Congratulations to our finalists:

Sulayman HUMAN
Rashalia PATHER
Caryn REED
Lezanti VAN SITTERT
Roelof TEMMINGH

Final round will take place on 28 March at 20:00 in the Endler Hall, Stellenbosch

In 1983 the South African piano manufacturer Dietman proposed a sponsorship for the promotion of the performing arts to the Wellington Music Society, through their contact with Dr Manie Rust. It was decided to use the funds to start a new piano competition. Joan de Villiers (chair of the Wellington Music Society) contacted Hannelie Prinsloo, André Serfontein and Bennie van Eeden to serve with her as founding members of the Dietman Piano Competition. The first competition was held in 1984 with Virginia Fortesque, Bennie van Eeden and Cecilia Lourens as judges. In later years John Roos, Juliana de Villiers, James May, Hendrik Hofmeyr, Johan de Klerk, Ian Smith, Ruth Goveia en Mari Gerdes served on the panel.

The year 1986 was marked by the untimely passing of one of South Africa’s most influential musicians. It was decided that the Dietman Piano Competition will be renamed in memory of Hennie Joubert to the Hennie Joubert Piano Competition. Subsequently the competition has grown into the most prestigious piano competition for South African youth. Previous contestants reads like a “who’s who” of the South African music industry.

The competition was first held in the Goodnow Hall of the then Wellington Teacher’s College. Initially the final round was performed with a second piano in the Wellington Town Hall. Later the final round was moved to the Endler Hall in Stellenbosch and performed with orchestra. After 20 years the competition temporarily came to a halt. In 2011 André Serfontein who acted as competition organizer over many years, contacted the Department of Music at Stellenbosch University, who decided to continue the competition as part of the biennial Piano Symposium. Through the generous sponsorship of the Rupert Music Foundation, Yamaha and Global Music, the 2012 Hennie Joubert Piano Competition was once more announced, with a founding member: Bennie van Eeden, serving on the panel of judges.

* first prize winners