STELLENBOSCH INTERNATIONAL CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL 2025 PROGRAMME

The much-anticipated programme for the Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival 2025 is now available. Concerts, masterclasses and more, form part of the 20th milestone of one of the world’s most prestigious annual classical music gatherings.

The formal evening concerts will take place from 4 to 13 July at 20:00 in the Endler Hall, and to celebrate the 20th rendition of the SICMF, a special alumni orchestra has been constituted to perform a once off pre-SICMF concert on Thursday, 3 July.

SICMF Artistic Director Nina Schumann has produced a magical mix of new and old within the programme, guaranteed to excite and captivate beyond expectation.

SICMF Alumni Symphony Orchestra

The SICMF Alumni Symphony Orchestra will comprise past participants from its inception to the present. The programme will include Mahler’s gargantuan and stirring fifth symphony, a new work by Matthijs van Dijk and Gershwin’s Concerto in F. The young up-and-coming internationally lauded South African conductor, Jacobus de Jager will be the conductor and the concertmaster will be Ian Watson, a participant of the first SICMF held in 2004. Watson is currently in demand as both a leading orchestral player and chamber musician in the UK. The piano soloist, Leo Gevisser is a graduate of the Julliard School of Music in NY City and a former student of prof Nina Schumann.

SICMF faculty concerts

The SICMF faculty concerts will kick off on Friday 4 July with reimagined Baroque – Max Richter’s ingenious reworking of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons featuring as soloist, the incomparable magician of the violin, Daniel Rowland. This evening, that will set the scene for the rest of this year’s SICMF, will end with a smorgasbord of fashion, artistry and festival sparkle choreographed to the music of Ravel’s Bolero.

For those whose tastes remain firmly rooted in the classics, Beethoven, Strauss, Shostakovich, Brahms, and Saint-Saëns remain on the menu. However, over the years, the SICMF has deliberately sought to give a platform to a host of more contemporary composers, some which have become known and adored locally as a result of the opportunity afforded them in Stellenbosch. In this category, patrons can look forward to works by the likes of Kapustin, Macky and Widmann. Olli Mustonen (a real gem) will be added to these ranks and for those who enjoyed the SICMF All-Stars rendition of AC/DC’s Thunderstruck in 2019, don’t miss Thursday 10 July this year!

Featured composer

The featured composer this year is the internationally acclaimed New York based jazz pianist, Kevin Harris whose specially commissioned work “RESONANCE” will receive its world premiere on Tuesday 8 July. It is a Contemporary Symphonic Reflection Through the Courageous Lens of Steve Biko” and based on the written black consciousness works of anti-Apartheid activist Steven Biko.

With this innovative composition, Harris endeavors to bring into view how Biko’s actions and words, when held up to present-day society as a mirror, can provide a source of reflection on progress achieved or lack thereof. This symphonic work’s originality stretches and fosters connection among disparate audiences by using improvised and written music, with jazz and classical musicians performing alongside each other.

Whilst the SICMF faculty perform masterpieces every evening for the duration of the festival, they are hard at work from the early hours of each morning, rehearsing, coaching, giving public master classes and engaging with the 300+ student participants, many of whom also feature alongside their mentors in the larger works presented at the evening faculty concerts. Additional student concerts can be attended every day at 13:00 and 17:00.

Much loved regular festival artists include amongst others Nicholas Dautricourt, Andrej Baranov, Suzanne Martens and Farida Bacharova (violin), Xandi van Dijk (viola), Maja Bogdanovic and David Cohen (cello), Ekaterina Kornishina (flute), Dwight Parry (oboe), YaoGuang Zhai (clarinet), Marco Silva (trumpet), Jauvon Gilliam (percussion) and Emanuil Ivanov (piano).

The SICMF will conclude with four orchestral concerts, three of which will take place in the Endler Hall and one of which will take place in the community hall in Kayamandi. The Festival Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of the lively Dutch maestro, Antony Hermus, will present works by Brahms – the iconic first symphony – Nino Rota and Ravel with Bram van Sambeek and Emanuil Ivanov as soloists. The Festival Concert Orchestra will be conducted by the grammy award winner, Michael Repper (last year’s FSO conductor) in works by Bizet, Beethoven and Saint-Saëns with Maja Bogdanović as soloist.

See https://www.sicmf.co.za for the full SICMF programme.

What: SICMF programme 2025

SICMF tickets: https://www.webtickets.co.za/v2/event.aspx?itemid=1569561600

Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/stb_chambermusic_festival/, https://facebook.com/sicmf/

Source: https://www.sicmf.co.za