Preview: Belgian conductor Rik Ghesquière, will make his Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra debut with two concerts – on September 15 and 22, 2022– at the Cape Town City Hall in the CPO’s Spring Symphony season
| Belgian conductor Rik Ghesquière, conducting two concerts, Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra When and where: September 15 and 22, 2022 – at the Cape Town City Hall in the CPO’s Spring Symphony season Tickets: R150 to R350. Subscriptions- 10 per cent discount. Direct booking link: https://tickets.computicket.com/event/spring_symphonies_at_the_city_hall/7191706 and from Artscape Dial-A-Seat 021 421 7695 Info: shirley@cpo.org.za |
Thrilling news is that Belgian conductor, Rik Ghesquière is making his debut with the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra, with two concerts, on September 15 and 22, 2022 – at the Cape Town City Hall – as part of the CPO’s Spring Symphony season. Ghesquière has selected the Franck Symphony for A Taste of Belgium, for the concert on September 15. It looks like an incredible programme and so does the programme on September 16. Flemish violinist Jolente de Maeyer will be playing in the first concert. It is wonderful to see the support by the Government of Flanders, which makes these concerts possible. Read on for more. Info as supplied:
Rik Ghesquière will conduct two concerts in Cape Town
The Belgian conductor Rik Ghesquière will make his Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra debut with two concerts – on September 15 and 22, 2022 – at the Cape Town City Hall in the CPO’s Spring Symphony season.
The first concert, A Taste of Belgium, features the Franck Symphony with two works by the Flemish composer August de Boeck, Dahomeyan Rhapsody and the Romantic Violin Concerto. The Flemish violinist Jolente De Maeyer is playing at the first concert. The second concert features the South African premiere of Phoenix Reborn, a triple concerto for violin, cello and piano, written by Dutch virtuoso violinist Tim Kliphuis. Kliphuis will be joined by two leading South African musicians – cellist Peter Martens and pianist Charl du Plessis as the soloists. In the same programme the CPO will perform Kevin Houben’s Legend of a Giant for alto saxophone, with Liam Burden.
Ghesquière will also direct the CPO in its premiere performance of Leonard Bernstein’s On the Waterfront Symphonic Suite as well as Candide. The concerts are supported by the Government of Flanders.
Flemish conductor Rik Ghesquière studied conducting with Lucas Vis, Frank Shipway and Norbert Nozy and followed a masterclass with Sylvain Cambreling in Mainz. In 2000, he graduated from the Royal Conservatory of Brussels with a diploma in conducting.
Ghesquière is a versatile artist who builds on his extensive experience as a musician in the Brussels Philharmonic, the former Flemish Radio Orchestra. This allows him to present an impressive repertoire, from classical to contemporary. As a conductor, Rik Ghesquière enjoys working with voices. This has resulted in the integral performances of The Magic Flute, Le Nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni and Don Pasquale, and concert performances of La Bohème and Madama Butterfly.
In 2018, Rik Ghesquière was appointed conductor of BOENK!, the Brussels Young Philharmonic. This younger brother of the Brussels Philharmonic – where Ghesquière has been active as a trumpeter since 1985 – aims to give a new impulse to the youth orchestra landscape in Flanders.
Rik Ghesquière is also artistic director of the professional ORFEO Chamber Orchestra and conductor of the Flemish Brabant Symphony Orchestra and De Lier Symphony Orchestra. In 2016 he made his debut as guest conductor of the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra in Thailand and in 2018 conducted in Nashville in the US. He is a guest conductor of the Chamber Orchestra La Passione, the Gauteng Philharmonic Orchestra and South Africa’s Windworx Orchestra, as well the opera company Stichting Klein Podium in The Netherlands and the Philharmonie Thüringen Gotha in Germany. He will also make his debut with the Stellenbosch University Symphony Orchestra on this tour. He is also active as a guest at international festivals such as the Flanders Festival, Europalia and has been part of the International Chamber Music Festival in Stellenbosch.
Tickets for both concerts are at Computicket terminals and online and from Artscape Dial-A- Seat 021 421 7695.
✳ Sponsored content. Featured image: Belgian conductor Rik Ghesquière is making his Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra debut with two concerts – September 15 and 22, 2022- as part of the CPO’s Spring Symphony season. Images supplied.
