(Christopher Duigan & James
Grace. Pic by Val Adamson)
Enterprising music entrepreneur, and
acclaimed pianist, Christopher Duigan, presents a busy concert series for his
Music Revival project, at the end of January.
For his January programme, he teams up with
long term collaborator, James Grace. Grace studied at the Royal College of
Music in London as a Foundation Scholar with Carlos Bonell. Upon graduating he
became the first guitarist in the history of the College to receive the Tagore
Gold Medal, an annual award presented to the most outstanding student. After spending two years in Doha, in the
Arabian State of Qatar where he taught guitar at an International Music Centre,
James returned to South Africa and was appointed Head of Classical Guitar
Studies at the University of Cape Town.
Christopher Duigan is one of South Africa’s
busiest concert artists, giving 100 performances annually. His performances range from those of the core
classical repertoire, both as soloist with orchestra and in recital, to new
music and music well beyond the classical repertoire. His strong sense of community development is
shown in his active promotion of regular Music Revival concerts across KZN and
in other parts of the country. These concerts have not only developed new
audiences in various communities but also provided performance platform to many
young and aspiring soloists. In addition, his performances have regularly
included his own arrangements, improvisations and compositions. Duigan's work
as an entrepreneurial musician has attracted international attention for its
innovative and ground-breaking approach. His activities have been said to
reflect those of a definitive 21st century classical musician.
Opening the series is his second Thursday
soiree entitled Together Again, in
which he teams up with James Grace in the Elephant and Co – a popular new
eatery at the Athlone Circle Mall in Pietermaritzburg. This follows the
outstanding success of the first soiree, that took place at the end of December
combining a classic concert and fine dining.
The Duigan & Grace Duo, an unusual
combination of piano and guitar, has won a popular following at major festivals
and on stages across South Africa. Their programme together includes many of
their own duo arrangements and improvisations on classic melodies, jazz standards,
Latin milongas and Spanish classics. Their session will include Black Orpheus, Fields of Gold, Tico Tico
and favourite Spanish guitar solos. Duigan’s own composition, Indigo, a favourite at any Duigan and
Grace concert, will complete the programme.
A similar concert will be staged on January
Sunday 26 at 15h00 at the Durban Jewish Centre, 44 KE Masinga (Old Fort) Road,
Durban, for the first Friends of Music concert for the year.
Their FoM concert will include a similar
programme as performed in Elephant and Co. In addition, Duigan will play a solo
piano selection from My Favourite Things,
a choice of his personal favourites that represent something of his electric
concretising style, drawing from numerous musical genres. This includes music
by Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin, Rachmaninoff, Scott Joplin, Ernesto Nazareth and
Arvo Pärt. James Grace will play classical guitar solos from the Spanish
repertoire by Albeniz, Tarrega and Granados.
As well as their bespoke concerts, they
will also perform the regular Music Revival circuit with variations of the
programme. They will also be performances as follows:
Pietermaritzburg: Sunday January 26 at 11h30,
Tatham Art Gallery
Ballito: Monday January 27 at 19h00, Ashton International
College
Kloof: Tuesday January 28 at 19h30, at St
Agnes Church, Kloof
Hillcrest: Friday, January 31 at 19h30 at
Holy Trinity Anglican Church, Nqutu Road.
Booking is preferred:
booking@musicrevival.co.za or Music Revival 083 417 4473 (sms or WhatsApp only)
or visit www.musicrevival.co.za for more details on booking, programme and
venues.
When booking through Music Revival, please
state clearly which concert you are booking for.
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