Distinguished South African pianist Neville Schäfer performs a solo recital, the first half of which will feature works associated with birds, by composers including Schubert, Granados, Glinka and Rachmaninov. The second half of the concert will be devoted to the works of Frederick Chopin, whose bicentenary was celebrated on 1st March 2010.

Schäfer was born in Cape Town in 1942 and taught music at Wynberg for some years before furthering his studies abroad, where he gained his Performers Licentiate at the Royal Academy of Music in London.

He has toured extensively, both as soloist and accompanist, giving performances of chamber music at Festivals on several continents or at sea aboard luxury Cunard cruise liners. He has accompanied celebrity artists such as violinists Ruggiero Ricci, Aaron Rosand, Erick Friedmann, singers Maureen Forrester, Natania Davrath and cellist Christine Walevska. 

In the documentary film “Northwards with Edvard Grieg” he accompanies baritone Udo Reinemann in the composer’s museum-home Troldhaugen in Norway. As a chamber musician he has formed duo partnerships with violinist Robin Alleson leader of the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra and flautist Cecilia Oomes, member of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.

Schäfer recently retired after almost thirty years of piano teaching and position of accompanist at the Arnhem Conservatory and AmsterdamMusicSchool in the Netherlands.