Megan-Geoffrey Prins, from Riversdale, South Africa, has performed as soloist and collaborative artist in North America, Europe, Africa, and Hong Kong. Prins featured in various local and international piano competitions, including the Honens International Piano Competition, the Hong Kong International Piano Competition, the UNISA National and International Piano Competitions, and the Midwest International Piano Competition. Prins made his concerto debut at the age of 11. He has appeared as soloist with orchestras in Germany, the USA, Botswana, and South Africa. His performances of Rachmaninov’s Piano Concertos Nos. 2 and 3 were praised by German and South African critics for its “technical precision,” “artistic expressivity,” and “transcendent” interpretation. In 2019, Prins was named the Standard Bank Young Artist for Music. During Stellenbosch University’s centennial celebrations, Prins was listed among the one hundred most notable graduates from the institution.
Prins currently serves as full-time piano lecturer on the faculty of the University of Pretoria: School of the Arts. He studied a Masters in Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degree under Antonio Pompa-Baldi at the Cleveland Institute of Music where he was awarded the Sadie Zellen Piano Prize, the Arthur Loesser Memorial Prize, and the Maurice and Judith Kaplow Prize for Uncommon Creativity. He received a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa. Local achievements include first prizes at the UNISA 120th Anniversary Competition, the inaugural Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival Competition, the 5th UNISA National Piano Competition, the 2016 Muziq Instrumental Competition, and the 2017 SAMRO Overseas Scholarships Competition.
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Hailed by Die Burger as “Gratification for the soul”, the Amici String Quartet from Cape Town is widely regarded as one of the country’s finest chamber music ensembles.The Quartet was formed in 2006 and is the only local chamber music group to have performed for several consecutive years at the Cape Town Concert Series, receiving rave reviews on every occasion. Appearances at the Grahamstown National Arts Festival, the Bulawayo International Festival and the Stellenbosch Woordfees as well as collaborations with the likes of Leslie Howard (piano), Mirijam Contzen (violin) and Madosini (the doyenne of traditional Xhosa music) highlight their concert activity until now. The quartet is comprised of four of South Africa’s most respected string players. Suzanne Martens, first violin, is lecturer in violin and Chamber Music at Stellenbosch University as well as Guest Concertmaster of the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra. Second violinist, Petrus de Beer, combines his violin playing with his work as a proffessional DJ. Formally a principal player with the Cape Philharminic, he is now a freelancer actively involved with groups such as the Cape Town Tango Ensemble. Violist, Karin Gaertner, is much in demand as a freelance chamber musician and was principal violist in the Cape Town Symphony Orchestra for a number of years. Peter Martens, cello, is principal cellist of the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra, Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival Director and an active soloist and chamber musician.