Three talented students have been invited to perform at the prestigious DiMenna Center for Classical Music in New York in September 2023. Hermanus Schmidt and Kalu Ueckermann, both students of Paul Roos Gymnasium, Stellenbosch, and Chadley Leith of Calling Academy, Stellenbosch have been invited to participate in the “Prizewinners’ recital”, owing to their exceptional performances in the International Youth Music Competition.
“We are very proud of their achievements, and their hard work and dedication really paid off,” their piano teacher Dr Ronella van Rensburg of ScoreS2Duo Private Music Studio, where the young maestros hone their musical talents, said.
Hermanus, a Grade 9 student at Paul Roos Gymnasium, began his musical journey during the Covid-19 lockdown.
“He taught himself to play the piano, which he had only learnt to read from online platforms,” Van Rensburg pointed out.
“He then started studying music by the classical masters while still pursuing his love for contemporary music, especially film music.”
Under her guidance Schmidt has been flourishing.
Kalu, a Grade 11 student at Paul Roos Gymnasium, has achieved remarkable success in the field of music. He has won several awards, including the Singer/Songwriter & Composer/Performer 97% in November 2021, and the Modern/Contemporary 99% in October 2022.
Chadley, a Grade 12 student at Calling Academy, specialises in informal music.
He received a score of 93,5% for his performance of “Jireh” by Elevation Worship & Maverick City in January 2023.
If ever there was a choice between music or anything else, music will always win hands-down every single day.
This has pretty much characterised Chadley’s life from a very young age.
Music provided the very balm his soul needed after being bullied from Grade 1 to 3, and age 9 marked a turning point for him.
The “Prizewinners’ recital”, to be held at the DiMenna Center for Classical Music, will showcase the outstanding musical talent of these students.
As a fundraiser for their trip to New York the three young musicians will host a show called New York at your fingertips, where they will share their stories about their journey to being invited to perform at the New York DiMenna Center for Classical Music.
They are performing their prize winning pieces they had entered for International Youth Music Competition 2022 and 2023.
The concert, at the Drostdy Theatre, starts at 20:15, with other young and upcoming musicians performing from 19:00.
Tickets are R150 and available at Computicket (https://tickets.computicket.com/event/new_york_at_your_fingertips/7214681)
For more information please contact Ronella van Rensburg 079 693 5457 or ronella14@icloud.com.
