Picture: provided
International piano recitals on Stellenbosch’s Endler stage
The 10th Stellenbosch International Piano Symposium will bring top international artists to South Africa in 2026, with an exciting lineup of five evening concerts between 25 and 29 March. The line-up sets off with three solo recitals, each by a renowned international artist. Over the weekend the format of concerts changes to soloists with an orchestra and finally, on Sunday 29 March, the renowned Piano Extravaganza featuring 10 pianos on the same stage.
Each of the three solo recitals offers a unique experience of international caliber to local audiences. The first evening concert on Wednesday 25 March features pianist Leo Gevisser – a long-time participant of the Symposium who returns as faculty. Currently based in the United States, Gevisser’s artistic journey has been closely intertwined with Stellenbosch over a number of years. The recital programme moves across three centuries of introverted, evocative and philosophical themes in piano writing with an eclectic selection of works by Edvard Grieg, Hans Otte (a rarely heard composer, known for his pleasing and atmospheric sound palette), Francis Poulenc, WA Mozart and Franz Liszt.
On Thursday 26 March, Bulgarian pianist Emanuil Ivanov will return to Stellenbosch for a landmark performance of Shostakovich’s 24 preludes and fugues, Op 87 – presented complete in a single evening. Composed in 1950–51, the cycle pays homage to JS Bach, who passed away 200 years before and composed the historically significant Well-Tempered Clavier consisting of 2 books of 24 preludes and fugues (each) in each major and minor key. Heard as a whole, Op 87 forms one of the major monuments of 20th-century piano literature. This performance offers audiences the rare opportunity to experience the full architectural sweep of the work in a live setting.
The third solo recital on 27 March will feature another Bulgarian piano virtuoso’s debut performance at the Symposium. Renowned for his lifelong engagement with Chopin’s music, Ludmil Angelov presents an all-Chopin programme exploring the composer’s range – from dance forms to large-scale sonata writing.
Over the weekend, the public will be treated to a feast of even larger format concerts. The Hennie Joubert Piano Competition final round will be held on Saturday 28 March at 19:30, featuring five young pianists competing for the gold medal, each performing a movement from a concerto accompanied by the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra with Jacobus de Jager on the podium.
On Sunday 29 March at 19:30, the Symposium will come to a climactic end with the ever-popular Piano Extravaganza, featuring 10 pianos performing light Classical numbers on the Endler stage. Bookings for all concerts can be made on Webtickets under the Stellenbosch International Piano Symposium banner.
In addition to the evening concerts, the Stellenbosch International Piano Symposium will mark its 10th anniversary on a celebratory note, when a new artwork commissioned in 2025 for the 20th anniversary of its sister project, the Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival, will at long last be unveiled. The installation by renowned pointillist artist Gavin Rain will be stationed right in front of the Konservatorium building and aims to combine heartfelt messages from generations of concert goers and participants into a work celebrating the memory of one of the SICMF's most respected patrons: Emeritus Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Memorialising The Arch (as he was affectionately known) in a public space at the center of Stellenbosch commemorates the festival's spirit and his inclusive bridge building, the pointillistic style of the installation aptly relevant to one of his famous mottos: “Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.”
The unveiling will take place on Wednesday 25 March at 18:00, accompanied by a free outdoor performance on the Konservatorium steps, of Peter Louis van Dijk’s “The Selfish Giant” (based on Oscar Wilde's famous tale about reconciliation, once narrated by Tutu at the 10th anniversary festival in 2013). The Cape Town Opera Children’s Chorus will be joined by soloists, narrators and a symphony orchestra of SICMF alumni, participants and staff, conducted by Xandi van Dijk. The 10th Stellenbosch International Piano Symposium festivities will continue right away with the first evening recital at 19:30 in the Endler Hall.
Visit the Symposium website for more information on how to attend: https://www.stellenboschsymposium.com/
All concert tickets are available on Webtickets under the Stellenbosch International Piano Symposium banner: https://www.webtickets.co.za/v2/event.aspx?itemid=1587354356
Also read:
Press release: Endler Concert Series 2026 opens with international star power