JSO and aspiring young soloists perform musical magic at 128th Young Artists’ Concerto Festival
Continued endorsement of the JSO by key sponsors GTC ensures ongoing opportunities for young musicians.
The Johannesburg Symphony Orchestra (JSO) celebrated its 128th Young Artists’ Concerto Festival yesterday – on Sunday afternoon – as nine young soloists performed alongside the 40-person orchestra at the Linder Auditorium.
The performance also featured the JSO’s first ever tuba concerto performance by Deán Cromhout this afternoon.
GTC’s sponsorship of the JSO facilitates its ongoing commitment to developing musical talent in South Africa. Nine young soloists performed in this concerto festival. They displayed remarkable talent and boasted significant musical achievements as part of their accolades.
The festival also featured the following young artists and instruments: pianists Landi Schaap & Beate Boshoff, flautist Georgia Burnett, bassoonist Zinhle Mfaba, So Jung La on clarinet, violinists Andrew Gilbert & Natali Schutte.
“We are excited to have so many different solo instruments and talented young performers in this concert,” says Jeff Matthee, Chairman of the JSO. “It is inspiring to share in the enthusiasm of all these young musicians.”
The JSO is the oldest surviving orchestra in South Africa, with its first concert held more than 80 years ago in the Wanderers Hall in Johannesburg on the 30 September 1934 under the baton of Viennese born conductor, Joseph Trauneck. The Orchestra’s Concerto Festivals have also proved to be consistently successful and the ongoing enthusiasm for the educational value and enjoyment of this event has secured performances for more than 60 years. The first Concerto Festival was held on 16 June 1948 in the Great Hall of the University of the Witwatersrand.
The JSO’s 128th Concerto was conducted by Professor Eric Rycroft and he has enjoyed a remarkable career as a performer (professional soloist, recording artist, principal orchestral player and chamber music artist), teacher and conductor. To date he has conducted about 500 performances with these orchestras, and has toured Europe on four occasions. Prof Rycroft has conducted or performed as a soloist with all of the professional orchestras in South Africa. He is also regularly invited to train and conduct regional and national youth orchestras in the country.
At the same concerto festival financial advisory service provider GTC, key sponsors of the JSO expressed its ongoing support for the JSO in its ongoing drive to support young musicians.
“Supporting the arts in general and the JSO in particular resonates very well with our business philosophy and culture – for us, it is the right thing to do,” says Gary Mockler, Group CEO of GTC. “We recognise the importance of supporting the JSO, particularly when young aspiring musical talent is involved.”
GTC specialises in the areas of retirement fund administration and consulting, healthcare consulting, private client wealth management, short term risk solutions, investment management, stock-broking, derivatives trading, fiduciary services and other areas of financial advice.
“The JSO is sincerely grateful for GTC’s support which opens vital opportunities for young soloists to share their music,” says JSO Chairman Jeff Matthee.
The JSO has a long and illustrious history and has been instrumental in the development of many South African musicians, some of whom have achieved international standing.
Internationally renowned soloists who started with the JSO include Betty Pack, Jack de Wet, Vincent Fritelli, Gerrit Bon, Marian Lewin, Anton Nel and the tenor Deon van der Walt.
Well-known soloists who made their début with the orchestra in similar concerto festivals, were Roma Grusd (Verhoef), Ralph Kastner, Alan Soloman, Jos de Groen (Jr), Jimmy Reinders and André de Groote. Other names to be mentioned, are Albie van Schalkwyk, Gerhard Korsten, Gina Beukes, Zanta Hofmeyer, Wessel van Wyk, Neville Dove, Erika Botha, Petronel Malan.
The JSO is a community orchestra. All playing members perform for the love of music and do not receive any remuneration of any kind.
