KZNPO PLANS FOR 2011

The KZN Philharmonic Orchestra’s Chief Executive and Artistic Director, Bongani Tembe, has announced a bumper programme of exciting music-making planned for the year ahead, to delight concert-goers, school learners and communities in KwaZulu-Natal in 2011, as well as others further afield.

Featuring a stellar roster of guest artists, the KZN Philharmonic’s 2011 World Symphony Series Summer Season runs each Thursday evening in the Durban City Hall, from February 10 until March 17, 2011.

The gifted Russian siblings, pianist Olga Kern and conductor Vladimir Kern, take the spotlight to launch the six-concert Summer Season with a dazzling programme of works by Rachmaninoff, Liszt and Tchaikovsky. Popular Japanese maestro, Yasuo Shinozaki, will then return to the podium on February 17 and 24, to be followed for the three Thursday evening concerts in March by the much sought-after conductor, Emil Tabakov.

Soloists appearing during the Summer Season include pianists Florian Uhlig and Christopher Duigan, cellist Georgi Anichenko, and the KZN Philharmonic’s Principal Trombonist, Anthony Boorer. The season’s finale on March 17 promises big-scale performances of Handel’s Water Music Suite No 2 and Bach’s Magnificat, featuring a high profile quartet of soloists and the combined Clermont Community, Durban Symphonic and Durban Chamber Choirs. Brahms’ towering Symphony No 4 in E minor will bring down the curtain on a climatic note.

Following the KZN Philharmonic’s recent signing of a three-year contract to appear at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown, its 2011 festival engagements in Grahamstown will include the Orchestra’s linking up again with French virtuoso cellist, Jerome Pernoo, to reprise last season’s show-stopping performance of Offenbach’s spectacular Concerto Militaire. The Orchestra is also scheduled to partner South African concert pianist, Ben Schoeman during next year’s National Arts Festival. Ben Schoeman is this year’s Standard Bank Young Artist Award Winner for Music.

Preceding its performances in Grahamstown, the KZN Philharmonic’s Winter Season 2011 is set to run in the Durban City Hall from May 19 to June 16, with conductors Omri Hadari, Thomas Sanderling and Lykele Temmingh sharing the podium. Guest artists lined up to appear during the season include the distinguished violinist, Roman Simoniv (concert master of the London Symphony Orchestra), the cellists Dmitri Kouzov and Nicholas Altstaed, the Durban-born London-based pianist, Jonathan Oshry, and Bloemfontein’s Bochabela Strings.

Previewing the third leg of next year’s World Symphony Series, the KZNPO has announced its 2011 Spring Season will run in the Durban City Hall from September 15 to November 3. German conductor Justus Franz will return to open the season with South African concert pianist Petronel Malan, now living in the USA, as soloist. The season will also include the annual National Youth Concerto Festival conducted by Lykele Temmingh on September 29, and return appearances by another regular KZN Philharmonic guest, the Netherlands-based conductor, Arjan Tien.
And sustaining its highly demanding schedule between next year’s symphony seasons, the KZN Philharmonic will consolidate the success of its trip to Mozambique this year, with a return visit to Maputo for the International Music Festival from May 11 to 14, 2011.

Plans are also underway for the KZN Philharmonic to perform at the State Theatre in Pretoria next April, in collaboration with the South African composer, Bongani Ndodana-Breen.

Back on home turf in Durban, the KZN Philharmonic will perform African Songbook in association with Cape Opera and The Playhouse Company at The Playhouse in July, and again at Teatro at Montecasino in August. The Orchestra will also accompany two New York Metropolitan Opera stars at a special Gala Concert, also at the Teatro on August 27, details of which will be announced soon.

The KZN Philharmonic’s first Rural Residency of 2011 will take place in February, reaching southern parts of KwaZulu-Natal. During its two annual residencies, the Orchestra gives school education concerts, choral workshops as well as community concerts featuring local artists and choirs. These activities provide thousands of people from rural communities with an opportunity to see and hear the Orchestra for the first time. Previous residencies have included visits to Ladysmith, Vryheid, Felixton, Mkuze, Hluhluwe, Richards Bay and Inkandla.

Next February’s residency will see the Orchestra engaging with 1433 learners from Little Flower School; 600 learners from Ixopo Primary, 450 learners from Ixopo stage aided school, 400 learners from Ixopo High School, 950 learners from Marietal, and 500 learners from Ixopo Village. This will afford a total of more than 4,000 learners exposure to the Orchestra, and to experience the power of orchestral music. These figures exclude people who will be part of the community concerts. The second KZNPO Residency next year will take place in August in Northern KwaZulu-Natal.

For more information on the KZNPO contact 031 369 9438 or email: marketing@kznpo.co.za or click on the KZNPO advert on these pages.