A bold, multidisciplinary performance that blends activism and art to confront humanity’s most urgent challenges, will be performed by a multitude of artists in In the Blink of an Eye.
This work on climate change was commissioned by South African composer Arthur Feder.
Drawing inspiration from Olivier Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time, this seven-movement work weaves together a narrative of environmental fragility, human responsibility, and the hope for renewal.
Performed by the Odeion String Quartet, alongside clarinettist Prof. Danré Strydom, pianist Cezarre Strydom, and dancer-choreographer Jeannette Ziady, each movement explores unique instrumental combinations, creating a dynamic interplay between music and movement.
Traditional musical forms are reimagined to reflect contemporary ecological crises, with themes of loss and resilience.
Each movement unfolds like a chapter in a story: the urgency of the present, the consequences of inaction, and the possibilities of transformation. More than a performance, In the Blink of an Eye is a call to action.
Ziady, a member of the International Association of Dance Medicine and Science, is a certified Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) ballet teacher since 1999, and is an International Dance Organization adjudicator since 2018.
She is currently appointed at the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) as a dance lecturer while completing a doctoral degree with the Department of Performing Arts and the Department of Sport Science and Rehabilitation.
Ziady still performs, choreographs and teaches at various dance-related projects.
Feder holds an MMus in Composition qualification (cum laude) from the Stellenbosch University (SU).
He is particularly passionate about composition, pedagogy, and the promotion of new music, and as part of the managerial team for the South African student music initiative KOMPOS, he assisted in premiéring more than 80 orchestral and chamber works.
Arthur lectures Music Theory, Composition, and Orchestration at the Stellenbosch University.
Strydom (clarinet) has established herself as one of South Africa’s premier solo, chamber music, and orchestra musicians.
She completed clarinet studies in America, Europe, and South Africa, and played with the Brussels Philharmonic for several years.
On her return to South Africa, she was appointed as a woodwind lecturer at the University of the Free State (UFS) and completed her PhD studies in clarinet performance. Strydom is the principal clarinettist of the Free State Symphony Orchestra.
Cezarre started piano lessons in Namibia at the College of the Arts. During high school, he left for America to further his studies at the Interlochen Arts Academy and the University of Michigan.
His career has included performances across America, Mexico, Germany, Russia, and Belgium. Upon his return to South Africa, Cezarre worked as the staff accompanist at the UFS.
He is currently the Head of Music at the Paul Roos Gymnasium in Stellenbosch.
The Odeion String Quartet is a flagship of the UFS and symbolises the university’s commitment to the arts. The quartet comprises Samantha Durrant (violin), Sharon de Kock (violin), Jeanne-Louise Moolman (viola) and Anmari van der Westhuizen (cello).
Khwezi Ndlela is a choir conductor and African music specialist from KwaZulu-Natal. She is currently in her first year towards a diploma in Music qualification, majoring in Conducting, at the UFS. Passionate about choral excellence and African musical traditions, she has actively developed and directed choirs in both educational and competitive contexts. Her work gained national recognition when she and her choir received a gold award at the national finals of the Applous Choir Competition.
Before relocating to the Free State in February 2026 to pursue her studies, Ndlela served as choir conductor and arts coordinator at the Newcastle High School (KwaZulu-Natal).
In the Blink of an Eye will be performed on Thursday 19 March at 19:00 at the Odeion on the UFS campus. Tickets cost between R30 and R120, and are available on quicket.co.za.
You must be logged in to post a comment.