MUSIC


MUSIC LUNCH HOURS
The March programme of free lunch-hour concerts presented by the music department of the University of Natal in the Howard College Theatre at 12h15 is as follows:
Mar 4: Soul Centric. Winner of the 1995 JPS Indian Ocean Jazz Festival competition, this hot jazz outfit consists of Dusty Cox (saxophone), Miltos Cox (vocals), Melvin Peters (piano), Lex Futshane (bass) and Shaun Peterson (drums)



Mar 11: Steelband in the Park. From the West Indies the band from Sacred Heart Secondary School echo the unique vibe of steel drums - instruments made out of 44-gallon oil drums are said to sound "somewhere between a guitar, a piano and an organ"



The venue for this concert will be the Jubilee Gardens (below Howard College). The audience is invited to bring chairs or cushions. (In the event of rain, the venue will be the Students' Union Hall)



Mar 18:
Vijay Luxmi - this popular singer appears in a programme of South Indian classical, light and popular vocal music, with instrumentalists and a dancer



Mar 25: Focus on Care. A recital of 20th-century music including John Cage's Three Dances for Two, Prepared Pianos (Christine Lucia and David Smith) and Aria (Suzi Stengel)



For more information, contact Sally Hodges on 260-3353

NBS SUNSET PROMS
The NPO can be heard at Durban's Village Green on March 24 in another popular Sunset Proms concert sponsored by NBS Bank. Ticket prices are between R10 and R15




SPOOKHOUSE MUSIC
The Spookhouse is a rambling old home in Queensburgh, belonging to Gisele Turner. The concept is to provide good music, food and company in an informal and hospitable atmosphere



Emzantsi plays on March 3

The Spookhouse started in July 1994 and has hosted a broad cross-section of bands from young original groups (Famous Curtain Trick, Landscape Prayers, Interitmo Drummers) to Afrofusion ensembles (Mosaic, Skokiana, Simba (Richard Haslop, Steve Fataar, Mike Smith), all providing a laid-back venue for people who aren't club orientated



The featured band plays its first set, then Gisele serves an interesting and varied meal, after which the band plays on. Held on a Sunday night, usually the first Sunday of the month, such occasions are said to be a fine way to wind down the weekend



EMZANTSI
On March 3, Emzantsi, a unique jazz-fusion band who were runners-up at the JPS Festival in 1995, will blow listeners away. Also on offer is Plat Provencal (a platter of selected provincial salads and three-apple sponge cake, with cream). The doors open at 18h45 and the cost is R35 per adult (students R25). Gisele can be contacted on 44-5871




JONATHAN OSHRY
The Friends of Music Society will present a piano recital by Jonathan Oshry at the Durban Jewish Club on March 5 at 19h45



Twenty-year-old Jonathan began his music studies in 1985 under Janet Rubin and is currently studying at the University of Natal under Isabella Stengel. He has won numerous awards including the du Toit van Tonder scholarship and the Robert Clough scholarship as well as two SAMRO bursaries and numerous other top prizes in national music competitions



Jonathan has participated in master classes with renowned pianists such as Christopher Elton, Neil Immelman, Michael Schaffer, Bela Siki and Ledon Bates. He has appeared as soloist with the Durban City, Capab and Natal Philharmonic Orchestras. He plays frequently in lunch-hour conc

lso performs regularly for the SABC as part of their pre-recorded and live broadcast programmes and recently achieved a distinction in his UNISA Performer's Licentiate and the Trinity ATCL diploma examination.

His forthcoming engagements for 1996 include a performance of Rachmaninoff's Third Piano Concerto with the NPO and the National Youth Orchestra



He will perform works by Rachmaninoff at his Friends of Music recital as well as pieces by Chopin and Prokofiev




ROCOCO CHAMBER ORCHESTRA
presents Soprano
HEIDEMARIE LUBBE
and
DURBAN CHAMBER CHOIR


OCEAN JAZZ FESTIVAL
The 1820 Association of South Africa will host the second annual JPS sponsored Indian Ocean Jazz Festival in Durban at the Bat Centre from August 8 to 11 with heats starting in June



Organiser is local musician Dan Chiorboli and following the success of last year's festival the same two elements will feature - performances by local and international jazz artists, and a national jazz competition



HEATS
Although the festival will be nation-wide with competition heats held in Cape Town and Johannesburg's Megamusic complex, three of the heats and the headlining events will all be in KZN either at the Centre for Jazz at the University of Natal (Durban), Pinetown's Rainbow Restaurant or Pietermaritzburg's Duke's Jazz Club



The competition finals will be held at the BAT Centre for a total of R30 000 prize money for the top four bands



PERFORMANCE
The performance aspect of the JPS Indian Ocean Jazz Festival promises to be bigger and better this year. A host of major international artists and bands eager to play in South Africa have been approached. Negotiations are presently underway with artists from the USA, Brazil, France, West Africa, Zimbabwe and Kenya



For further information phone 368-3316




GERMAN GROUP
On March 23 at 18h30, the Durban Music and Ballet School at 133 Hartley Road in Overport will host an ensemble concert including a visiting German group. Music School performers include an excellent string ensemble as well r details phone 207-3497


RAINBAT MUSIC
The RainBat music project, announced last month, is designed to promote local African jazz and indigenous music



The RainBat music project is the brainchild of a collective comprising the Bartel Arts Trust and the Rainbow Restaurant, who have jointly provided the infrastructure and venues, and Soundcrew who offers technical facilities and expertise. The Blue Chip Cafe at BAT will assist in identifying aspirant musicians to perform in the season



OVERDUE
"This concept is long overdue for this region," said the Rainbow's Ben Pretorius. "Gauteng and the Cape have strong music infrastructures with festivals and venues supporting live music. Although there are pockets of support and opportunities for local music in this region, nothing has been formalised to nurture up-and-coming talent and at the same time provide a platform for top notch national artists.
PROMISING
"A promising local band will be identified and promoted to open the concerts - which will be the development component of this project. RainBat aims to create a regular major music platform to be shared by major names in the music industry ad local artists." The project aims to host music gigs every month-end. Friday and Saturday evening gigs will be at the BAT Centre with Sund are also negotiating a link-up with a Pietermaritzburg venue



JAZZ
The band Umzantsi, JPS Jazz Festival runners-up, has been booked for March 1 with Jabu and Bayete expected later



Contact Vusi Mchunu (BAT) on 32-0451, Ben Pretorius (Rainbow Restaurant) on 72-9161 or Chris Parkin (Soundcrew) on 304-2274




VIVALDI FEAST
The Durban Rococo Chamber Orchestra and the Durban Chamber Choir will present a chamber music concert on March 17 at 15h00 in the University of Durban/Westville's music recital hall



Main attraction will be the Cape Town soprano, Heidemarie Lubbe, heard in Durban in two different performances of Handel's Messiah last year. The distinguished soprano will sing works by famous Baroque composers, the two major works in the concert being In Furore, the motet for soprano and string orchestra by Vivaldi, and the Gloria for soprano, mezzo soprano, choir and orchestra by Vivaldi



Other works to be performed will be two concerti grossi by Vivaldi and Handel, an aria by J S Bach for solo soprano, solo violin and basso continuo as well as a solo cantata by Telemann for solo soprano and solo recorder



Concertmaster is Hristo Kardjiev, the concertmaster of the NPO.
The choir is conducted by David Smith and the general direction is by Helmut Neddens



Tickets available by phoning 25-7952, 86-7826 or 266-9297




PRIZE WINNERS
The SA Society of Music Teachers (SASMT) Prize Winners' Concert will be held on March 23 at



Each year the Durban branch of the Society awards prizes to those pupils of members who gain top marks in the UNISA, Royal Schools and Trinity College music exams and the UNISA Grade 6 theory exam



The concert affords these prize-winners an opportunity to perform in public. Any SASMT members who wish their pupils to perform at this concert should contact Rose Matier on 29-5111 Ext 202 (business) or 86-2727 (a/h) by March 16



NPO SERIES The March concerts in the Natal Philharmonic Orchestra's 1966 World Sym- phony Series start with world-acclaimed soprano Katia Ricciarelli singing operatic arias on March 7. The programme also includes Beethoven's Symphony No 7



This concert in the Durban City Hall at 19h30 will be repeated in the Pietermaritzburg City Hall on March 12. Both concerts are conducted by Sidney Harth



Ms Ricciarelli, well-known for her leading roles in Verdi and Puccini works, replaces Montserrat Caballe whose visit to South Africa has had to be postponed



Sidney Harth also conducts the concert on March 14 when the soloist, Raphael Wallfisch, will perform Elgar's Cello Concerto in E minor. Weber's overture, Der Freischutz, and Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade make up the programme



The Lucerne Festival Strings with conductor Paul Baumgartner performs Bach's Concerto in D minor for 2 Violins, Pachelbel's Canon in D, Boccherini's Cello Concerto in D minor, Mozart's Adagio and Fugue in C minor, Schoek's Summer Night and Telemann's Don Quixote on March 23 at the Playhouse Opera. The concert will be at 19h30 and forms part of the World Symphony series



SPLASHY FEN The ever-popular Splashy Fen music festival will be held from May 1 to 5 in the Drakensberg



The event offers three days of hot South African music in five days of scenic camping. There will be a flea market and food stalls as well as entertainment for children



Book at Computicket or your local folk club. For information, phone Bart Fokkens on 23-9812



MUSIC AWARD The winner of the 1996 Standard Bank Young Artist Award for Music is bass player, singer, producer, arranger and composer Victor Masondo



Victor Masondo"He's a jazz musician who plays a great bass line but also understands pop, gospel and other types of music. He's exceptionally versatile and always ready to experiment, in fact he is always looking for new avenues," comments festival committee member and well-known singer, Sibongile Khumalo



MUSICAL Victor, who has been the musical director for the Shell Road to Fame competition for the past two years, was born in Durban 30 years ago into a musical family, one of six children who all sang and played musical instruments. His father, a pastor, was a guitarist and Masondo's main teacher. "He was my mentor, my adviser and my friend. He laid all the foundations for me," the young musician says



After completing his schooling, he enrolled at the University of Natal University for a BMus degree, majoring in jazz performance as a student of Darius Brubeck. While at university, he travelled around America in 1987, performing with Darius's famous father, Dave Brubeck. The group played at a major jazz education conference in Atlanta where they carried off the top prizes



GRADUATING After graduating, Victor started playing with the band, Friends First, and made his second trip to America with them



In Johannesburg in 1991, he produced the first album Miriam Makeba made in South Africa after her return from exile. The following year he met and performed with the legendary Dizzy Gillespie in Europe and America



In South Africa he has worked with Ray Phiri, Lucky Dube, Johnny Clegg, Stimela, Sibongile Khumalo and Tsepo Tshola. He has also recorded and performed Johannes Kerkorrel, Ge Korsten and Nico Carstens



SOPRANO RECITAL Well-known Durban singer and teacher, Colleen Philp, will give a public exami nation recital at the University of Natal's Howard College Theatre on March 2 at 19h30. This is in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Music (Performance). She will be accompanied by lecturer David Smith on piano/harpsichord. Clarinettist Ashley Ross, a small chamber ensemble and the Durban Chamber Choir will also feature on the programme



Works include Schubert's Shepherd on the Rock, and arias by Puccini, Vivaldi, Handel, Mozart, Debussy and others



EXTENSIVE Colleen Philp has undertaken extensive concert and oratorio work throughout South Africa and has broadcast for the SABC for more than 20 years. In 1990 she toured Germany, performing in many cities. She is in much demand as a teacher of singing, many of her students having gone on to perform professionally. She currently lectures in Voice and Method at the Universities of Natal and Durban-Westville



Tickets at the door R10 (students R5). Enquiries: 260-3353






ASPIRANT
Funky's Saturday afternoon jam sessions - These are held each week from 13h00 until 17h00-ish. To aspirant musicians who want to gain some exposure and experience Funky's is offering its stage and sound system. For more information call Lou on 37-3061

ART BY THE SEA
The open-air art exhibition Art by the Sea will be held on March 10 and 24 at the Old Pavilion Site on the Snell Parade. Proceeds to Durban Child Welfare Society