Homecoming through GMS concert

By JOHN JACKSON

It is exciting for concert-goers in this town when acclaimed musicians based outside the country perform here, especially in periods outside the National Arts Festival. And if they have grown up here, the pleasure is all the more. This was the case last year when saxophonist Adam Campbell and pianist Peter Cartwright performed to a capacity audience at NELM in the first concert of the Grahamstown Music Society’s 2108 series.

On Monday 1 April at 7.30 pm Adam Campbell will be performing, once again in the NELM auditorium and under the auspices of the GMS. This time he and three other saxophone players (from France, Italy and Japan) will be appearing as the AVENA quartet, founded in Strasbourg in 2016. Since then they have performed frequently in Europe and Japan, and have won several prestigious awards.

The programme includes works by Stravinsky, Ligeti, Lago, Gershwin and Geiss, but will also offer scope for the talents of the players as improvisers.

A special treat on this occasion will be an exhibition of oil paintings by Ashwin Pienaar. The subject matter is varied, but most of the works have some connection with his alma mater, St Andrew’s College. Refreshments will be provided during the interval.

This is an event to look forward to, in a venue which has the rare combination of excellent acoustics and comfortable seats. Attending a concert there is a bit like flying business class, except that the in-flight entertainment is live.