Experience the magic of the Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival 2025
Image: Carmen Reynolds
This year, the Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival (SICMF) celebrates its 20th anniversary with an extraordinary blend of classical masterpieces and contemporary works, promising an unforgettable experience for music lovers. From 4 to 13 July, the festival will take place at the renowned Endler Hall, culminating in a grand finale on Sunday, 13 July, at 16:30.
The festivities will kick off with a special pre-concert by the SICMF Alumni Symphony Orchestra on Thursday, 3 July, featuring past participants who have graced the festival since its inception.
The SICMF Alumni Symphony Orchestra will perform Mahler's monumental Fifth Symphony, alongside a new composition by Matthijs van Dijk and Gershwin's Concerto in F. Conducted by the acclaimed young South African conductor, Jacobus de Jager, this concert promises to set the tone for a week filled with musical brilliance.
Video Player is loading.
Play Video
Play
Unmute
Current Time
0:00
/
Duration
-:-
Loaded :
0%
Stream Type LIVE
Seek to live, currently behind live
LIVE
Remaining Time
-
0:00
This is a modal window.
Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.
Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque
Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps
Reset
restore all settings to the default values Done
Close Modal Dialog
End of dialog window.
Advertisement
Video Player is loading.
Play Video
Play
Unmute
Current Time
0:00
/
Duration
-:-
Loaded :
0%
Stream Type LIVE
Seek to live, currently behind live
LIVE
Remaining Time
-
0:00
This is a modal window.
Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.
Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque
Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps
Reset
restore all settings to the default values Done
Close Modal Dialog
End of dialog window.
Next
Stay
Close ✕
Kevin Harris
Image: Robert Torres
The faculty concerts will commence on Friday, 4 July, showcasing a reimagined Baroque experience. Max Richter's innovative reworking of Vivaldi's Four Seasons will feature the extraordinary violinist, Daniel Rowland, as soloist. This enchanting evening will culminate in a dazzling display of fashion and artistry, choreographed to the evocative music of Ravel's Bolero, with dancers from the Figure of 8 Dance Theatre enhancing the performance.
For those who appreciate the classics, the festival will also feature works by Beethoven, Strauss, Shostakovich, Brahms, and Saint-Saëns. This year's featured composer is the internationally acclaimed Boston-based jazz pianist, Kevin Harris, whose specially commissioned piece, 'Light and Resonance A contemporary symphonic reflection through the courageous lens of Steve Biko,' will receive its world premiere on Tuesday, 8 July. This innovative composition draws inspiration from the writings of anti-Apartheid activist Steven Biko, reflecting on societal progress through his powerful words.
Throughout the festival, the SICMF faculty will engage with over 300 student participants, offering public masterclasses and rehearsals. Daily student concerts will take place at 13:00 and 17:00, providing a platform for emerging talent to shine alongside their mentors.
Artistic director Nina Schumann
Image: Vincent Rowley
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
eNCA
an hour ago
- eNCA
Film explores life on the margins of society
DURBAN - "God's Work," a powerful film by Durban-based Director Michael James, is making waves. The movie, starring Thobani Nzuza, is a raw and poetic portrayal of survival, brotherhood, and the human desire to be seen. God's Work blurs the line between fiction and reality to shed light on the lives of unhoused men in Durban. Even more exciting? It's been selected to compete for Best South African Feature at the Durban International Film Festival on 20 July.
TimesLIVE
8 hours ago
- TimesLIVE
Recipes for a happy life
Professional chefs, like Reuben Riffel who is on our cover, spend their entire lives guring out how to coax new flavours from familiar ingredients. Imagine cooking every single day, often in high-stress environments and with paying guests on the receiving end of your labours: either you innovate or you get bored. Never mind where his ability to cook up a storm comes from, Riffel has been astonishing South African diners for a few decades now, and he's still happy – and at peace – in the kitchen. While he's known for his food, his restaurants, his associations with spices and for having shaken up Mzansi's culinary landscape, in our interview with him he shares his perspective on finding a new outlook on life in his 50th year. Riffel doesn't get bored because he is constantly reimagining flavours, textures and recipes. He is also guring out how to do more with less, to simplify, and to share his love of food with others. It helps that he is constantly searching for ways to fill his cup, add to his knowledge base and continue growing and learning, no matter how much experience and knowledge he already has. In this issue, we not only get a measure of Riffel's calm, measured approach to life in the fast lane, but we also take a look at ways of lling your leisure time productively, including some fresh ideas about how to transform your outdoors spaces into green oases by planting up a storm (page 16). In our travel section (page 6), we set sail, not only on the seven seas, but also on that most vaunted of waterways, the Nile. We also look at a few ways cruising is evolving as some ships get larger and others turn to niche destinations for adventure seekers. We're cognisant, too, of anxieties around wealth and the value of money in uncertain times. In our reader-friendly nance section (page 10), we focus on offshore investing as an opportunity to spread those nest eggs around a bit. We also take a slightly tongue-in-cheek look at estate living (page 14), specically the outlandish promises of estate agents and their advertisers, to discover what's worth investigating before laying down a deposit. Red wine is on the rise, again, and on page 19 we look at why in this year of a major Pinotage anniversary, such compelling experiments in blending are adding depth to the local wine industry. And, finally, on page 20 we have a few tips about how to dip into the fun, but sometimes tense world of art auctions, without freaking out and dropping cash on work nobody actually wants. Happy reading – and remember to try to keep trying out new recipes and to never stop experimenting with unfamiliar ingredients.
The South African
11 hours ago
- The South African
Bellissima! SA singer nails Italian national anthem
Rugby fans are heaping praise on South African woman Sinesipho Mnyango, who nailed the Italian national anthem ahead of their clash against the Springboks at Loftus on Saturday. The Boks beat the Azzurri 42-24 on home turf. On social media, rugby fans praised South African opera singer Sinesipho Mnyango for performing the Italian national anthem, Il Canto degli Italiani. The classical singer flawlessly belted out the words she had likely learned just days before. Sinesipho – a soprano – was even credited for moving the Italian players to tears. X user @oramufc posted: 'That lady devoured the Italian national anthem! I still have goosies!'. Another, @Andrew__Grant shared: 'Outstanding. What a voice!'. A third X user – @justkuda – posted: 'A black woman singing an Italian national anthem and actually killing it? Wowza!'. Moments after Sinesipho Mnyango performed the Italian national anthem, fellow SA singer Bernice West took over the spotlight to sing South Africa's one. Take a look… South Africans will be spoiled for choice with more exciting Springboks test matches and emotional national anthem performances for the rest of the year. Here's what they can expect from home games… Castle Lager Incoming Series 12 July: South Africa vs Italy, Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium (Gqeberha) 19 July: South Africa vs Georgia, Mbombela Stadium (Nelspruit) Castle Lager Rugby Championship 16 August: South Africa vs Australia, Emirates Airline Park (Johannesburg) 23 August: South Africa vs Australia, DHL Stadium (Cape Town) 27 September: South Africa vs Argentina, Hollywoodbets Kings Park (Durban) The Springboks will also play these away games… 6 September: South Africa vs New Zealand, Auckland (Eden Park) 13 September: South Africa vs New Zealand, Wellington (Sky Stadium) 4 October: South Africa vs Argentina, London (Twickenham) 8 November: South Africa vs France, Paris (Stade de France) 15 November: South Africa vs Italy, Turin (Allianz Stadium) 22 November: South Africa vs Ireland, Dublin (Aviva Stadium) 29 November: South Africa vs Wales, Cardiff (Principality Stadium) Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 . Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp , Facebook , X, and Bluesky for the latest news.
