Name: 5th Annual Youth Concerto Festival
Start: 2026-03-01T15:00:00+02:00
End: 2026-03-01T17:00:00+02:00
Location: AfriForum Teater

The Youth Concerto Festival returns for its fifth annual celebration! As a key initiative of the orchestra, this festival aims to nurture and promote classical music in our country. Our conductor, Jaco van Staden, believes that the Youth Concerto Festival provides young musicians with the invaluable opportunity to perform alongside a symphony orchestra, paving the way for their development as soloists. Following auditions held in November 2025, twelve exceptional soloists, aged 12 to 22, have been selected to participate. This year's festival offers an exciting glimpse into the future of our local talent, presenting a diverse program that features instruments such as Cello, Clarinet, Flute, French Horn, Piano, Saxophone, Viola, and Violin. One of the most notable items features 2025 Youth Concerto Festival participant Talita Smith, who has been selected to perform the full concerto: a captivating rendition of the complete Fantasia for Saxophone by Heitor Villa-Lobos.
Featuring performances by:
Annalette du Plessis (Violin)
Boitumelo Phaho (French Horn)
Danelle Rautenbach (Cello)
Emily Mitas (Violin)
Gabriella Claassen (Flute)
Gerhard du Preez (Viola)
Giorgia Ehlers (Cello)
Micah Strydom (Clarinet)
Philip Anspach (French Horn)
Stefan Fourie (Piano)
Talita Smith (Saxophone)
Talitha Pienaar (Flute)