02.03.2016  Ten of South Africa’s most talented young pianists will compete in the prestigious Hennie Joubert Piano Competition, to be held in Stellenbosch from 14 to 18 March 2016.

“We were excited to be flooded with entries for the 2016 Hennie Joubert Piano Competition. The screening round was extremely tough for the jury. In this competition, repertoire requirements have always been gruelling, since the competition is a platform for South Africa’s most talented musicians to hone their skills for future participation in international level competitions,” says jury convenor Dr Pieter Grobler, piano lecturer at Stellenbosch University (SU).

The following pianists have been chosen as finalists of the Hennie Joubert Piano Competition 2016:
Erkin Asefi (16) from Stellenbosch
Beate Boshoff (14) from Bethlehem
Daniel Brodie (16) from East-London
Colette du Toit (15) from Pretoria
Cindy Ju (17) from Johannesburg
Huan Leo (12) from Pretoria
Louis Nel (15) from Pretoria
Swunhtat Oo (16) from Harrismith
Milano Reyneke (15) from Pretoria
Fan Simon Wu (15) from Cape Town

Some of the previous winners include acclaimed pianists such as Petronel Malan, Ben Schoeman and Daniël-Ben Pienaar. The previous winner, in 2014, was Roelof Temmingh from Stellenbosch who is currently studying at the Royal College of Music in London, England.

The competition consists of three preliminary rounds, of which rounds 2 and 3 will be held on 14 and 15 March. The final round is on Friday, 18 March, with the finalists getting the opportunity to perform with the Stellenbosch University Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Corvin Matei.

The competition forms part of the biannual Stellenbosch International Piano Symposium, which is presented by the Department of Music at Stellenbosch University (SU). The symposium faculty consists of local and international pianists who will present master classes and lectures to piano students, as well as perform in concerts.

The jury consists of the symposium’s Russian-Israeli guest artist Ilya Friedberg, and South Africans Malcolm Nay (Johannesburg), Bennie van Eeden (Stellenbosch), Liezl-Maret Jacobs (Durban) and Tinus Botha (Potchefstroom).

The Hennie Joubert Piano Competition originally started in 1984 through the endeavours of local music societies and music lovers in Wellington, where it was presented in the Goodnow Hall for a number of years. It was then called the Dietman Piano Competition, and sponsored by the South African piano manufacturer Dietman. With the untimely passing of one of South Africa’s most influential musicians, Hennie Joubert, it was decided in 1986 to rename the competition to honour him.

To attend the Hennie Joubert Piano Competition or the Stellenbosch International Piano Symposium, contact Fiona Grayer at the Department of Music on  021 808 2358.  Or book symposium concerts tickets at Computicket. Visit http://www.pianosymposium.co.za.

Photo: Winner of 2014 competition, Roelof Temmimgh.