A star of the international circuit, Ilya Gringolts burst onto the music scene after winning the 1998 Premio Paganini Violin Competition. His rise since then has been meteoric: he performs with maestri such as Claudio Abbado and Christopher Norrington, and with major orchestras such as the Halle, the Melbourne Symphony and the BBC Scottish Symphony. His recordings for Deutsche Grammophon and Hyperion have all received outstanding reviews. François du Toit is one of South Africa's finest musicians and needs no introduction to our audience.

Programme
Beethoven : Sonata in A Minor for Violin & Piano, Opus 23
Grieg : Violin Sonata No 1, Opus 8
Tchaikovsky : Souvenir d'un lieu cher (Meditation, Scherzo & Melodie)
Szymanowski : Berceuse d'Aitacho Enia, Opus 52
Szymanowski : Notturno e Tarentella for Violin & Piano, Opus 28

A First Prize winner at Japan's important Hamamatsu International Piano Competition, Ukrainian Alexej Gorlatch has been winning prizes since the age of 11. He is frequently heard in such prestigious halls as the Salle Cortot (Paris), Carnegie Hall (New York) and Kioi Hall (Tokyo), and he is commended for the maturity and the artistry of his performances. The New York Times commented on his 'heartfelt, dignified and soulful performance', while other reviewers have praised his 'exquisitely beautiful sound'.

Programme
Mozart : Fantasy in C Minor, K. 457
Beethoven : Sonata in A Major, Opus 101
Chopin : Polonaise Opus 53
Schumann : Fantasiestucke Opus 12
Bartok : Suite 'Out of Doors'

Cara Hesse and Laura Pauna are becoming recognized as one of the most captivating piano duos performing today. Noted for their formidable virtuosity and sensitive musical collaboration, this fine duo won the IBLA Grand Prize in 2006. In 2007 they won the Grieg Two Piano Competition in Oslo as well as the annual prize of the Salzburg Mozarteum. As a further feather in their collective cap, they were chosen to give the opening concert of the Salzburg International Summer Academy festival in 2008. Their Carnegie Hall appearance led to reviews which raved "bravo to both!' (NY Times).

Programme
Brahms : Sonata for Two Pianos in F Minor, Opus 34
Chopin : Rondo in C Major
Ravel : Rhapsody Espagnole
Lutoslawski : Variations on a Theme of Paganini

THE NABARRO CHAMBER CONCERT 2009
Suren Bagratuni has a distinguished international career. A winner of the Silver Medal at Moscow's International Tchaikovsky Competition, he has performed under the baton of conductors such as Valery Gergiev and with orchestras such as the Boston Pops and the Moscow Philharmonic. Japanese-born Ayano Shimada is regularly invited to important European festivals, where she is heard both as soloist and as chamber musician.

Programme
Schumann : Fantasiestucke Op 73
Shostakovich : Sonata in D Minor, Opus 40
Beethoven : Sonata in A Major, Opus 69
Sulkan Tsintadze : Five Pieces

A Gold Medallist at the 1997 Vladimir Horowitz International Piano Competition in Russia and the recipient of several important awards, American pianist Bryan Wallick has performed throughout the United States and also in many renowned European halls. A pupil of Jerome Lowenthal at the Juilliard School of Music and of Christopher Elton at London's Royal Academy, he has played in London's Queen Elizabeth Hall with the London Sinfonietta.

Programme
Bach : Partita No 1 in B Flat, BWV 825
Schumann : Arabesque
Beethoven : 'Waldstein' Sonata, Opus 53
Debussy : Estampes
Grieg : Five Lyric Pieces
Mozart -Liszt : Figaro Fantasy

Flautist Cobus du Toit is praised for his crystalline tone and sure sense of musicality. Now making his home in Boulder, Colorado, Cobus is the winner of the UNISA Performer's Scholarship as well as the SAMRO Music Prize. He has also won several prizes in America, and is a member of Boulder's Antero Wind Quartet. and of the Boulder Chamber Orchestra. He has stepped in to replace Christina Jennings, who unhesitatingly gave him her endorsement.

Pieter Jacobs, who is a Yale University graduate, studied under renowned pianist Boris Berman and with the famed Tokyo String Quartet. He is a much sought-after chamber music partner.



Programme:
Ian Clarke : Orange Dawn
Denis Gougeon : L'oiseau blesse (solo flute)
Francis Poulenc : Sonata for Flute & Piano
Walter Gieseking : Sonatine for Flute & Piano
C.P.E. Bach : 'Hamburger' Sonata for Flute & Piano
Hendrik Hofmeyr : Incantessimo per flauto solo
Samuel Zyman : Sonata for Flute & Piano

A student of famed singers Mitsuko Shirai and Hartmut Höll, Russian soprano Evgenia Grekova rounded off her training with Elizabeth Schwarzkopf and Marilyn Horne. A prize-winner many times over at prestigious competitions, she has sung in the opera houses of Dresden, Halle, Monaco and Vienna, as well as in China and Russia. Her performances at the Bayreuth Festival received unanimous praise and led to her being described as a 'vocal wonder'. Accomplished pianist Irina Puryshinskaja is a graduate of the Tchaikovsky Conservatory and Ms Grekova's regular accompanist.

Programme
Songs by Schubert (including An Sylvia, Gretchen am Spinnrade, Forelle)
Schumann (including Mondnacht, Meine Rose, Widmung)
Leonard Bernstein (I hate music - a Cycle of 5 Kid Songs)
Rachmaninov (including Ratcatcher, Vocalise, Springwater)

Made up of four highly accomplished and experienced ensemble players, the New Odeion String Quartet has, since its inception, been surprising audiences with its finely-honed and sensitive performances. The only resident university quartet in South Africa, the ensemble has participated in festivals in Norway and Zimbabwe, and has performed with artists such as Tasmin Little, Colin Carr and Leslie Howard. The Johannesburg Musical Society is delighted to present this fine ensemble to its audience.

Famed Spanish pianist Joaquin Achucarro's career spans decades of acclaim. Knighted by King Juan Carlos, he played at the inauguration of the Bilbao Guggenheim Museum to an audience of 25,000. Zubin Mehta has stated: 'I have only heard this sound from Rubinstein', while Sir Simon Rattle has said: 'There is something very special with Achucarro'. Achucarro has worked with conductors such as Chailly, Abbado, Mehta, Menuhin, and Ozawa, and with more than 200 orchestras world-wide. He has an extensive and highly-regarded discography which includes works by Schumann, Bartók, Ravel, Brahms, Debussy, Granados and de Falla.

THE PERCY BANESHIK MEMORIAL CONCERT
Rapidly establishing himself as the most impressive South African pianist of his generation, Ben Schoeman recently became a source of national pride when he became the first South African to scoop the coveted First Prize and Gold Medal at the 2008 Unisa Vodacom International Piano Competition in Pretoria. A student of Boris Petrushansky and Michel Dalberto at Italy's renowned Accademia Pianistica in Imola, he has already embarked on a busy international career, with concerts in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Switzerland and The Netherlands.