We are looking forward to welcoming the University of Stellenbosch Symphony Orchestra back on stage, in front of a live audience, on Friday 22 April and Saturday 23 April at 8pm in the Endler Hall, Stellenbosch.

Chair of the SU Music Department, Prof Mario Nell will appear as soloist in Poulenc’s colourful, neo-Baroque and faith-inspired Organ Concerto under the baton of student-conductor Jacobus de Jager. Also on the programme is Rimsky-Korsakov’s Spanish folk dance-imagined Capriccio Espagnol and Dvorak’s exuberant and lyric Symphony No. 8.

Jacobus de Jager is a conductor and pianist currently doing his Masters in piano performance with Nina Schumann and Luis Magalhães. He started his conducting studies in 2016 with Corvin Matei and has been studying conducting with Daniel Boico since 2018. In 2019 he spent three weeks studying intensively with Alexander Polishchuk at the St. Petersburg Conservatory.

Acknowledged as one of South Africa’s leading musicians and teachers, Mario Nell was recently appointed as professor at Stellenbosch University. He studied at the Universities of Port Elizabeth and Stellenbosch before he completed his master’s degree in performance at the University of Cape Town and a PhD at Stellenbosch University. He also furthered his studies at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik in Freiburg, Germany and studied for his Nachdiplom at the Zurich University of the Arts in Switzerland where his focus was on historical performance practice. Since 1999 he has given recitals in Germany, Switzerland, France, the Netherlands, Czech Republic, Italy, England and South Korea.

Please keep in mind that for all live events current restrictions allow for 100 audience members in the Endler Hall and all safety protocols outlined by the University will be strictly followed.

Tickets for R140 (regular) and R100 (pensioners, students, and scholars) are available now through Computicket and at the door one hour before the concert. For more information contact Fiona Grayer at concerts@sun.ac.za or 021 808 2358.