Newsletter/Nuusbrief 1 2014

New Year 2014!

We wish our loyal members all of the best for the New Year and trust that you will enjoy a harmonious and melodious year with no jarring notes.

Stilbaai is maar ‘n klein dorpie maar in ons streek, en selfs landswyd, bly ons op die voorpunt om jaarliks aan u, ons lede,  die beste in klassieke musiek te bring wat van tyd tot tyd  in Suid-Afrika beskikbaar is, en dit teen baie billike pryse, skaars meer as ‘n gewone fliekkaartjie! 

11^th February 2014:  4Hands Piano Duo.

On this Tuesday night at 19.30 in the NG Church Hall-East, two renowned pianists, James Redfern, a handsome Brit and Laura Pauna, a beautiful South African lady, will weave their magic with original masterworks for four hands, a performance which have taken them across the globe.

Prestigious performances by each of the musicians include the Purcell Room and St John’s Smith Square, London;  Zagreb City Hall, Croatia;   Piazza Georg Enescu, Bucharest;  Salzburg Grosse Saal;  Jerusalem Theatre, Jerusalem;  Konzertgebouw, Amsterdam, and Carnegie Hall, New York.

In 2012 they had their debut at St Martin-in-the-Fields, London, for the Beethoven Society of Europe, performing works by Schubert, Beethoven and Ravel, to great critical acclaim.

Their combined list of prizes includes 1^st prize at the Greig Competition in Oslo; 1^st prize at the Liszt competition, Weimar; 1^st prize at the IBLA Grand Prize in Sicily, the top prize at the Valentino Bucchi in Rome; EPTA overall winner, and the Mozarteum Prize in Salzburg.

Laura performed with orchestras including the Deutsche Kammerakademie Neuss am Rhein; Cape Town Philharmonic; KZNPO; and the International Mahler Orchestra. They have appeared at festivals such as the 50^th Anniversary Liszt Festival, Weimar; Piano Fortissimo Festival in Croatia; the Manchester Keyboard Festival, and the UNISA Concert Series.

Membership subs and ticket prices.

At our first meeting this year, we have again decided not to increase the yearly contribution by our members, which has now remained at R100 since the formation of the society. We are, after all a non-profit organization. But, please, ensure that your subs for 2014 are paid-up before the 28^th February.  We depend on it to enable us to contract, and pay the various artists performing for us. 

For a number of years our ticket prices remained at the ridiculously low price of R50 for members and R60 for non-members. We have tried to absorb rising costs, such as increased travelling costs and board and lodging of the artists, printing and distribution costs and the increased costs of hireing the hall, but without success. The only solution to the problem is to increase ticket prices slightly this year, so that members will pay R60 and non-members R80 per ticket. We feel sure that you will agree that for the quality of the performances, the price is still very low and good value for money.