Milana du Toit and Luke Steenkamp, two talented young musicians from the Helderberg, are among 49 musos countrywide who will participate in the Hubert van der Spuy National Music Competition in September.
A total of 22 musicians will fly the flag for the Western Cape in the competition, including violinist Milana and cellist Luke.
Both local musos are 13 years old, with Milana residing in Somerset West and Luke a resident of Gordon’s Bay.
The competition, which is an annual highlight for young music prodigies, marks its 35th year this year. For the first time it will be held in collaboration with the Stellenbosch University music department at the Endler Hall from Monday 16 to Friday 20 September.
The competition is organised and presented by the Tygerberg branch of the South African Society of Music Teachers (SASMT).
The first competition took place in 1989 and was inspired by Prof Hubert van der Spuy, former SASMT chairperson and widely respected music teacher.
“We are utterly thrilled with the quality of entries and the diversity of instruments received from students across South Africa and Namibia. We wish everyone the very best as they prepare for our competition week,” said Hilda Boonzaaier, chairperson of the SASMT Tygerberg branch.
“We are proud to announce our new collaboration with the Stellenbosch University music department. This collaboration will indeed introduce a new chapter to the rich history of our competition.”
