John Roos, who is synonymous with the Unisa International Music Competitions, as well the Unisa Music Foundation, retired at the end of June 2012. In his respective capacities, he leaves behind an indelible footprint in the Classical Music world of South Africa in terms of education, development and advancement.

You grew up in what used to be the small town of Rustenburg. When and how did your interest in music become apparent?

JR: Actually I grew up in the farming community of Marikana, about 20 kilometres from Rustenburg. My mother played the piano while my father played banjo in a boere orkes. They encouraged their four children to take music lessons.

Who was your first piano teacher?

JR: My first piano teacher was my aunt, Emmie Coetzee. I cycled about 5 kilometres for weekly piano lessons to her house at Buffelspoort. Eventually I became a student of the Rustenburg Conservatoire of Music, where I continued piano lessons with Mrs Lettie Bentum. After making sufficient progress, I graduated to have weekly piano lessons with Mrs Winnifred Ochse, who entered me for the Unisa piano examinations. I even took a few violin lessons with Derek Ochse, but I did not show much promise on this instrument.

Which teacher(s) / musician(s) had the greatest influence on your music career?

JR: Without a doubt Hennie Joubert, who also taught at this conservatoire, was the greatest influence on my music career. He opened new musical vistas by making his students aware of formal structures and harmonic progressions – much like Chopin expected from his students, I would imagine. He encouraged me to enroll for the BMus degree at the University of Pretoria after completion of my military service.

You are synonymous with the Unisa International Piano competitions. Where did the idea to present these competitions in South Africa come from?

JR: Prof Hennie Joubert can be regarded as the Founder of the Unisa International Music Competitions. In 1978 he was invited as juror to the Montevideo International Piano Competition in Uruguay, taking along Erika Botha and Malcolm Nay as competitors. (They were also prize winners.)

On his return, he immediately began negotiations with Unisa and the Department of National Education, as it was known in those days. In 1982 his tireless efforts bore fruit with the presentation of the “First International Pianoforte Competition Pretoria”. Canadian pianist, Marc-André Hamelin won the first prize at this event and has since became an internationally acclaimed concert pianist.

As Prof Hennie Joubert’s assistant, I was intimately involved with the organization and presentation of the Unisa international music competitions from the very beginning. When he died in a tragic car accident in 1986, I was entrusted with managing and driving the international music competitions.

The 2012 Unisa International Piano Competition carried one of the biggest prize monies for such a competition in the world. Was it an easy road to establish the competitions in terms of support and sponsorships?

JR: It was not always easy securing sufficient sponsorships for these events. Although Unisa provides facilities and infrastructure, corporate sponsors had to be identified. I remember roaming the streets of Pretoria, soliciting advertisements for the competition programmes. Fortunately, Mr Norman Nossel brought Adcock-Ingram on board, as the first corporate sponsor. Although he recently passed away, he will always be remembered for this pioneering investment in a cultural activity. The next big corporate sponsor was Transnet, followed by Vodacom, which was our generous sponsor from 1998 to 2010. Fortunately, Unisa has also increased its financial contribution significantly to these events.

You are also synonymous with the Unisa graded examinations system. Tell us about how that all started and how it grew to become one of South Africa’s foremost music examination platform.

JR: I have been conducting music examinations for Unisa for the past 40 years and have witnessed firsthand how the system has changed and grown up to the current implementation of jazz syllabuses. I am convinced that the introduction of international music competitions at Unisa contributed to the general raising of music performance standards in South Africa. These events also helped to launch the careers of musicians such as Marc Raubenheimer, Anton Nel, Petronel Malan, Pieter Schoeman, Mario Nell and Nina Schumann, to name a few.

You have been a judge at many renowned international music competitions. Which of these stand out and why?

JR: I have been invited as juror to about 60 international music competitions, including the Unisa events. The international Bach Competition in Leipzig, and the Leeds International Piano Competition made indelible impressions on me. It was a privilege to experience the Bach heritage in Leipzig, like the visits to the Bach Museum and the Thomas Kirche. The typical British protocol and superb piano playing at the Leeds fascinated me.

Which countries that you visited made the biggest impression on you?

JR: My first visits to Japan and China as juror at the Hamamatsu International Piano Competition and at the Xiamen and Shenzhen International Piano Competitions revealed to me the incredible enthusiasm with which these countries are embracing so-called Western music. The recent visit to Morocco as juror at the Casablanca International Piano Competition was also an eye-opener. I always thought Pretoria was the only city on the African continent boasting an international piano competition. Other African cities where I was a juror include Dakar, Lomé and even the island of Reunion.

You must have had many unforgettable experiences and met several world famous musicians and individuals during your overseas travels?

JR: One of my most memorable experiences was to be invited by the Dean of the piano faculty at the Tchaikovsky Conservatoire in Moscow, Sergei Dorensky, to witness the strict auditions prospective students are submitted to at this institution. It was also a privilege to be invited to his apartment for a typical Russian dinner, complete with ample Vodka.

Composer Tikhon Khrennikov invited me as guest in his private box at the famous Bolshoi Theatre for a performance of one of his ballets. Pianist Mischa Voskressensky took me to pay my respects at his daughter’s grave in a Moscow cemetery. Ekaterina Voskressensky was killed in a car accident after a concert in Potchefstroom with her husband, cellist Alexander Knyazev, First Prize Winner of a previous Unisa International String Competition.

At the World Piano Competition in London in 1991, I was introduced to Princess Diana by the world famous Russian cellist, Mstislav Rostropovich and have a photo as proof! Other big names I met on juries include Guido Agosti, Joan Sutherland, Irina Arkhipova, Dame Fanny Waterman, Gyorgy Sandor, Tamas Vasary and Martha Argerich to name but a few.

The music development and outreach projects in and around Pretoria are very close to your heart. What were the reasons for establishing these projects and are you satisfied with the way they have developed in the past years?

JR: Having been associated with the Unisa music examination system since 1972, I gradually realized that there is a vast reservoir of untapped talent in this country. I probably became aware of this when the first coloured singer, Pieter Abels, was invited to compete in the Unisa South African Music Scholarship Competition. As a matter of fact, making classical music available to our youth in all sectors of society, was one of the motivating forces which lead to the establishment of the Unisa Music Foundation in 1990.

I am proud that we have 65 tutors taking care of the music education of almost 1500 learners, making this music education project one of the biggest and most sustainable in South Africa. The establishment of the Unisa Music Foundation School of Music in Soshanguve is also one of our proud achievements, as is the Soshanguve Youth Symphony Orchestra.

Which important awards have you received?

JR: The Chancellor’s Medal of the University of Pretoria for my contribution to international music competitions in South Africa, as well as the FAK Award for the promotion of culture.

What is you favourite passtime(s) besides music?

JR: I love nature and take every opportunity to stroll in the parks or on the beaches of whichever city I happen to visit. I also like visiting museums and art galleries. Reading biographies of great personalities is also one of my special joys, as is relaxing with friends during a meal. Relaxing in a cinema with a good movie is also one of my favourite pastimes. I harbour a secret ambition to begin painting again. I did art as a matric subject, but didn’t have much time to indulge in this hobby during my busy career at Unisa. Of course, I want to increase my piano repertoire as well (when no one is around to listen!).

You have always had an extremely active life. Now that you are retiring, what are you plans for the immediate future?

JR: I have been invited to serve on a few boards and organizations, while I also have a few invitations to the juries of international music competitions lined up. I will also get more directly involved with the organization and presentation of concerts at my house, Villa Taormina, which I want to establish as a hub for young musicians to gain performing experience and prepare for examinations, concerts or competitions. I also plan to write a history of the Unisa international and national music competitions from 1982 to 2012.

If you had a choice, would you have chosen another career?

JR: I would definitely choose a career in music again if I had to travel back in time. Music took me to very interesting destinations around the globe, where I met fascinating people and made new friends while enjoying the exhilarating performances of some of the best young musicians in the world.

Published 06 07.2012
Interview by Berthine van Schoor