Unisa online - A key event: the 12th Unisa International Piano Competition

From left: South African competitors Megan-Geoffrey Prins and Olga Rademan

In less than a week, one of the most anticipated classical music events in the country for 2012 is starting: the 12th Unisa International Piano Competition.

The official opening ceremony is scheduled for Thursday, 19 January at 19:00 in the ZK Matthews Great Hall at Unisa, the venue for the competition.

The 31 competitors, representing 15 countries worldwide and the international jury will be introduced to the public on this occasion.

The Music Academy of Gauteng Youth Jazz Orchestra, directed by Johnny Mekoa will be the guest artists at the opening ceremony. Entry is free to the official opening ceremony.

Round 1 takes place on Friday 20 and Saturday 21 January and Round 2 takes place on Monday 23 and Tuesday 24 January. There will be three sessions on each of these days: 10h00, 13h00 and 19h00.

Ticket prices for the first two rounds are the same as the previous international competition in 2010: R20 per session for students and pensioners and R30 per session for adults. Tickets will only be sold at the door.

The third round is scheduled for 26, 27 and 28 January with two sessions each day: 14h00 and 19h00. Two semi-finalists will each perform a full piano recital per session. Therefore music lovers can look forward to twelve brilliant recitals over three days.

Tickets for the third round are also only sold at the door at R30 for students and pensioners and R40 for adults.

The final round will take place on 31 January, 1, 3 and 4 February. Six finalists will each perform two different piano concerti with the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra. Tickets for the final round are selling fast – book at Computicket.

Following the tradition of promoting local creative talent at the Unisa Music Competitions, two South African compositions have been commissioned by the SAMRO National Endowment for the Arts.

Each competitor had to choose one of the following as part of their repertoire for Round 1: Dazzle by Peter Klatzow or Toccata by Graham Newcater. There will be special prizes for the best performance of each piece.

The main prizes are sponsored by Vodacom. “Vodacom has been a proud supporter of the Unisa international music competitions. The fact that the association has existed for more than 10 years indicates the mutual benefit and respect that has characterised the relationship. We were particularly pleased to have been able to be involved in the latest version of the competitions and we take this opportunity to wish the organisers much success in the future,” reported Mthobi Tyamzashe, Executive Director: Corporate Social Investment, Vodacom.

For more information please call the Unisa Music Foundation at 012 429 3311 or visit the website: www.unisa.ac.za/musicfoundation.