A meeting of extraordinary musical talent filled the St Andrew’s College Drill Hall on Monday 26 May, in a farewell concert for world-class pianist, Mariel Ilusorio.
A meeting of extraordinary musical talent filled the St Andrew’s College Drill Hall on Monday 26 May, in a farewell concert for world-class pianist, Mariel Ilusorio.
Ilusorio has been a part of Grahamstown's classical music landscape for the past 10 years. She and husband Juan Munoz initiated the 'Juan, Mariel and Friends' series of concerts.
Added to the offerings of the Grahamstown Music Society, the 'Friends' regularly gave local music lovers quality, classical fare. It was friends and young talent nurtured by Munoz and Ilusorio who joined with them this week to give the city a memorable farewell.
Special guest artist was well-known South African cellist, Marian Lewin. Ilusorio related how it had long been her dream to play with Lewin. When she first heard Lewin play, she knew they had to play together, and finally they did. Lewin was principal cellist of the PACT orchestra for 25 years and cellist of the Alma Musica Piano Trio for 34 years. At present, she is a member of the Hemanay Trio, I Grande Violoncelliste (a six-cello ensemble), and the Festival Trio.
The concert opened with Maria-Theresia von Paradis' Sicilienne for Cello and Piano and Moszkowski’s Guitarre. Munoz (violin), Tessa Campbell (violin), Nick Fidler (viola) and Lewin then performed Saint-Saëns's Piano Quintet in A minor and Dvořák’s Piano Quintet No 2 in A Major.
Campbell has been involved in the South African National Youth Orchestra, where she has served as leader of the orchestra, the Franschoek Chamber Music Workshop, ECPO, Stellenbosch Chamber Music Festival, and MIAGI (with whom she will be touring to Europe this year). In her matric year at Kingswood College, she has been Munoz's pupil for nine years.
Fidler studied viola at Rhodes University with Munoz and completed his Honours degree in Music Performance with distinction in 2013. He frequently performs with the ECPO and SANYO and has played in master classes at the Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival. Fidler is currently enrolled for his Master's degree in Music Performance at NMMU under the tutelage of Elizabeth Rennie.
The programme choice was inspired and allowed for energetic, powerful and emotive performances. The hall played its part, providing warm, rich acoustics.
Ilusorio will return to her family in the Philippines on 1 June. There she will continue to teach and perform.
Munoz is set to join her later. “I have to go on giving, otherwise it is difficult to find inspiration,” Ilusorio said during a break in the performance. Her parting from Grahamstown was as her arrival – a gift.
