Saturday 28 June @ 7pm

It has been fairly quiet on the South African chamber music scene for a long time now, particularly outside of the major metropolitan areas. It’s therefore somewhat of a blast to announce an extensive South African tour by the ground-breaking, New York based duo Clockwise, whose members, violinist Marc Uys and harpist Jacqueline Kerrod, have each earned reputations for exploring and performing fresh, new repertoire alongside crowd pulling classical standards.

The tour starts off in Sasolburg on 13 June 2008 and ends on 9 August 2008 with a recital in the Wits Atrium, Johannesburg. Uys and Kerrod will perform at the National Arts Festival and also give recitals in towns and cities in Gauteng, KwaZulu Natal and the Western Cape, as well as in the world famous Sudwala Caves, during which they will introduce no less than 10 new works commissioned from South African composers Braam du Toit, Robert Fokkens, Paul Hanmer, Hendrik Hofmeyr, Philip Miller, Neo Muyanga, Michael Rennie, Matthijs van Dijk, Péter Louis van Dijk and Timon Wapenaar.

A central work in their programme is Camille Saint-Saëns’s Fantasy for Violin and Harp Opus 124, a bravura showpiece for both instruments that alternates brilliant passages with dreamy, nostalgic lyricism. Enthusiasts can also look forward to discovering John Cage’s highly creative Six Melodies for Violin and Keyboard (transcribed for harp) or Thomas Rajna’s atmospheric Suite for Violin and Harp, and the delightful Sonatine for Harp Opus 30 by the French composer, Marcel Tournier (1879 – 1951), himself a noted harpist.

Uys has deservedly built a loyal following in local music circles, both as the founder and leader of the now sadly defunct Sontonga Quartet and as one of the country’s most accomplished violin soloists. Since the beginning of 2007, he has performed as soloist, chamber musician and concert master on three continents. He plays a fine 18th century Italian instrument on generous loan from the Lindbergh Arts Foundation. Originally hailing from Johannesburg, Kerrod has been living in New York for the past nine years where she regularly performs with orchestras such as the New York Philharmonic and New York City Opera. She made her debut with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center in 2007 and is a founding member of MAYA. Her latest collaboration, with Uys, promises a stimulating time ahead for music audiences here and abroad.

Entrance fee : R70
Alliance Française students and members : R35
Limited number of seats, please book in advance
Marion : 011 646 1169 culture.jhb@alliance.org.za

Special menu with the Café de l’Alliance

The artists will perform also at the Alliance Française of Pretoria on Saturday 2 August at 4pm

About the artists

Harpist Jacqueline Kerrod began her life and playing career in Johannesburg, South Africa. There she was a finalist in the ATKV Forte Music Competition and the Jim Joel Music Prize, two of the most important honors in that country. It was also in South Africa that she was awarded the highest possible scholarship by the Oppenheimer Memorial Trust Foundation. She moved to the United States in 1999 to pursue studies with Nancy Allen at Yale University where she earned her Master’s Degree and Artist Diploma. Ms. Kerrod appears frequently with orchestras such as the New York Philharmonic, St. Luke’s Chamber Ensemble, Solisti New York, and has performed at the OK Mozart Festival in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. She is a member of Perspectives Ensemble in New York, and has appeared as guest artist with Gotham Chamber Opera Company, and Argento Chamber Ensemble with whom she has also recorded. The 2006 Norfolk Chamber Music Festival featured Ms Kerrod as soloist with Ransom Wilson and the festival Orchestra in Mozart’s Concerto for Flute and Harp. In 2005 she was the featured soloist in the same work in Quito, Ecuador. She has also appeared as soloist with Colonial Symphony and Montclair State University Orchestra. She was the 2001 winner of the Harp Competition of the Aspen Music Festival. Ms. Kerrod is a founding member of both Trio St. Germain, a flute, viola, harp trio and the groundbreaking MAYA, a trio comprising flute, harp, and percussion, which has undertaken a commissioning program to create repertory bringing together classical and world music, ethnic sounds, and improvisations. MAYA will be releasing their debut CD in August 2007. In 2006-2007 Ms Kerrod made her debut with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. She performed with Kanye West at the Live Earth Concert 2007.

Marc Uys was born in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, where he had his first violin lessons at the age of four. He holds a Master of Music degree, from the University of Cape Town, with distinction. His teachers are Isaac Melamed, Prof. Jack de Wet and Farida Bacharova.

Marc has won several prizes and awards, including the 1999 SASOL Music Prize for overseas study and the 2004 SAMRO/Gettleson string study award. He has appeared as soloist with many of South Africa’s orchestras – professional, amateur and student and has performed to great acclaim in recital throughout South Africa. He is frequently invited to appear as concertmaster of orchestras throughout South Africa. He was a member of the 1999/2000 Jeunesses Musicales World Orchestra which toured Canada, USA, Switzerland, Germany, Poland and Austria with conductors such as Kurt Masur.

From 2002 – 2006, Marc was the first violinist and manager of the Sontonga Quartet. This group, widely regarded as the leading quartet in South Africa, worked extensively with composers from Kevin Volans to Terry Riley and Osvaldo Golijov, championing many new works in South Africa and abroad, with performances in venues such as the Victoria National Gallery in Melbourne, Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Barbican in London, Central Park and Lincoln Center in New York.

In 2007, Marc performed as a member of the Dresdner Sinfoniker in Germany, the MIAGI festival orchestra in South Africa, and as guest concertmaster of the East Cape Philharmonic Orchestra. He led performances of Philip Miller’s ‘Rewind – A Cantata’ at the Celebrate Brooklyn festival in New York and at the ’62 Center at Williams College.

2008 includes continued collaboration with harpist Jacqueline Kerrod in New York, with a tour of South Africa in June and July, during which time they will give the premieres of nine newly commissioned works, a return visit to the ‘Stiftfestival’ in Holland for chamber music performances and coaching, a German tour with the New York based Arcos Chamber Orchestra, as well as recitals with pianist Malcolm Nay.

Marc plays a fine 18th century Italian instrument on generous loan from the Lindbergh Arts Foundation and a 2004 ‘peanut’ violin by Oleg Alexeyev.