A cello and piano duo, consisting of the highly talented cellist Berthine van Schoor and Portuguese-born pianist José Dias, will perform a lovely programme in Pietermaritzburg, including the world première of a work by the well-known, versatile and productive South African composer, Hendrik Hofmeyr.
The concert will take place on Saturday 6 September at 16:00 in the Government House on Unisa’s Pietermaritzburg Campus.
There are three sonatas for cello and piano on the programme: Op.69 by Beethoven and two sonatas by the South African composers Hendrik Hofmeyr and Keith Moss.
Beethoven’s Sonata in A major, Op. 69 is the third of five sonatas. It was written for his friend Baron Ignaz von Gleichenstein -- the most popular of his cello sonatas.
It will be followed by the world première of Cape Town composer Hendrik Hofmeyr’s Sonata for cello and piano and the Sonata for cello and piano by Keith Moss, which was just recently commissioned by SAMRO in 2014.
Prabhanda for cello and piano by the Calcutta composer John Mayer will close the programme.
Berthine van Schoor started cello lessons at age 6 with the legendary Betty Pack. She studied with Magdalena Roux at the University of Stellenbosch, where she obtained a B.Mus and B.Mus Honours (cum laude) as well as being awarded several prizes and bursaries. She later studied with Prof. Heidi Litschauer at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria, where she obtained a Konzert Diplom and M.Mus.
Berthine studied and worked in Europe from 1989 to 2000. She was a member of the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra and a part-time member of the Mozarteum Orchestra, with which she toured all over Europe and Japan. From 1993 to 1997 she was principal cellist for the Philharmonic Orchestra of Bad Reichenhall, Germany. From 1998 to 2000 she lived in Salzburg, taught at several music schools in Austria and Germany, and was a member of the Salzburg Mozart Orchestra, Musici and Pro Musica.
Berthine returned to South Africa in 2000 and was cello lecturer at the University of Pretoria until 2008. She founded her own cello academy in July 2008, which has produced numerous prize-winning students. She is also a tutor for the University of South Africa Music Foundation community projects and has received two awards from UNISA for outstanding teaching.
She also plays with Vevek Ram (sitar) and Rabin Ram (sarod) in the Indian classical music group East meets West. They have performed concerts all over the country, as well as at the National Festival of the Arts in Grahamstown and the Cape Town Festival, and for the High Commission of India.
She plays a 160 year old cello made by Georg Tiefenbrunner, Munich, 1849.
Portuguese pianist José Dias completed his B.Mus Honours cum laude at the University of Stellenbosch under Nina Schumann and Luis Magalhães and went on to further his studies under Konstantin Scherbakov at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Zürich, where he obtained a Concert Diploma with distinction. He is currently enrolled for a Ph.D. at the University of Cape Town under François du Toit and Hendrik Hofmeyr.
In 2007 José Dias moved to South Africa on a permanent basis and became Repetiteur at Cape Town Opera. In 2012 he embarked on a successful freelancing career as pianist and accompanist, including repeated performances at festivals such as the Suidoosterfees, Woordfees, Aardklop, Greyton Festival and KKNK and in all major concert halls in South Africa.
Tickets for the concert are sold only at the door at R95 for adults and R75 for students and pensioners.
For further information contact Alet Joubert, Unisa Music Foundation,
Tel: 012 429 3336/3311; Cell: 084 763 4079. www.unisa.ac.za/musicfoundation
Photo provided.