Sounding out final year students

In association with the Samro Foundation, Concerts SA and the Rupert Foundation, the Division of Music of the School of Arts of the University of Witwatersrand will present a concert for its musical composition students who are closing off their final year.

Sound Us Out is the musical creation of nine Wits final-year composition students of Dr Andile Khumalo, which will be performed along with The Epoch String Quartet conducted by Eddie Clayton.

The concert, which takes place on 17 July in the Wits Atrium, will be staged under the able guidance of one of the Division of Music’s lecturers, who is also one of South Africa’s finest composers and musicians, Dr Khumalo.

This year has seen an unprecedented number of students specialising in music composition, and nine young specialist composers, namely Thomas Dodson, Eleni Ladas, Thato Maraisane, Nthabiseng Mfenyana, Saul Nossel, Masechaba Phakela, Jays Van Kerckhoven, Kieran Woolmington and Edre van As will showcase their talent in western art chamber music compositions.

This performance of Sound Us Out at Wits University is part of the Concerts SA Orchestra and University Circuit, which aims to promote the performance of repertoire created by South African composers.

Concerts SA is a joint South African and Norwegian live music development project housed within the Samro Foundation. Concerts SA receives financial, administrative and technical support from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Samro Foundation and Concerts Norway, and this is how they are able to promote South African music to local communities.

Working with musicians, promoters, venue owners and audiences, and providing support to the sector through research and skills development for music professionals, the project aims to build a vibrant and viable live music circuit in southern Africa. It also aims to develop an interest in and appreciation of live music by showcasing performances and conducting workshops at schools.