by Mahler which is the main work on the programme on August 4. Mahler’s programme note says: ‘We are standing near the grave of a well-loved man. His whole life, his struggles, his sufferings and his accomplishments on earth pass before us.’ As inspiration for Ode to Madiba, I looked at Mahler’s first symphony … and I thought: if the second symphony honours someone in death, then I will use moments from the first symphony as a model to celebrate the ‘hero’ and his deeds in life. Symbolically, I thought that this would appropriately balance the evening’s concert.”
FOM Soirees at New Heights Friends of Orchestral Music have partnered with Bowmans, a legal firm in Bree Street, to present sunset soirees with drinks, snacks and a great view along with good music featuring more rising stars, most of whom have come up or are coming up through the CPO’s youth education and development ranks. The first concert, in April, featured flautist Myles Roberts, violinist David Bester and pianist Sulayman Human; Jeffrey Armstrong, for years concertmaster with the CPYO before he took up a scholarship in Birmingham, will bring the Fletcher Quartet to the soiree on July 22 and, in the final soiree of the year, on October 28, Duo Infinite (percussionists/marimbists Cherilee Adams and Dylan Tabisher) will perform Soundscapes Across Cultures. Tickets are R400 (R350 for members of FOM) and available from Louise Howlett info@louisehowlett. co.za/ 084 682 1337. To join the Friends, support young musicians in our city and beyond and see what’s in it for you, please visit www.fomct.com
the SO It is a decade since Masidlale first opened its doors, figuratively, with a launch on Table Mountain. Since then it has reached hundreds of young musicians from all creeds at grassroots level in places as far flung as Atlantis and Khayelitsha. Most recently, it opened a project in the Prestwich Street Primary School in Green Point, with ten learners, bringing the number of current learners in the project to over 100, aged between 6 and 13. And now, thanks to the commitment of two primary school teachers, Phoe Ncube and Dezi van Rooyen, Masidlale is reaching adults – they joined the class not only to enrich themselves but also to guide practising with the kids.
“One cannot underestimate what a sense of selfworth music brings to these children. Many of them come from impoverished homes. To see the smiles on their faces as they master their music, makes everything so worthwhile. The pride in their parents’ eyes when they perform in public is also heartwarming,” says Odile Burden, herself a product of the CPYO in 2003. Find out more about how we're transforming through music education. See page 09. T HE OFFICI A L M AG A ZINE OF T HE C A PE TOW N PHILH A R MONIC ORCHEST R A #ISSUE 11
PERRY SO SO... WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL? PAGE 05
YOU & ONLY HOUGH STEPHEN HOUGH SHOWS US HIS SHEETS
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QnA
Born in Israel, educated in America, Daniel Boico is now the associate conductor of the KZNPO. So how much do you know about him?
Masidlale’s aims are to teach the values and skills of good music far beyond the walls of Artscape. Managed by Ash-lee Louwskieter and Odile Burden with teachers Noluvuyo Maha, Siyathemba Nteta, Tembisa Stevens, Monica Dadase and support staff Carol Mduma, children come for lessons from the Cape Flats, and as far as Atlantis and Mamre.
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BACKSTAGE
FACTOR
Masidlale Gets Extra Wings
inside
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MINNESOTA ORCHESTRA MEETS THE MOTHER CITY
Why do you like to conduct the CPO?
W
hen Perry So, Artistic Partner of the Asturias Symphony Orchestra in Spain and guest conductor in Cape Town for three concerts in the Spring Season in November, was still at school in Hong Kong, his music teacher left midyear to take up a position in Australia and the school unleashed him on the orchestra. What it also did was unleash his passion for conducting.
THE MAGIC of
OLGA SCHEPS
Sensational Olga for benefit gala The soloist of the annual Friends of Orchestral Music’s benefit gala on 29 November is the pianist Olga Scheps, one of Europe’s most sensational young stars. She will perform the second Piano Concerto by Rachmaninov at the benefit concert. Earlier this year she performed at the Johannesburg International Mozart Festival and played a recital at La Motte in Franschhoek, where her concerts stunned people into rapturous applause. Special ticket prices for this benefit concert apply.
Colony, but “England turned me down”. Fortunately, although America was not on his radar particularly, he tried out for a couple, one of which was Yale, where he was accepted. This was, he says, a very lucky step, since his application was a week late but the threat of computer glitches as the millennium year approached made Yale extend its opening date by one week. While at Yale, he and some of his friends played in student operas and in orchestras and decided they could do better, so they started their own orchestra with So as conductor.
“I WAS UNLEASHED ON THE ORCHESTRA”
Born in Hong Kong and living a peripatetic life following his civil engineer father to jobs in Tai“It was our late teens wan and Singapore, and we were driven he was grounded by enthusiasm. Our PERRY SO by a love for music, orchestra, the engendered by music in the home. His Saybrook Orchestra, named for one of mother was a primary school the colleges, was wildly ambitious pedagogue and when he was three he beyond its capabilities. For example, was pushing his mother to rush home in a year we did two operas, five from shopping expeditions so he could symphony concerts and a number of try out the elevator music he heard in recording projects, while all of us were the mall on the piano. When he was six, majoring in something else like biology he took his first lesson and also sang in or economics. I was studying church choirs. When his voice broke, his comparative literature but later did a angelic self-image was over! master’s degree in conducting.”
T H E OF F IC I A L M AG A Z I N E OF T H E C A P E T OW N P H I L H A R MON IC ORC H E S T R A # I S S U E 1 1
VIRTUOUS GLOW LES AMATEURS VIRTUOSI VISITS YOUTH
The wonderful musicians and inimitable atmosphere at City Hall make it always a pleasure!
“I wasn’t exclusively classically inclined,” he says. “As a kid I had a broad appetite for music from Bach to Andrew Lloyd Webber, but as I delved deeper into music, I discovered that Bach and Mozart spoke to me in a way that nothing else did.” When it became time to choose universities, he tried out for several in England, the natural progression of a young man brought up in a Crown
The next step in So’s life was to take up the challenge of entering a conducting competition. He prepared for the Prokofiev Conducting Competition in St Petersburg in 2008 – he won First Prize (and a Special Prize too). His first performance with the CPO was an award winning recording with the violinist Alexander Gilman for Oehms Classics. Read more on perryso.com
How much of your time is now spent in SA? I am living almost full-time in the Winelands with cellist and artistic administrator of Endler Hall, Fiona Grayer and daughter Kayla. What’s the first thing you do when you come back to Cape Town? Smile! Happy heart! Then I kiss my girls and we open presents! What music do you like, classics aside? 80's pop and rock, 60's Samba, French Chanson, Israeli folklore (Naomi Shemer!). What do you miss most about South Africa when you are travelling? The warmth and diversity of the people and the stunning beauty of nature. What has been THE high point of your professional life? Having been New York Philharmonic’s Assistant Conductor and conducting Itzhak Perlman and Daniel Barenboim.
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The curtain call — the CPO's first Community Gala resulted in a standing ovation and the immediate decision to make this an annual event.
SPECTACULAR PEOPLE’S GALA An all-embracing approach to music By LOUIS HEYNEMAN
E
Photos by JEFFREY ABRAHAMS
arlier this year the CPO came up with a brand-new concept: a gala concert with young stars from all music genres performing for the first time with a symphony orchestra. The result was an eclectic and vibrant variety concert with singers, instrumentalists, dancers and gymnasts – performing to a packed audience at Artscape Opera.
Most of the audience members had never attended a formal symphony concert. The standing ovation and praise for our musicians came from a totally new and younger audience.
The CPO’s role as custodians of a sophisticated music culture is based on a century of dedicated service to music in Cape Town. For decades we have performed with leading national and international soloists and for decades we have been involved in the training of new generations of musicians, ensuring the long-term future of music in Cape Town.
Society and culture change all the time and perhaps we have not invested enough in the development of new audiences. The enthusiastic response we received after the first Community Gala made it clear: the different communities in Cape Town need our attention and the only way to make inroads into all levels of society is by engaging them in a manner they understand and prefer.
So, are these community concerts the future recipe for the orchestra’s survival? Can we really expect highly-trained musicians, who dedicate their craft to classical music, to be part of a multi-functional band of musicians, performing from symphony concerts, ballet and opera to jazz and pop?
The CPO made a conscious decision to be a chameleon rather than a dinosaur. Change with the colours and moods of the time and serve all the communities around us, not only the older, sophisticated music lovers. Our foray into unchartered waters was only the beginning of a new all-embracing approach to music.
We are already planning the next community concert in February 2019. Watch this space.
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Talitha Luiters, the 12- year-old singing sensation, who made her debut with the CPO.
Heavenly Quartez, the four singing men from Khayelitsha.
Jason Barnard, juggler from Zip Zap Circus with his captivating juggling act.
Chelsea Hendricks and Anda Mthulu — a dance of courage.
The Young Men singing Rosa, an historic first with a full symphony orchestra.
The CPYO Violin Quartet (in the background) with the Classic Men dance group.
We’ve been custodians of a sophisticated music culture for over a century... It's time to reach further out to the rest of the community
Phelelani Ndakroga in action with the CYR wheel.
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CPYWE INVITED TO TOUR The Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra’s Wind Ensemble, a key component of the CPO’s youth development and education programme, already 15 years old and one of the best of its kind in South Africa, has been invited to visit Germany next year. Coming on the heels of an acclaimed collaboration last year with one of Germany’s best youth ensembles, the Youth Wind Band of Ulm, the invitation from the Musikschule Hünstetten Taunusstein with 1000 music students and several bands and orchestras is to tour with five concerts in Frankfurt, Hunstetten, and the Rhine-Main area in March 2019. It is the ideal time to showcase South African composers abroad and on the programme will be works like Allan Stephenson’s “A Cape Town Overture”, “African Song”, a medley of South African music arranged by Eddie Clayton and Miriam Makeba’s “Pata-Pata”.
Photo by Jac De Villiers
BERNHARD'S BACK It’s been 16 years since Bernhard Gueller lived for a full year in Cape Town but he is back and based here again.
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eaving Halifax in Canada on a high note — he stepped down as Music Director at the end of May and became Symphony Nova Scotia’s Conductor Laureate – Bernhard Gueller was proud to be recognised by the Provincial Legislature for his achievements in leaving Symphony Nova Scotia (SNS) in a far better place financially and artistically. And part of the artistic achievement was the fact that SNS became the most recorded orchestra in Canada when CBC had budgets for recordings. Under his direction, SNS released three CDs, the latest an award-winning CD of orchestrated Schubert lieder and the Symphony No 3. He was fortunate, he says, to collaborate with many of Canada’s foremost soloists as well as international names, several of whom would love to come to Cape Town! Other high points included his final festival of works by Beethoven and Brahms (a nod to his German heritage), a
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fund-raising farewell dinner which raised several hundred thousand dollars for a young conductor’s fellowship in his name, and a lunch given by the Lt Governor and his wife, the Hon Arthur and Mrs Patsy le Blanc. Canada was an inspiration to him in the way the communities embrace their orchestras, how government support for the arts makes a lot possible, how corporates form partnerships and above all how generous the ordinary person is. “While I was there, the government matched funds donated to the symphony’s endowment trust which helped it quadruple its size to more than 13 million CAD.”
The Wind Ensemble and the Junior Wind Ensemble’s conductor, Faan Malan says “this will broaden the outlook of these young people, many from disadvantaged communities. They will be exposed to other cultures and other music, and when they return home they will contribute to the broadening of the horizons of similar groups as well as the students at the CPO Music Academy."
This invitation comes with a price tag and the young musicians are willing to do anything they can to make it happen from concerts to cake sales. HELP US GET CPYWE TO GERMANY
So what’s next? “I will be back in Canada in November with three orchestras including two concerts with SNS, and in January with the Edmonton Symphony. In the meantime, I am thrilled to be back in South Africa with this wonderful orchestra in the newly refurbished City Hall with its warm acoustic and enthusiastic audience.” Apart from the Winter symphony season in August, he is looking forward to the gala concert which features the leading British pianist Steven Hough. Hough, whose first book The Final Retreat was published this year, is one of a kind – he’s a poet, painter, teacher and composer at the top of his piano career.
• Hire the ensemble for a gig • Hire a wind player or two for a private recital or special event • Support them by attending any fundraising functions they may present • Sponsor a musician to go on tour • Join us and simply sponsor one of the 50 young musicians aged 16 – 24 to take South Africa’s message of hope, harmony and excellence. Contact Faan Malan on faanmalan@gmail.com OR call 083 411 7611 if you would like to become involved.
Transformation through MUSIC EDUCATION By SUZANNE AUCAMP Business Development and Fundraising Executive
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sign of the success of the CPO’s restructured and streamlined transformational Youth Education Development Programmes is the fact that the first eight Masidlale learners from the entry-level grass-roots strings and brass project auditioned successfully for the CPO Music Academy. The goal of the programme is to improve the quality of playing and performance opportunities for music students while encouraging discipline and building confidence and self-worth from as young as six. The second step in career development takes the learners from Masidlale to a stage where theory is added to instrumental lessons in the Academy, before playing in one of the ensembles. The CPO’s Music Academy at Rhodes School now encompasses the CPYO and CPYWE and a junior wind band. The fourth component was recently added – a Junior Strings Ensemble (JSE).
The CPO is serious about creating great opportunities for all of its students
Joining any ensemble is not a given and all learners have to audition, competing against many who have gained much experience and expertise at the Hugo Lambrechts, Beau Soleil and Frank Pietersen Music Centres and even private teachers. It is another sign of the success that four Academy students were selected for the Junior Strings Ensemble plus two more strings students from Masidlale also qualified for the JSE. One of the senior Masidlale learners from Atlantis was selected to be the conductor’s assistant, proof that we do what we say we will do. The CPO is serious about creating opportunities for its students. With three project leaders Marvin Weavers (CPO Music Academy) and Odile Burden and Ash-lee Louwskieter (Masidlale), as well as conductors Brandon Phillips (Youth Orchestra) and Faan Malan (both wind bands) and a bevy of committed coaches and teachers, the staff complement has also been increased. Charlene Bogenhagen was recently appointed for her expertise in string orchestra training and to fast track the Masidlale violin learners.
YOUR SUPPORT The need for sustainability is unquestioned. To secure a future for these talented young musicians and transform the face of music in our community, we urge you to become involved in sustaining Cape Town’s cultural jewel. Your support not only ensures the musicians of the future, but also the future of our vibrant, engaging and community-focussed youth orchestras.
........................................................................................... Please contact Suzanne at 021 410 9809 OR suzanne@cpo. org.za to see how we can work together for the benefit of all.
INNOVATIONS 1
Introducing students in Masidlale at entry level to the viola, circumventing the time that would have been lost learning to play the violin first. Viola students are taught to read the alto clef in special theory classes from the outset
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Pioneering Music Education in the Western Cape, thanks to loyal benefactors, whose support sustains 355 children and young people between 6 – 25 years of age, some of whom have been studying music for 15 years
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Entry level teaching in the child’s mother tongue, mainly Afrikaans and Xhosa
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Supplying free instruments, lessons and transport, removing barriers to music training
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Introducing theory playfully at a young age
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Supporting some of the 16 teachers to study further
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Developing career paths to a professional qualification
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Partnering with the music schools to increase impact
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Job creation over and above the teachers and administrators
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CONCERT CALENDAR Book your tickets early for our upcoming symphonies
Winter Symphony Season 23
AUGUST 8PM CITY HALL
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BRUCH & BEETHOVEN
7PM CITY HALL
CONDUCTOR BERNHARD GUELLER SOLOIST ALISSA MARGULIS (VIOLIN)
AUGUST
INAUGURATION OF THE "NEW" CITY HALL
MOZART Symphony No. 36 (Linz) BRUCH Violin Concerto No. 1 BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 4 in B flat
CONDUCTOR BERNHARD GUELLER SOLOISTS GOITSEMANG LEHOBYE (SOPRANO) BONGIWE NAKANI ( MEZZO-SOPRANO) CAPE TOWN SYMPHONY CHOIR AND THE GENTLEMEN’S ENSEMBLE CHORUS MASTER ALEXANDER FOKKENS
The Guardian describes ALISSA MARGULIS’ playing as “exceptional“, Ivry Gitlis praises it as “a revelation” and Martha Argerich calls her a “strong musical personality”. Appreciated for her expressive and very emotional performances, Alissa Margulis studied in Cologne, Brussels and Vienna and has won numerous prizes at international violin competitions during her impressive international career. Her discography includes more than than a dozen CDs.
RESURRECTION!
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KRISTI BOONZAAIER Ode to Madiba MAHLER Symphony No.2 in C minor (Resurrection)
AUGUST
Principal guest conductor BERNHARD GUELLER is also Conductor Laureate of Symphony Nova Scotia in Canada, where he served as music director for 16 years. He is lauded around the world for the passion he brings to the podium and the excitement he elicits. His latest CD of Schubert songs with Symphony Nova Scotia was released to high acclaim.
GOITSEMANG LEHOBYE studied with Hanna van Niekerk and Kamal Khan at the University of Cape Town’s College of Music before continuing to study at the University of Michigan. She has sung major roles in operas in South Africa, Cambridge, UK, and the US, performed with Johan Botha and premiered Bongani Ndodana-Breen’s song cycle with the CPO and his tribute to Mandela with the Minnesota Orchestra. The Third Prize winner in the 2015 Neue Stimmen International Singing Competition, Finalist and Audience Prize at the Deborah Voigt International Singing Competition held in Florida and semifinalist at the Placido Domingo Operalia International Singing Competition in Mexico both in 2016, BONGIWE NAKANI is currently singing with the Vienna State Opera Ensemble.
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AUGUST 8PM CITY HALL
8PM CITY HALL
ELGAR’S ENIGMA CONDUCTOR BERNHARD GUELLER SOLOIST STEFAN TEMMINGH (RECORDER) HAYDN Symphony No. 103 in E flat (Drum Roll) WILLEM JETHS Concerto for Recorder ELGAR Enigma Variations STEFAN TEMMINGH is one of the internationally leading soloists in his field. Born in Cape Town, he now lives in Munich. Stefan Temmingh is setting new standards for his instrument, creating a new recorder tradition and crossing the boundaries of repertoire and sound. In 2018 his Vivaldi CD was awarded an International Classical Music Award, the Editor’s Choice of Gramophone as well as the Diapason d’Or as “the new reference for this repertoire” (Diapason). .
SCHUMANN’S SPRING CONDUCTOR BERNHARD GUELLER SOLOIST MEGAN-GEOFFREY PRINS (PIANO) ENESCO Romanian Rhapsody No.1 in A SCHUMANN Symphony No. 1 in B-flat (Spring) RACHMANINOV Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor MEGAN-GEOFFREY PRINS won several awards at the 2017 SAMRO Overseas Scholarship Competition, including 1st Prize, and is now studying at the Cleveland Institute of Music. Praised for his technical prowess, imaginative interpretation, and keen sensitivity, he made his concerto debut at the age of 11 and had played with all the South African orchestras by his early teens.
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CELEBRITY GALA
20 DEC at 8 PM, CITY HALL CONDUCTOR BERNHARD GUELLER SOLOIST STEPHEN HOUGH (PIANO) ALL BEETHOVEN PROGRAMME LEONORE OVERTURE NO. 3 PIANO CONCERTO NO. 4 SYMPHONY NO. 7 One of the most distinctive artists of his generation, Stephen Hough. CBE, combines a distinguished career as a pianist with those of composer and writer. Hough was made
a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the New Year’s Honours 2014. Since taking first prize at the 1983 Naumburg Competition in New York, Hough has performed with many of the world’s major orchestras and has given recitals at the most prestigious concert halls. Hough’s extensive discography of over 60 CDs has garnered international awards including the Diapason d’Or de l’Année, several Grammy nominations, and eight Gramophone Awards including Record of the Year and the Gold Disc.
Spring Symphony Season 15
NOVEMBER 8PM CITY HALL
WALLFISCH AND HIS CELLO
01
NOVEMBER 8PM CITY HALL
DU TOIT PLAYS CHOPIN CONDUCTOR DANIEL BOICO SOLOIST FRANÇOIS DU TOIT (PIANO) RESPIGHI Gli uccelli (The Birds) CHOPIN Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor POULENC Sinfonietta
CONDUCTOR PERRY SO SOLOIST RAPHAEL WALLFISCH (CELLO) DVORAK Slavonic Dance. No. 9 DVORAK Cello Concerto in B minor SMETANA Ma Vlast (1,2,4 and 6 mvts) Artistic Partner of the Asturias Symphony Orchestra in Spain, PERRY SO makes his fourth visit to the CPO, with whom he won a Diapason d’Or for a recording with violinist Alexander Gilman. Winner of the Prokofiev International Conducting Competition in St Petersburg, So is sought after internationally as a dynamic young conductor.
RAPHAEL WALLFISCH is one of the most celebrated cellists performing on the international stage. At the age of twenty four he won the Gaspar Cassadó International Cello Competition in Florence. Since then he has enjoyed a world-wide career playing with the world’s leading orchestras and is regularly invited to play at major festivals such as the BBC Proms. He plays a 1760 Gennaro Gagliano, the 1733 Montagnana “Ex-Romberg” and an exquisite modern cello built for him by Patrick Robin.
Described by critics as "Dynamic, vigorous, exciting and imaginative - an undisputed star who combines magnetic charisma with a skilled technique", DANIEL BOICO is Associate Guest Conductor of the KZN Philharmonic Orchestra. His innate musical sensitivity paired with a keen ear and deep musicianship have produced exciting performances with orchestras across the world. Acknowledged as one of South Africa’s leading concert pianists and musicians, FRANÇOIS DU TOIT took top prizes in the 1991 Hannover Music Competition, the 1992 Rotterdam and 1993 Marsala Internationals, and the 1994 International Maria Callas Competition in Athens. His DVD of all the Beethoven Concerti with the CPO was awarded UCT’s Creative Works Award.
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NOVEMBER 8PM CITY HALL
VERDI’S REQUIEM CONDUCTOR PERRY SO SOLOISTS TO BE ANNOUNCED CHORUS MASTER CHAD HENDRICKS NEW APOSTOLIC CHURCH CHOIR VERDI Messa da Requiem
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NOVEMBER 8PM CITY HALL
KUTIK’S SHOSTAKOVICH CONDUCTOR DANIEL BOICO SOLOIST YEVGENY KUTIK (VIOLIN) BORODIN Overture to Prince Igor SHOSTAKOVICH Violin Concerto No. 2 in C-sharp minor BRAHMS/SCHOENBERG Piano Quartet in G minor With a “dark-hued tone and razor-sharp technique” (The New York Times), Russian-American violinist YEVGENY KUTIK has captivated audiences worldwide with an old-world sound that communicates a modern intellect. Praised for his technical precision and virtuosity, he is also lauded for his poetic and imaginative interpretations of standard works as well as rarely heard and newly composed repertoire.
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NOVEMBER 8PM CITY HALL
FRIENDS OF ORCHESTRAL MUSIC BENEFIT CONCERT CONDUCTOR PERRY SO SOLOIST OLGA SCHEPS BEETHOVEN Overture to Coriolan RACHMANINOV Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 5 in D minor A Steinway Artist, OLGA SCHEPS was born in Russia and now lives in Germany and is establishing herself in Europe and elsewhere as a pianist with a great future. Since 2009, she has been exclusively signed by Sony Classical and recently recorded her seventh album of solo works by Erik Satie. Her Chopin album won the ECHO award, for "Young Artist of the Year".
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Cape Town City Hall Seating plan
H
STAGE
A
G
B
Mayor's Bay
C
E
D
BALCONY
Tickets R245
R190
R160
R95
Booking Details PRE-CONCERT TALKS
Before most symphony concerts at 19:15 Open to ticket holders. DRESS REHEARSALS
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Thierry Goldwasser, Julien Kurtz, June Wu,
Thomas Yu, Xavier Aymonod and Bernard Linde.
WITH THE CPO
A
The festival will include concerts and masterclasses at the Baxter and Endler Hall, and feature pianists, the most outstanding amateur pianists from all over of the world, all of whom have been finalists in international piano competitions and perform to the same high
Conductor Kamal Khan Soloist Pretty Yende and friends
Subscription renewals from June 1 - June 14; new subscriptions and single seats are on sale from June 21 SPRING SYMPHONY SEASON
Subscription renewals from September 8 – 22; new subscriptions and single seats are on sale from September 29 STUDENTS AND SENIOR CITIZENS
The festival will culminate in the City Hall concert, when concertos or movements of concertos will be formed by Kurtz, June Wu, Xavier Aymonod, Thomas Yu, Bernard Linde and Thierry Goldwasser. While the festival has been taking place in different countries every second year since 2008, Kurtz sees an ongoing collaboration with South Africa becoming a platform to support musicians.
10 AUG at 8PM, CITY HALL
ARTSCAPE OPERA HOUSE
New subscriptions and single seat bookings from Dial-A-Seat or any Computicket outlet 0861 915 8000 / www.computicket.com WINTER SYMPHONY SEASON
standards of professional musicians. Doctors, lawyers and pianists who are not full-time musicians, they never had an opportunity to perform until this festival was created in 2008. The festival will also include some of South Africa’s leading professionals as well as amateurs, with pianists coming from France, Germany, America, Canada and Russia.
MINNESOTA ORCHESTRA ANGELO’S PASSION FOR OPERA 27 JUN at 8 PM
RENEWALS & SUBCRIPTIONS
All renewals must be made through Artscape Dial-A-Seat 021 421 7695
LES AMATEURS VIRTUOSES very special collaboration takes place in November, when the French festival, Les Amateurs Virtuoses, celebrates its tenth anniversary in Cape Town, and with one concert with the CPO – on November 18. Julien Kurtz, who established the festival, chose the Cape Town not only because of the CPO but because he firmly believes in outreach and upliftment, and one of the concerts will take place at Gugu S’thebe in Langa.
Usually at 11 am on concert days at the City Hall
Conductor Osmo Vänskä Soloist Goitsemang Lehobye Sibelius En Saga Ndodana-Breen Harmonia Ubuntu Bernstein Overture to Candide Beethoven Symphony No. 5 in C minor
LES AMATEURS VIRTUOSES FESTIVAL
18 NOV at 8 PM, CITY HALL Conductor Daniel Boico Chopin Piano Concerto No. 1 Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 1 Poulenc Concerto for Two Pianos / Thomas Yu and Bernard Linde
R90 (Winter) /R95 (Spring) if still available 30 min before the concert at the door Subscribe, save 20 per cent (30 per cent for members of FOM). Single seats from R230 to R90 (Winter) R245 to R95 (Spring) More information www.cpo.org.za, info@cpo.org.za or 021 410 9809
OUR FREE
LUNCH-HOUR CONCERT
4 SEPTEMBER at 13:00 ARTSCAPE CHANDELIER FOYER Featuring conductor Brandon Phillips
.................................................. Concert information correct at the time of going to press. Please check cpo.org.za Subscribe to the newsletter, mail info@cpo.org.za or phone 021 410 9809 for updates.