Concerts Connect

OAK is a community initiative to promote the performing arts in the Overstrand.

The Cape Town Concert Series was founded in 1955, under the name of the Cape Town Concert Club, by Hans Kramer, his wife Greta, and businessman Boris Canin, to provide a platform in the Mother City for the finest international artists before the public at that time, artists whose recordings were available at Hans Kramer’s famous Home of Music in Long Street, the city’s largest (and, at one time, only) retailer of classical recordings. Admission to its performances was by membership only. In 1997, the Concert Club was renamed the Cape Town Concert Series, and its presentations are now enjoyed by both subscriber and non-subscriber music lovers alike in Cape Town and its environs. Since its inception, the Concert Club/Concert Series has presented 693 recitals, most of the performers coming from abroad, but not exclusively so. Click here to see a full list of the artists presented. Today, as one of South Africa’s leading and most prestigious chamber music organisations, the Cape Town Concert Series provides a platform where the finest South African talents from all sections of our country’s diverse communities are presented alongside the best on offer from the international community.

Having grown up in a family where every one of us five Schumann sisters plus parents played on average two instruments each, I was exposed to the magic of music from early on. It taught me discipline and perseverance. It brought me immense joy - how shall I ever forget my first symphony orchestra rehearsal under conductor Eric Rycroft where the explosion of sounds gave me goose bumps? But being surrounded by such musical brilliance also made me accept that my career choices would have to be found elsewhere.

Fast-forward to 2009. We finally owned a beautiful piano, and wanted to provide a platform for top-class musicians to perform in a more intimate setting, and for the audience to be able to engage with the artists over a glass of wine. That often meant that talented guests also became musicians over the course of the evening!

For the past decade, we have held an annual soirée at our house for 70-80 people per concert to support the arts, with musicians ranging from Nina Schumann, Luis Magalhães, Ben Schoeman, Niël Rademan, Ilse Schumann, Anmari van der Westhuizen, Megan-Geoffrey Prins and Andrew Gilbert. The next concert planned for May 2020 was going to be with the Drakensburg Old Boys Choir, the gold medal winners at the World Choir Games in 2018 (male chamber choir section). They had been preparing to take part in the 2020 World Choir Games in Belgium, which has now been postponed to 2021 due to Covid-19.

Katinka Schumann & Theunis Bester

The Montagu Music Society has been in existence since the 1980s. The Society arranges regular concerts during the year, given by local and international artists. These concerts are held in the wonderfully evocative atmosphere of the Old Mission Church, part of the Montagu Museum complex in Long Street.

In January the Music Society hosts a highlight with which to start the year: an annual fundraiser Sunset Concert in the lovely surroundings of the Montagu Nature Garden, with the majestic Langeberge as a backdrop.

The Society has a small but loyal and enthusiastic audience that has played a large role in keeping this part of the town's cultural activities alive, and highly appreciates the world-class performers who have graced our small-town stage.

The Fish Hoek Friends of Music was started in 1960 by Ethyne Seftel and the inaugural concert was on the 11th October featuring the Cape Town City Orchestra.

It is the only organisation of its kind in Cape Town. The objective is to bring fine music to the area in six concerts a year. We encourage the public to become subscribers to ensure a solid base of support. The concerts are held in the Fish Hoek Civic Centre in Central Circle that can seat up to 200 patrons. We strive to pay performers market related fees and to keep our ticket prices affordable, but have the aim of making a profit so that the surplus funds can be donated to the Fish Hoek Music Bursary Trust or any other musical cause approved by the trustees.

Funds have been donated to the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra, the Cape Town Opera School and the Ocean View Youth Band Music Project amongst others, but the bursary is the main beneficiary.

More than 45 years after Sasol donated the Etienne Rousseau Theatre to the community of Sasolburg to commemorate its 25th year in existence, Sasol is doing extensive renovations at the theatre to restore this award winning building to the fully operational cultural centre that brought the best local and international performing artists to Sasolburg for many years.

Designed as a multi-purpose theatre, the venue has staged distinguished and varied national and international productions of drama, opera, ballet and various styles of music over the years. Some of the world-renowned artists who have appeared on the stage of the Etienne Rousseau Theatre over the years include the international legends flamenco guitarist Paco Pena, classical pianist Jorge Bolet, jazz and pop pianist Horst Jankowski, "The Man With the Golden Flute” James Galway and classical pianist Mark Zeltser.

A large foyer provides space for interaction with fellow patrons and small functions. The area can also be used for art exhibitions or even puppet shows.

The auditorium seats 456, arranged in such a way that there are no isles in the theatre. Three rows are serviced by dedicated entrance on both sides to ensure adequate access to seats.

The stage has an area of 14,5m by 12m to accommodate fairly large productions such as ballet and opera, while the two wings provide ample space for performers and stage sets.

The orchestra pit can house 40 musicians and has storage space for a grand piano.

A hospital dedicated entirely to children – especially children predominantly from impoverished communities throughout South Africa and Africa – is critically important. So important, that it needs a champion to make sure that it’s able to keep doing the phenomenal work it does. The Children’s Hospital Trust is an independent non-profit organization established in 1994 to raise funds to support specific projects and programmes to help advance child healthcare through the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital – the first stand-alone tertiary hospital, exclusively for children, in sub-Saharan Africa. The Trust raises funds for the upgrade and expansion of the Hospital’s buildings, the purchase of state-of-the-art medical equipment, new medical treatment programmes and funds the training of medical professionals across Africa – ensuring that the Hospital not only retains its world-class stature, but is able to continue providing life-changing and life-saving care for children. The Trust relies on donations in order to fund these needs. When you donate to the Trust, 100% of your donation goes towards funding projects and programmes that change children’s lives (and the lives of the people who love them). The operational costs of the Trust are funded from an endowment, so your generous contributions are never used to cover administration costs.