GEORGE NEWS - George Music Society brings four excellent musicians performing as a quartet to George for a "Women's Month" concert this weekend. Elna van der Merwe (piano), Zanta Hofmeyr (violin), Jeanne-Louise Moolman (viola) and Susan Mouton (cello) have been friends for many years.
They are regarded as four of South Africa's most accomplished classical musicians on their respective instruments. They are combining in their first performance as a formal piano quartet under the name Take Four.
Their programme will feature two major works by Johannes Brahms and Antonin Dvorak – the Piano Quartet Opus 25 in G minor by Brahms and the Piano Quartet Opus 87 in E-flat major by Dvorak. Brahms and Dvorak were also close friends.
Audiences can look forward to participating in Take Four's celebration of friendship and the uplifting power of music.
The concert takes place at 15:30 this Sunday, 31 July, at the Dutch Reformed Mother Church. Tickets are R150 for the public, R100 for Music Society members and R40 for school learners, and are available at www.georgemusicsociety.co.za or at the concert.
About the artists
Elna van der Merwe was a full-time accompanist and part-time piano lecturer at the Conservatory of the Stellenbosch University until 2001. Since then she has been ad hoc pianist and sought-after collaborative artist for local as well as international artists.
She has performed as soloist with various national orchestras. She has recorded many CDs and DVDs.
Zanta Hofmeyr graduated from the Juilliard School of Music (New York) as student of Dorothy Delay and Hyo Kang. After her New York debut in the Carnegie Recital Hall, she returned to South Africa in 1985.
She now teaches violin in Johannesburg and at Wits University. She regularly performs as soloist with symphony orchestras in South Africa and has several recordings with different artists. She has served as adjudicator at the Rudolfo Lipizer International Violin Competition in Italy.
Susan Mouton studied at the University of Pretoria under Gerard van de Geest. She joined the National Symphony Orchestra in 1983, and became principal cellist in 1987. She studied with Marian Lewin while completing her Performer's Diploma at Wits University.
Since 2000, she has been principal cellist of the JPO. She has served on the jury for both the National and International String Competition.
Jeanne-Louise Moolman obtained the BMus and BMus Hons degrees with distinction at the University of Pretoria, and also studied in Salzburg under Thomas Riebl. She has won the ATKV Forté, Oude Meester competitions and the University of Natal 75th Anniversary Prize.
She regularly performs with some of our country's foremost musicians and has given numerous solo performances in South Africa and Zimbabwe.
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