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The 2nd Unisa National String Competition is drawing to a close
The 2nd Unisa National String Competition will draw to a close tonight when three finalists will perform with the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Arjan Tien (The Netherlands). Avigail Bushakevitz will play the Concerto in D minor, Op 47 by Sibelius; Vicente Espi will play the Concerto in G minor, Op 26 by Max Bruch; and Jacqueline Wedderburn-Maxwell will play the Concerto in D major, Op 35 by Tchaikovsky. The concert starts at 19:30 in the ZK Matthews Great Hall on the Muckleneuk campus.
During the third round, music lovers were treated to no less than seven recitals. After a demanding programme required for the first round (it included a solo Bach work) and second round, each of the semi-finalists had to perform a programme consisting of works of their own choice of between 60 and 70 minutes. Cello and violin sonatas by Brahms formed a major part of five of the semi-finalists' programmes, showcasing the competitor as well as the accompanist's musicality and endurance.
The audience were also treated to brilliant virtuosity in pieces like the Variations on one string by Paganini (Jacques-Pierre Malan) and Concert Fantasies on Carmen by Sarasate (Jacqueline Wedderburn-Maxwell).
The winners of the first prize of R50 000, second prize of R35 000, third prize of R20 000 and numerous other special prizes will be announced around 22:00 tonight. Members of the public can follow a live broadcast of the whole concert and other proceedings on 1485 AM in Greater Johannesburg, DStv Audio Channel 169, or streamed live on the internet: (www.1485.org.za; click on the "live streaming" icon).
For more information, contact the Unisa Music Foundation on 012 429 3311/3336/3900. | 
