Combining the scintillating sounds of winds and brass and the woody warmth of the marimba is definitely an after lunch appetiser not to be missed on Sunday 14 August.
The NMMU Wind Symphony presents “Marimba and Winds” conducted by Gareth Williams and featuring South Africa’s foremost classical marimbist Magda de Vries.
The marimba is known as the “queen of mallet percussion” but this could aptly describe Magda De Vries too. Her graceful flair on stage and spontaneous enthusiasm and passion for music both on and off stage makes her one of SA’s most remarkable artists.
Born in Nelson Mandela Bay and bringing with her extensive international and national performance experience, Magda has won numerous prestige competitions both locally and abroad.
Most recently she was nominated for a Kanna Award for Best Classical Music performance at the KKNK.
Magda will perform among others, the Alfred Reed Concertino for Marimba and Winds with the NMMU Wind Symphony. This colourful piece has it all! From the beautifully visceral melodies through to a playful animated character in movement two, to driving ragtime rhythms in the finale - the piece explores intimately the entire sonic range of the marimba.
The wind symphony boasts some of SA’s finest young wind players, many of whom recently performed with the SA National Youth Orchestra in Cape Town, as well as taking part in ensembles and orchestras at the Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival.
“We are truly excited about this concert”, says Williams. “We have collaborated with Magda since 2010 and finally managed to find the right time for this piece. The audience can look forward to seeing a world class soloist perform in her hometown too, which is a treat not to be missed.”
The concert will be at 15:00 at the NMMU South Campus Auditorium.
Tickets will be on sale at the door, at R 50 for adults and R 30 for pensioners, students and scholars.
