TUT graduates show their mettle at international piano competition

21 January 2020

Three Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) Performing Arts (Music) graduate students are among an international group of young musicians that were handpicked to participate in the 14th UNISA International Piano Competition that started on Monday, 20 January.

Eaton Clapper, Teboho Kobedi and Ntando Ngcapu will participate in the Jazz category of the prestigious competition of which the final round will be on 1 February.

The competition, hosted by the UNISA Music Foundation, has two categories, namely classical and jazz. This year, eighteen candidates are participating in the classical category and 14 in the jazz category. International candidates hail from China, Italy, South Korea, Israel, Russia, USA, Hong Kong, Ukraine, Thailand and Aruba.

In congratulating the graduates, Prof Janine Lewis, Head of the Department of Performing Arts, says: “We are extremely proud and excited about our graduate Music students’ participation in such a prestigious competition. Two of the candidates (Eaton and Teboho) are also part-time staff at the Department of Performing Arts in the Music discipline stream. We wish them all the best for the competition.”

The jury for the classical category is as follows: Ben Schoeman (South Africa) Eleanor Wong (Hong Kong), Leonel Morales (Spain), Mariangela Vacatello (Italy) and Ratimir Martinovic (Serbia). The jazz jury comprises of Hans Vroomans (Netherlands), Jangeun Bae (South Korea), Peruchin (Cuba), Reggie Thomas (USA), Xavier Davis (USA) and Prof Karendra Devroop (Jury chair: South Africa).

Laetitia Orlandi, lecturer at the Department of Performing Arts, has also been appointed chairperson of the competition’s shadow jury for both the jazz and classical categories. This position serves to capacitate and nurture young jurors to take up the baton in the future. 

For more information on the Tshwane University of Technology, please contact Willa de Ruyter, Corporate Affairs and Marketing.
Tel: +27 12 382 5352   Email: deruyterw@tut.ac.za