Their programme will open with the Trio Elegiaque no. 1 in g minor by Rachmaninoff – a lugubrious single movement work that pre-empts the more famous piano trio Op. 9 in which Rachmaninoff pays tribute to his mentor Tchaikovsky. Tchaikovsky’s mammoth Piano Trio is one of the truly great Romantic masterpieces for this genre, but perhaps because of the virtuosity required to perform it, is less seldom heard in concert than concert goers might like. Between these two trios, Trio Elegiaque will aptly include the Piano Trio no. 2 by Shostakovich. This trio is full of emotion attributable to the Second World War, the opening harmonics in the cello part perhaps symbolizing the desolation and cold of Siberia to the aggression of the second movement depicting the terrors of the fighting itself.

The concert takes place on Friday 23 September at 20h00 in the Endler hall.

Tickets for R140 (regular) and R100 (students and pensioners) are available now through Computicket and at the door.

For more information contact Fiona Grayer at concerts@sun.ac.za or 021 808 2358.

The evening will open with Sea Songs, by Ralph Vaughn-Williams, Dyptych, also by van der Roost and Themes from the Overture to the Magic Flute, arranged by Mike Hannickel. The text for Lank, lank gelede, originally in Flemish, has been translated into Afrikaans by Karin Maritz, adding a local flavor to this Belgian/South African collaboration.

USSWE will share the Endler stage with the Paarl Boys Primary School Choir and the renowned ERUB Children’s Choir, trained and conducted by ex-Matie, Martjie Burger, and former lecturer in the music department, Keith Jenneker, respectively. Parts for narrator, and actors will see the involvement of the Stellenbosch University Drama Department. The narrator will be played by Prof. Petrus du Preez, head of the Drama Department at the University.

Internationally acclaimed Belgian conductor, Rik Ghesquière will conduct this unique performance. This is the third year in which he will be working with the University of Stellenbosch Symphonic Wind Ensemble (USSWE) as guest conductor. Rik is also principal trumpeter in the Brussels Philharmonic and divides his time between playing and conducting both choirs and orchestras in Europe.

Learners from local primary schools are invited to attend this exciting evening, which will see traditional Fairy Tales “come to life” on the Endler stage.

Refreshments will be on sale during the interval.

Tickets for R50 (regular) and R30 (students and pensioners) are available now through Computicket and at the door. For more information contact Fiona Grayer at concerts@sun.ac.za or 021 808 2358.

The singing students of Stellenbosch University are off to the local Aquilla D’oro coffee shop to catch up on some lost time with family and friends. Come join us at the Fismer Concert Hall to experience the intricate operatic conversations and splashy public confrontations one can only find in an Aquilla D’oro coffee shop. Opera Kaleidoscope allows you to catch the rising stars of tomorrow up close in intimate presentations with piano accompaniment. Directed by Johannes Slabbert and Musical Director Arno Jones in collaboration with the SU Singing Division staff.

The concerts takes place on Tuesday 13 & Wednesday 14 September at 20h00 in the Fismer hall, Stellenbosch Konservatorium.

Tickets for R140 (regular) and R100 (students and pensioners) are available now through Computicket and at the door.

For more information contact Fiona Grayer at concerts@sun.ac.za or 021 808 2358.

Originally from Cape Town, Myles has completed his Bachelor of Music and Master of music degree, majoring in flute performance at Stellenbosch University under the tutelage of Prof. Corvin Matei. He is currently living in Milan, Italy and finishing his studies at the Civica scuola de musica under the guidance of Maestro Raffaele Trevisani.

Sulayman is currently enrolled for a Master of Music (Solo Performance) degree at Stellenbosch University under the tutelage of Nina Schumann and Luis Magalhães.

Myles and Sulayman will be performing a varied programme, consisting of Sonatas by Cesar Franck and Liebermann. The Violin Sonata by Cesar Franck is arguably the most popular sonata ever written by a French composer. Its charm and depth of emotional content has inspired many instrumentalists to transcribe the violin part for their instrument. This sonata has thus become popular in its violin, cello and flute guise. The second half of the programme consists of a selection of concert pieces such as the Grand Polonaise by Boehm, Air Valaques by Doppler, Dutilleux’s Sonatine, Mozart’s Andante, a Madrigal by Gaubert and the Stiffielio variations by Rabboni.

Doppler has in the absence of great Romanic composers’ works for the flute filled this gap with a multitude of fantastically virtuoso works for the instrument. Liebermann, having been commissioned to write at least three works for Sir James Galway is perfect example of a great modern composer who writes virtuoso but idiomatic music for flute.

Tickets for R140 (regular) and R100 (students and pensioners) are available now through Computicket and at the door one hour before the show.

Pamela Kierman will conduct the arrangements of Bill Whelan’s Riverdance featuring Cameron Williams on soprano saxophone, and Cécile Chaminade’s Concertino for Flute with Axolile Hoza as soloist. Original compositions for band such as Persis (James Hosay) and At Morning’s First Light (David Gillingham), conducted by Riaan van Wyk and Reghardt Kühn respectively, and a composition by Suzette Brits, performed by the Percussion Ensemble, are also on the programme for this exciting evening.

The marching and community band idiom, so prevalent in the Western Cape, and the South African legacy of field bands have created, perhaps more than any other musical medium, the opportunity to involve a diverse spectrum of amateur and professional musicians in an all‐inclusive musical initiative.

Refreshments will be on sale during the interval.

Tickets for R50 (regular) and R30 (students and pensioners) are available now through Computicket and at the door. For more information contact Fiona Grayer at concerts@sun.ac.za or 021 808 2358.

Sunday 8 May, 16:30: US Choir Performance

The Endler Concert Series is proud to present the Stellenbosch University Choir on Sunday the 8th of May at 16:30 in the Endler Hall.

The Stellenbosch University Choir is one of the oldest and most celebrated choirs in South Africa and is comprised of students from various academic and cultural backgrounds, creating an intoxicating energy in the performances. The choir was founded in 1936 under the baton of William Morris. After him various conductors established the ensemble as an influential South African choir. Under the leadership and direction of André van der Merwe the choir has achieved worldwide acclaim at the World Choir Games in China (2010), Cincinnati (2012) and most recently Latvia (2014) where they won with the highest mark in the history of the competition: 99%! Currently the US choir is ranked number 1 on the Interkultur World Ranking List of the top 1000 international choirs.

According to the choir’s conductor André van der Merwe, three of the works on the programme were composed especially for the choir. The works, to be performed in public for the first time, are the Requiem by Sergey Khvoshinsky (Belarus), and the Ave Maria and Parvulus Natus est Nobis by the Hungarian Levente Gyöngyösi.

“We will also be performing a dramatic work by the Capetonian composer, Hendrik Hofmeyr, The Birth of Orc,” Van der Merwe said. This work is based on a mythical story by William Blake.

Lighter works include Toe vind ek jou, by Karen Zoid and Francois van Coke, as well as John Legend’s All of Me.

Tickets for R140 (regular) and R100 (students and pensioners) are available now through Computicket and at the door. For more information contact Fiona Grayer at concerts@sun.ac.za or 021 808 2358.