2005 Overseas Scholarship winners
Ben Schoeman and Burton Naidoo are the gifted winners of the 2005 SAMRO Overseas Scholarships, which this year were focused on South African keyboard players.
These significant awards, which are administered by the SAMRO Endowment for the National Arts (SENA), currently rotate over a four-year cycle between composers, singers, instrumentalists and keyboard players. The awards are comprised of two annual Scholarships - one for "serious"/classical music and one for jazz/"popular" music - and this year each award is worth R160 000, with a travel allowance of R10 000 as an additional part of each of the two scholarships.
Six candidates in each genre ("serious"/classical music and jazz/"popular" music) were selected from 28 performers who entered the recorded Qualifying Round of the competition. They then performed on Thursday, August 18th at the ZK Matthews Great Hall of the University of South Africa in Tshwane with two finalists in each genre then being selected to compete in the Gala Final Round which took place on Saturday August 20th.
A highlight of the Gala Final Round at the ZK Matthews Great Hall were performances of specially commissioned jazz arrangements of popular African hymns by the Big Band of the Music Academy of Gauteng (which is sponsored by SENA) under the direction of Dr Johnny Mekoa.
The distinguished Panel of Adjudicators was made up of 12 musical experts of both national and international standing with Surendran Reddy and Prof Christine Lucia of Wits adjudicating in both genres.
The other adjudicators for the "serious"/classical music genre were Dr Eric Akrofi of the Walter Sisulu University, Transkei, Elna van der Merwe, formerly Official Accompanist at the University of Stellenbosch, Jill Richards, the well-known piano recitalist and chamber-player, Prof Francois du Toit, the sought-after concert pianist who also teaches at the University of Cape Town, and Prof Wim Viljoen, Professor of Organ at the University of Pretoria. In the jazz/"popular" music genre, apart from Mr Reddy and Prof Lucia, adjudication was by Susan Barry, Lecturer in Piano at the Durban Institute of Technology, Andrew Lilley of the University of Cape Town, Sipho "Hotstix" Mabuse of Kippies Jazz Club, Pat Matshikiza the well-known solo jazz pianist, and the equally well-known freelancer, Melvin Peters, who now also teaches at the University of Pretoria.
SAMRO has been offering its prestigious Overseas Music Scholarships for more than 40 years. Among outstanding South African musicians who have benefited from SAMRO’s Overseas Scholarships and special additional study awards are Paul van der Merwe, who has played as Principal Oboe of the famous Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, well-known jazz bassist Victor Ntoni and jazz drummer Kesivan Naidoo, violinist Jürgen Schwietering, Leader of the Free State Symphony Orchestra and the Odeion String Quartet, operatic bass-baritone Abel Moeng, popular music vocalist Abigail Petersen and outstanding recorder virtuoso Chatradari Devroop.
Distinguished South African keyboard players who have benefited include "serious"/classical pianists Steven de Groote, Anton Nel and Nina Schumann, organist Wim Viljoen and "crossover" classical/jazz pianist Surendran Reddy.
At their current worth of R160 000 in each genre, plus travel allowance, the Scholarships are now the most valuable awards of their type available in South Africa.
Serious/Classical Music Overseas Scholarship 2005 for Keyboard Players
Ben Schoeman
Runner-up
Stephen Pierce(25)
Merit Award
Ben Schoeman
Best Performance of a prescribed work
Ben Schoeman
Incentive Award
Erik Dippenaar(23)
SAMRO/Flink Piano Study Award
Ben Schoeman
SAMRO/Fisher Keyboard Study Award
Erik Dippenaar
Jazz/Popular Music Overseas Scholarship 2005 for Keyboard Players
Burton Naidoo(24)
Runner-up
Charl du Plessis (28)
Merit Award Best Performance of a prescribed work
Charl du Plessis
Incentive Award
Mduduzi Mtshali(26)
SAMRO/Fisher Keyboard Study Award
Mduduzi Mtshali
SAMRO/De Waal Jazz/Popular Music Study Award
Mduduzi Mtshali
