South African Conductors’ Competition
(formerly the Len van Zyl Conductors’ Competition)
The semi-finals and masterclasses of the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra’s 6th SA Conductors’ Competition will take place on Friday, May 2.
Three of seven will be selected go forward to the final rounds, which will take place at a concert on Sunday, May 4, at the Hugo Lambrechts Music Centre.
The finalists will conduct one of the following pairs
Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 in c minor, Op. 67, 1st mvt and
Mozart: Horn Concerto No, 4 in e flat, 1st mvt
Mozart: Symphony No. 41 in C, K. 551 “Jupiter”, 1st mvt and
Rossini: “Una voce poco fa’” from Il Barbiero di Siviglia
Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 4 in A, Op. 90, 1st mvt and
Koussevitsky Concerto for Double Bass in f-sharp minor, 1st mvt
The competition is presided over by Maestro Arjan Tien, professor of conducting at the Conservatoire of Amsterdam and Maastricht Conservatoire in The Netherlands.
The prize, which includes an opportunity to conduct the CPO at an appropriate time, also includes conducting classes at the Conservatoire of Amsterdam and the Maastricht Conservatoire, as well involvement in symphony orchestras in the Netherlands, all under the supervision of Tien. The winner will also have the opportunity to conduct at a future RMB Starlight Classics concert.
Tien will be assisted by a panel comprising Bernhard Gueller, Jeremy Silver, Richard Cock and Louis Heyneman.
This competition, the only one of its kind in South Africa, has played an important role in the career paths of its winners and is part of the mission of the CPO to develop the next generation of musicians, in this case conductors.
