Meet the New Staff Marisa Marchio - Hugo Lambrechts

MARIA DU TOIT
Principal clarinettist of the Cape Philharmonic
Orchestra in Cape Town (since 2002), Maria du
Toit is not only recognised as a distinguished
orchestral musician, but indeed as one of South
Africa’s finest solo instrumentalists.
Her musical training began with piano lessons
at the age of 8, and at age 15 she started playing
the clarinet at the Hugo Lambrechts music centre
in Cape Town. From 1996 to 1999 she studied
music at the University of Stellenbosch under
the tutelage of Jim Reinders, where she was
awarded just about every possible study prize,
merit bursary and academic award available at
the university (including the Molteno prize for
the best first year music student and the
Konservatorium Stipendium for the best overall
music student).
After completing a bachelor’s degree in solo
clarinet cum laude (University of Stellenbosch)
and a Performer’s Licentiate with highest honours
(University of South Africa), she was accepted
to study at the Manhattan School of Music in
New York, where she studied clarinet under
David Krakauer (2000). She was appointed first
10
The Brass Department hosted a Brass
Ensemble Concert on 11 May in the
Auditorium. The Hugo Lambrechts Brass
Quintet performed alongside the Stellenbosch
University Brass Ensemble, under
the auspices of Sean Kierman, as well as
the Stellenbosch University Jazz Band,
conducted by Felicia Lesch.
The audience was entertained with brass
music from different genres and styles, of
which one of the highlights of the evening
was the performance of the Allegro from
the Double Trumpet Concerto by Antonio
Vivaldi with Yvonne-Marié Brand and
Boris Oppliger as soloists.
clarinet of the school’s two top orchestras, the
MSM Symphony and the MSM Chamber
Sinfonia. Moving on to Europe, she studied
with Bas de Jong at the Utrecht Conservatoire
(Netherlands, 2000/2001) and finally with Bulgarian
clarinet legend Petko Radev in Sofia
(Bulgaria, 2003, 2004, 2006).
2012 is off to a good start for Maria – having
already played five concerto performances by
the beginning of March! In February she had
three performances of the Stephenson Concertino
with the World Doctor’s Orchestra, and
shortly after that she played two performances
of the Mozart Concerto with the Johannesburg
Philharmonic Orchestra. For the latter she was
engaged a mere two days before the first
performance, as she had to stand in for Michael
Collins who fell ill.
April was a very busy month for Maria as she
performed six concerts in as many different cities
in Holland with the Netherlands Student Chamber
Orchestra (Mozart Concerto). In the same month
her new cd “Luminous Shade” was released. On
this exciting disc she teams up with the much
celebrated pianist Nina Schumann for the
TwoPianists record label to perform works by
Benjamin, Bozza, Martino, Rheinberger and
more. A definite MUST for every aspiring
clarinetist!!!
In June and July Maria was back in Holland for
three performances of the Nielsen Concerto with
the Atheneum Chamber Orchestra, and on the
28th of July she and Nina Schumann had a
recital in the Baxter Concert Hall in Cape Town,
performing the repertoire on their new cd.
In August Maria was once again featured as the
soloist in the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra’s
Symphony Season, playing the Solo de Concours
by Messager and Debussy’s Premiere Rhapsody
under the baton of the brilliant maestro Arjan
Tien.
Apart from her full-time position in the Cape
Philharmonic Orchestra, Maria du Toit is also a
part-time lecturer of clarinet at the University of
Stellenbosch and the University Of Cape Town
College Of Music. She lives in Cape Town with
her two children, Ivan and Sofia who also started
their music careers at Hugo Lambrechts, Ivan
on bassoon and Sofia on clarinet.
FRANSCHHOEK
MOUNTAIN 2012
CHAMBER MUSIC CAMP
This year’s camp at Franschhoek was probably
the best that Andrea and I have attended so
far. We were once again fortunate enough to
receive full scholarships to attend this
magnificent course in Chamber Music and
we would like to thank the organizers for
giving us this opportunity.
At this Course you learn to play as a group,
meet new people, and boost your self-confidence.
It was great meeting up with our old
friends from the previous years who come
from all over South Africa.
The teachers play a big role in what we do as
a group. They are like parents who care a lot
for everyone and look out for us. I look up to
the teachers from Franschhoek Chamber
festival because they show us and guide us
along the way to musicianship and how to
work as a team. The faculty included Becky
Stelzner, Sarah Acres, Barbara Kennedy and
Stuart Scott.
When we received our schedules I was
anxious to know who I would be playing with
and could not wait to introduce myself. The
music I got was good but challenging which
meant that I had practice much.
Early on in the course an incident happened
to two of the participants, they had a ‘bit of
a collision’ and Andrea was one of them. She
could not play due to the accident but she
became our no1 spectator and a wonderful
audience member. All the staff wrote a card
to wish “Matthew” and “Andrea” a speedy
recovery, just to show them they care and
were thinking of them.
At the Cabaret Evening I sang a song to put
a smile on their faces named “That’s what
friends are for” and people played amazing
pieces. This evening is always hilarious
because you never know what to expect as
all the participants of the course perform an
item of their choice.
At “Bonfire” (Or rather La Boma) we all
enjoyed supper together. To add to the already
super atmosphere, the brass section decided
to entertain us with a wonderful piece.
Pictures were taken of all of us together and
the evening ended with delicious hot chocolate
and marshmallows and plenty nice
conversation.
After the first concert on Saturday evening
we are always quite sad because, this is our
last evening together as a big family. We all
went to the field and looked up at the stars
and made the best of the night. It is sad that
it couldn’t last forever but, a part of us will
always stay at Franschhoek (till next year!)
Before our last concert we have a tradition
where we all go to town, buy milkshakes and
the matric campers have the privilege to give
a speech. I wanted to make a speech but I
have to wait my turn! Hope to see all my old
friends and more centre faces back there next
year.
Tarren Pedro