The biennial symposium aims to bring the foremost piano teachers and learners together at Stellenbosch University, for a week of lectures, public master classes and concerts. The Stellenbosch International Piano Symposium has introduced many international artists to the South African concert public and offers local pianists unequalled access to an event they would otherwise have to travel overseas for. The Hennie Joubert Piano Competition was founded in 1984 to prepare young pianists for larger competitions and a concert career. The competition has been presented under the banner of the Stellenbosch International Piano Symposium since 2012, in collaboration with the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra, under the baton of maestro Bernhard Gueller, who will accompany the finalists in the Endler Hall on 6 April.
The symposium format is packed with public masterclasses, lectures, and recitals. All concerts will be held in the Endler Hall at the Music Department of Stellenbosch University. The opening concert on Wednesday 3 April features international concert pianist Jan Jiracek von Armin, currently guest professor at Elisabeth University in Hiroshima, Japan and visiting professor at Yale University in the USA. On Friday 5 April the Finnish pianist Henri Sigfridsson will take to the stage. Sigfridsson is currently a Professor at Essen Folkwang University. He was a medalist at the 2000 Geza Anda Piano Competition Zurich, his popularity with audiences catapulting him into a concert career spanning prestigious venues across the world.
Those interested in something unusual will enjoy the ever-popular Piano Extravaganza on 7 April featuring variable ensembles of pianos, performing popular Classical numbers, ending in a climactic finale with 10 pianos on the Endler stage. The solo rounds of the Hennie Joubert Piano Competition, in which South Africa’s top young pianists will compete for the chance to perform in the finals with the CPO are open to the public on 1 and 2 April, free of charge.
The festival will broaden its scope in 2024 to appeal to both High School and University students as well as their teachers. Entries can be made on the website and will close on 15 March.