The SU Department of Music is thrilled to announce the start of the second season of the Endler Concert Series, which will run from 2 August to 7 December, 2024, following the tremendous success of this year’s first season.
The season starts off with a busy weekend featuring performances by the SAMA-nominated Juliet String Quartet and the world-renowned Stellenbosch University Choir. The SU Department of Music is also celebrating a milestone, as the SU Chamber Choir marks its tenth anniversary with a special performance at the Hugo Lambrechts Auditorium in Parow on Sunday 4 August, conducted by Lunathi Ncamani and Martin Berger.
Juliet String Quartet
Juliet String Quartet
The Juliet String Quartet will open the series on Friday, 2 August with their concert entitled, Something Old Something New, the program will include works by Haydn, Dvořak and the world premiere of a work written specifically for this concert by the South African composer, Franco Prinsloo, was written.
The work consists of five short, lyrical transcriptions of melodies in contrasting styles. The quartet members currently include Dr Annien Shaw (violin) and Dr Babette Roosenschoon (cello) from the Stellenbosch University Music Department, and Matthew Stead (violin) who is the co-principal second violin of the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra. Remi Ludick joins them for the last time on viola, before he continues his studies in Ireland.
The Juliet String Quartet has had a long history of collaboration with local composers. Founded in 2014, the quartet has always strived to include at least one South African composition per program, to not only support local composers, but also inspire audience members to do the same.
Paranoid Android
On 23 August a unique concert debuts – Paranoid Android: Pierrot Lunaire and other psychedelic trips with: Magdalene Minnaar (vocals), José Dias (piano), Petrus Coetzee (violin, viola), Peter Martens (cello), Gabriele von Dürckheim ( flute, piccolo) and Féroll-Jon Davids (clarinet, bass clarinet), that bridge the gap between classical and contemporary genres, promising a psychedelic auditory adventure. The programme includes Schoenberg’s Pierrot Lunaire, the iconic chamber-setting of Albert Giraud’s 21 poems about Pierrot – the moonstruck clown lost in a surreal landscape of love, madness, and longing.
Other works include Guillaume Connesson’s fusion of classic tradition with the pulsating rhythms of techno music, in Techno Parade. The rock band Radiohead is celebrated in a commissioned arrangement by Matthijs van Dijk of their hit song, Paranoid Android. Listeners will also be transported by the ancient celtic sounds of Ireland in Frank Martin’s Trio on Irish Folk Tunes, reminiscent of the beloved Pirates of the Caribbean soundtracks. Stretching the boundaries of classical music, this programme promises electrifying musical experiences through the prism of virtuosic chamber music.
Adding to the excitement, the Series is also proud to highlight an inspiring collaboration between the SU Department of Music and the Centre for Social Justice, in a special concert in support of #Action4Inclusion featuring the Palissander Chamber Choir. Led by advocate Prof Thuli Madonsela, the #Action4Inclusioncrowdfunding initiative is a key component of the University’s Bridge the Gap annual fund, and a top priority for the SU. The #Action4Inclusion Palissander Concert marks the kickoff of an ambitious initiative aimed at raising funds for students in need.
One-off concerts
Lunathi Ncamani
In addition to regular top-quality concerts of diverse genres such as chamber and choral music, orchestral and big band performances as well as jazz and African music, there are some special, one-off concerts on the menu for the rest of the year that should not be missed. does not become:
The Symphonic Bridges: An International Youth Orchestra Performance with the Stellenbosch Youth Orchestra, West Coast Youth Orchestra and the Waverley Ensemble (UK) under the direction of international conductor, Alexander Walker on 6 August, is the closing concert of the International Youth Orchestra Bridge Project (IYOB) tour – the IYOB- project brings together young musicians (ages 13-18) from the UK, USA, Australia and South Africa in orchestral performances at various venues across the Western Cape.
The Stellenbosch University Symphony Orchestra (USSO) is also proud to perform on 6 September under the direction of the South African born, internationally celebrated conductor and double bass player, Leon Bosch.
Another one-off highlight is a special concert in celebration of the legendary conductor, Richard Cock’s 75th birthday on 27 October in Songs of Praise: Richard Cock 75th Birthday Celebration.
Exciting symposia and competitions are also taking place at the SU Conservatory this year, such as the Symposium of South African Composers (SoSAC) 9 to 13 September, which offers exposure and opportunities to South African composers and performance opportunities for new local music and the Stellenbosch University National Ensemble Competition (21 September) as well as the well-known Hubert van der Spuy (16 – 20 September) and National Youth Music Competitions (2-7 December) which will take place for the first time this year at the Endlersaal.
In a nutshell
Endler Concert Series
At The US Konservatorium Stellenbosch, Cape
From 2 August to 7 December 2024
Get Endler Concert tickets at Webtickets.
Concert information: SU Conservatory’s social media platforms
