(The overall standard of performance was very high and one has to be impressed with the courage and confidence displayed by these young musicians, even though for some it was a first-time experience. Review by Barbara Trofimczyk)
The KZN Young Performers Concerto Festival was held in the Playhouse Drama Theatre on October 18, 2025.
This popular annual event in Durban is made possible by the collaboration of the Durban Centre of the South African Society of Music Teachers and the KZN Philharmonic Orchestra.
Teachers present their pupils for an audition, and this year 13 young artists were selected to perform with the professional orchestra. The programme featured a variety of instruments, strings (violin and viola), operatic voice, flute, trumpet, saxophone and piano, and the ages of the performers ranged from 12 to university-level students.
The overall standard of performance was very high and one has to be impressed with the courage and confidence displayed by these young musicians, even though for some it was a first-time experience. Technical control of the instrument was secure, and interpretation of the musical style was for the most part evident. Teachers and pupils alike must be congratulated for this achievement.
There was some very accomplished playing by all three string players, Zovandra von Rahden (Viola), Xizhi Aiden Luo (violin) and Weien Amy Luo (Violin), and Roxanne Neff made an impressive, projected sound in her fine performance of a flute concerto movement by Danzi.
Joshua Griffiths gave a good account of the ‘vivace’ from concerto by Neruda, while Rhys Hughes’s performance on the alto saxophone needed a somewhat more assertive expressiveness.
The young aspiring opera singers (Nonkanyiso Khumalo (tenor), Lindani France Mthimkhulu (baritone), and Lizzy Phisane (soprano) all demonstrated a passion and vocal ability for singing in the operatic genre that shows promise of a career in the future.
Impressive virtuosity is the usual trend in contemporary piano playing, as demonstrated by Nathan Judahvan der Meulen playing Haydn, Kaylin Reddy playing Kabalewsky and Lunga Zozi playing Grieg, but the most beautiful performance came from Yilling Lyu’s musical lyrical interpretation of Sognate from the concerto by Pascanov, a lovely choice for her!
Resident Conductor, Chad Hendricks, provided the youngsters with the necessary sympathetic support, never allowing the orchestra to dominate the performances.
It is indeed good to know that classical music is alive and well in our province. We do, however, need a good permanent orchestra to set a level for the young instrumentalists to aspire to, and provide more teachers of orchestral instruments. Clearly, there is plenty of talent to be nurtured. - Barbara Trofimczyk
Posts
