The Unisa Music Foundation Symphony Orchestra with the South African born Dutch conductor, Conrad van Alphen, will perform in a very special Christmas concert on Sunday 02 December at 16:00 in the ZK Matthews Great Hall on the main campus of Unisa in Muckleneuk..
The exceptional programme of orchestral works with a Christmas flavour includes a Christmas Cantata for soprano and orchestra and the hauntingly beautiful Dies Natalis by the British composer Gerald Finzi.
Aobakwe Sehoole, a young soprano from Hammanskraal who has recently impressed at the Unisa Youth Music Festival in the Tshwane Metro ,will perform as soloist in Alessandro Scarlatti’s Christmas Cantata.
Gerald Finzi’s Dies Natalis has been described as “profoundly mystic” and “tender yet radiant”.
Tenor Sandile Mabaso will be the soloist for this work composed in 1939.
The other two works on the programme are the Concerto grosso, Op 6 no 8 by Corelli and Pastorello by Michael Haydn, a one-movement work for strings and trumpets.
Conrad van Alphen is the artistic director and chief conductor of the Sinfonia Rotterdam. He has moulded this orchestra into one of the best in the Netherlands who host their own concert series in Rotterdam. Conrad also conducts Sinfonia Rotterdam in the concert series of leading Dutch halls such as the Concertgebauw in Amsterdam and De Doelen in Rotterdam, and regularly takes the orchestra on international tours.
From 2005 – 2009 the Pretoria born conductor in his forties also held the position of chief conductor of the State Philharmonic Orchestra Kislowodsk in Russia, where he received an award for his contribution to the arts in South Russia by the Ministry of Culture
Conrad van Alphen is a popular guest conductor of various orchestras nationally and internationally as well. He regularly conducts orchestras in The Netherlands, South Africa, England, Germany, Bulgaria, Russia, Slovenia, Poland, China and Mexico.
Reading a list of his conducted works gives some idea of the versatility of this dynamic conductor. Conrad’s diverse activities vary from string orchestra to huge symphony orchestra, standard repertoire to complex premieres, baroque to contemporary repertoire.
Van Alphen has received excellent reviews internationally for his many recordings. To name a few labels: Telarc (works by Grieg, Dvorak and Elgar), Channel Classics (Rodrigo’s Concierto Madrigal for two guitars and orchestra - Editor’s choice in Gramophone Magazine), Raptus (reconstructions of recent Beethoven finds), Talent Records (Shostakovich Chamber Symphonies), Cybele (works by Karl Amadeus Hartmann) and Brilliant Classics (Bassoon concerto’s by Dupuy, Villa Lobos, Vivaldi and Othuis).
The Unisa Music Foundation Symphony Orchestra has presented several successful concerts since October 2010, when it was founded with funds from the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund.
The aim of the orchestra is to give young inexperienced players an opportunity to perform repertoire with professionals who have been part of orchestras for many years.
The concert promises to be an inspiring experience for the audience with pieces not performed regularly on concert stages. The Unisa Music Foundation is proud to present an event with such high artistic and educational value.
Tickets are sold at the door from 14:30 onwards for R85 and R65.
For futher information contact Alet Joubert, Music Events Administrator; Unisa Music Foundation Tel . 012 429 3336/ Cell: 084 763 4079; Fax 012 429 3644. Visit www.unisa.ac.za/musicfoundation
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