Works for cello and piano from the 20th and 21st centuries
Tue May 16, 18:30 - Tue May 16, 21:00
NWU School of Music & Conservatory
ABOUT
Many fascinating works have been composed for cello and piano, revealing a myriad of special effects that are possible on both instruments. Berthine van Schoor (cello) and Megan- Geoffrey Prins (piano) will take the listener on an imaginary and colorful journey through different countries and sound worlds, using elements of the folk music from exotic countries such as Persia and Georgia, the pulsating rhythms of Africa, the dreamy and eccentric world of impressionistic France, ending with a jazzy piece from Turkey.
The programme will consist of two major works from the 20th century: the sonatas by Debussy and Britten, Five Georgian Folksongs by Sulkhan Tsitntsadze, and Rhythm in Chains by the South African composer Mokale Koapeng, which he wrote for Berthine’s concert tour to India in 2009. Two pieces from exotic parts of the world will conclude the programme: The Girl from Shiraz by Reza Vali and Bodrum from the Sonata Four Cities by the renowned Turkish pianist and composer Fazil Sae.
Megan-Geoffrey Prins, from Riversdale, South Africa, has performed as soloist and collaborative artist in North America, Europe, Africa, and Hong Kong. Prins featured in various local and international piano competitions, including the Honens International Piano Competition, the Hong Kong International Piano Competition, the UNISA National and International Piano Competitions, and the Midwest International Piano Competition. Prins made his concerto debut at the age of 11. He has appeared as soloist with orchestras in Germany, the USA, Botswana, and South Africa. His performances of Rachmaninov’s Piano Concertos Nos. 2 and 3 were praised by German and South African critics for “technical precision,” “artistic expressivity,” and “transcendent” interpretation. In 2019, Prins was named the Standard Bank Young Artist for Music. During Stellenbosch University’s centennial celebrations, Prins was listed among the one hundred most notable graduates from the institution.
Prins currently serves as full-time piano lecturer on the faculty of the University of Pretoria: School of the Arts. He pursued postgraduate studies with Antonio Pompa-Baldi at the Cleveland Institute of Music where he was awarded the Sadie Zellen Piano Prize, the Arthur Loesser Memorial Prize, and the Maurice and Judith Kaplow Prize for Uncommon Creativity. He received a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa. Local achievements include first prizes at the UNISA 120th Anniversary Competition, the inaugural Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival Competition, the 5th UNISA National Piano Competition, the 2016 Muziq Instrumental Competition, and the 2017 SAMRO Overseas Scholarships Competition.
Berthine van Schoor is a graduate of the University of Stellenbosch and the Mozarteum University in Salzburg, Austria. She has performed extensively in Europe, Japan and India as a soloist, chamber musician and as a member of several orchestras and was the principal cellist in the Philharmonic Orchestra in Bad Reichenhall, Germany.
Berthine founded her own successful cello academy and is a tutor in the Unisa Music Foundation community development projects, a Unisa string specialist examiner and a part-time lecturer at the University of Pretoria and the NWU. She has received several awards for outstanding teaching (Unisa Best teacher Award in 2007). Her students have won first prizes in the Unisa Grade 8 Bursary competition, the SAVMO competition as well as the Il Vento competition. Several of her students continued their studies abroad, eg in the USA, England and Austria. She is a regular judge at competitions and eisteddfods.
She has performed all major cello concertos with several orchestras in South Africa, Germany and India and has also played numerous concerts and recitals for the Unisa Music Foundation (with pianists Albie van Schalkwyk and Jose Dias). She has also performed for the Swiss, Austrian, Italian, Hungarian, Norwegian, French and Indian embassies with her trio, Trio Gloriosa, which she formed with violinist Camelia Onea and pianist Annalien Ball.
Berthine has been a faculty member of the International Academy of Music in Castelnuovo di Garfagnana, Italy, five times and has performed at the South African Embassy in Rome and at the European University Institute in Fiesole.
Berthine enjoys experimenting with different musical styles. She takes a keen interest in Baroque performance practice and has collaborated with cembalist John Coulter on many on many occasions. She is the cellist in the Indian classical music group East meets West (sitar, sarod, cello and tabla), with whom she has performed at all major festivals in South Africa. She is well known for her burnished sound and has recently embarked on a journey in exploring a wide spectrum of music for solo cello. She is also very interested in art and photography. Berthine plays a cello made by Georg Tiefenbrunner in Munich, 1849.