Ten extraordinarily accomplished young classical-music instrumentalists will perform in the milestone 54th annual Youth Classical Concert with the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra (CPO) at Artscape on Saturday 27 September.
Conducted by Brandon Phillips, this prestigious concert serves as an important launching pad in performing with a professional symphony orchestra on a theatre stage.
The soloists include pianists Yafei Wang (17), Justin Pillay (19), Madison le Roux (18) and Dané van Graan (21); violinists Catherine Stiff (22) and Helen Liu (19); flautist Amber Abrahams (23), cellist Giorgia Ehlers (18), mezzo-soprano Chloe Loggenberg (20) and baritone Themba Mdlalose (24). Pillay, Loggenberg and Catherine Stiff are from Stellenbosch University.
Aside from their talent, the appeal of the works presented at their auditions was an important element in the final selection of these fine performers, and these will be the programme features at the concert. Composers include Ravel, Korngold, Doppler, Poulenc, Schumann, Wieniawski, Elgar, Prokofiev, Rossini and Mozart (arias from “The Barber of Seville” and “The Marriage of Figaro”).
In preparation of their performance each soloist has comprehensive mentorship sessions with Phillips, who has been resident conductor of the CPO since 2015. The concert is his 10th mentoring and conducting of soloists.
Since the inception of the Youth Classical Concert more than 600 young musicians have had the opportunity of performing with the CPO. Today many are soloists or members of international and South African symphony orchestras and opera companies.
Produced by Artscape and the CPO, and supported by the City of Cape Town, the concert is widely advertised early in the year at local universities, music schools, libraries, private music teachers and everywhere appropriate. The main criteria are that the entrants be bona fide music students, that they perform at a very high standard and reside or study in the Western Cape.
The current soloists are students at institutions such as the SA College of Music at the University of Cape Town, Stellenbosch University, with distinguished and recognised music teachers.
The two-hour concert starts at 19:00, with a 30-minute interval. Tickets cost R100 for adults and R50 for students, scholars and pensioners; discounts are available for block bookings.
Book online through Webtickets or Artscape Dial-a-Seat on 021 421 7695.
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