Michael Repper (Tiffany Schultz Photography)
The Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival (SICMF) takes place from 3 to 12 July at the Konservatorium Building on the campus of Stellenbosch University. For over two decades now, the SICMF has hosted South Africa’s largest collective of world-famous classical musicians from different continents each year in July.
This year’s performers include a number of revered musicians who, time and time again, have enchanted audiences at the Endler Hall. Artists like Daniel Rowland and Maja Bogdanović are in demand at top music festivals around the world. Daniel, who has performed the Four Season’s by Vivaldi, Piazzolla and Max Richter will appear again performing the Four Seasons, but this time by Philip Glass - a version not yet heard in South Africa. Both Daniel and Maja can be seen with SICMF Artistic Director, Nina Schumann in Fazil Say’s “Space Jump”.
Another artist that has recently taken local audiences by storm as soloist with the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra as well as at the Franschhoek Chamber Music Festival, is violinist Miclen LaiPang, who will make his SICMF debut in works by Cesar Franck, Jörg Widmann and Glière. Miclen will also be joined by Emanuil Ivanov in Mendelssohn’s spirited concerto for violin and piano on the last day of the festival.
This year, in addition to Maja Bogdanović, the SICMF cello faculty comprises Festival Director, Peter Martens, Boris Andrianov and David Cohen. Both Boris and David are long time SICMF favourites. Boris Andrianov will feature as a soloist on the 9 July concertante evening, whilst David Cohen will play Schnittke’s fiendish cello concerto on 10 July with the Festival Symphony Orchestra.
New Woodwind faculty members include Titus Underwood, principal Oboe of the Nashville Symphony Orchestra and the 2021 recipient of the Sphinx Medal of Excellence; and Julia Harguindy, principal bassoon of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Flautist, Demarre McGill returns after an absence of several years, a short guest appearance last year notwithstanding. YaoGuang Zhai’s sublime clarinet playing will also be heard again, this time in works by Mozart, Amanda Harberg and Ante Grgin amongst others.
SICMF’s brass faculty –José Gutiérrez. (French horn), Marco Silva (trumpet) and Mark Hampson (bass trombone) need no introduction. They will collectively be featured in Gareth Wood’s Tientos y Danzas together with Jauvon Gilliam on percussion.
The introduction of a new ensemble, the Festival Symphonic Wind Orchestra, will see Liam Burden perform as both a saxophonist and conductor this year. And whilst the Grammy award winning conductor Michael Repper is back with the Festival Symphony Orchestra, newcomer Kärin Hendrickson will conduct the Festival Concert Orchestra. Hendrickson’s career includes some of the world’s leading orchestras, from the London Symphony Orchestra to the Belgian National Symphony, and the Pittsburgh Symphony to the BBC’s flagship ensembles.
The full list of SICMF artists can be found here: https://www.sicmf.co.za/artists/.
Full programmes and ticket sales can be found here: https://www.sicmf.co.za/tickets/.