UJ Arts & Culture is proudly launching its refurbished Steinway Concert Grand Piano, with a one-night only benefit concert, featuring a number of Steinway artists and presented in association with Christopher Duigan’s Music Revival and Ian Burgess-Simpson Pianos.
The Steinway and Sons Model ‘D’ Concert Grand Piano at UJ Arts & Culture will take centre stage at the Fineway with a Steinway performance on the evening of Friday, 23 March 2018, at the University of Johannesburg’s Art Centre on the Kingsway Campus in Auckland Park, Johannesburg.
Featuring four of South Africa’s top concert pianists – of international acclaim – in one performance, this gala evening presents UJ Arts & Culture’s Steinway Concert Grand Piano following a much-needed extensive rebuild and refurbishment, in a unique and entertaining event.
Three Steinway artists, resident in South Africa, Jill Richards, Charl du Plessis and Christopher Duigan, are joined by the outstanding young pianist Sulayman Human. Creating a varied and exploratory concert programme, each pianist will perform music of their choice in an allocated timeframe. And with the piano being the world’s most popular musical instrument, this offers an unparalleled opportunity for variety!
Both halves of the concert will include performances from the pianists together for four, six and eight hands at one piano.
The individual pianists have each followed unique and varied career paths. Charl du Plessis, described as a pianist with “the x-factor” bills himself as playing everything from Bach to Boogie-Woogie, and is well-known for his performances as a jazz pianist with the Charl du Plessis Trio.
Johannesburg-based Jill Richards has performed on five continents, specialising in contemporary piano music and the compositions of local South African composers.
Christopher Duigan has garnered a large following in South Africa, from both his stage performances and ‘on air’ broadcasts, where his interest in the popular classical repertoire extends to ragtime, tango, and contemporary film music.
Sulayman Human has focused on the core classical repertoire in his flourishing career. At a recent performance, Human was described as a rising star on the local concert circuit and possessing, “an ongoing lyrical line in combination with a thorough level of technical perfection and touch.”
Do not miss this opportunity to view the rebuilt Steinway and Sons Model ‘D’ Piano during interval at close quarters, on stage with Steinway Concert Technician Ian Burgess-Simpson, who was responsible for the rebuild of the piano. He will be on stage together with the artists during the interval and after the concert, to elucidate the rebuilding process and demonstrate aspects of the rebuild as it was undertaken.
All concert proceeds will be donated to the bursary fund established by Professor Federico Freschi, the Executive Dean of the Faculty of Art, Design & Architecture (FADA), in aid of academically-deserving FADA students.
To purchase tickets and for more information go to www.uj.ac.za/arts.
About UJ Arts & Culture
UJ Arts & Culture, a division of the Faculty of Art, Design & Architecture (FADA), produces and presents world-class student and professional arts programmes aligned to the UJ vision of an international university of choice, anchored in Africa, dynamically shaping the future. A robust range of arts platforms are offered on all four UJ campuses for students, staff, alumni and the general public to experience and engage with emerging and established Pan-African and international artists drawn from the full spectrum of the arts.
In addition to UJ Arts & Culture, FADA (www.uj.ac.za/fada) offers programmes in eight creative disciplines, in Art, Design and Architecture, as well as playing home to the NRF SARChI Chair in South African Art & Visual Culture, and the Visual Identities in Art & Design Research Centre. The Faculty has a strong focus on sustainability and relevance, and engages actively with the dynamism, creativity and diversity of Johannesburg in imagining new approaches to art and design education.