The Beau Soleil Woodwind Department offers students the exceptional opportunity to study with nationally known teachers specializing in the full complement of Woodwind instruments, including flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon and saxophone. Students can expect individual attention, high standards and a supportive learning environment. Our students work with a professional accompanist on repertoire throughout the year and have a wide range of opportunities to perform.
Each student is challenged to develop his or her own musicianship to the highest degree while following individual goals. Wind ensembles, stage band, chamber music opportunities and master classes with guest artists broaden the musical boundaries for woodwind students at Beau Soleil.
Beau Soleil’s reputation for excellence attracts students from around the Peninsula, enhancing the overall educational experience of music students.
Jessica Clarke Feature
Jessica Clarke is a student at Beau Soleil Music School where she has studied flute with Derek Fennell since 2018. She picked up the flute for the first time at age 13, in 2015, and thereafter completed several Trinity and ABRSM graded flute exams with distinction. At Beau Soleil she was placed as first flute for the Senior Band and has participated in many ensemble concerts and chamber music concerts. In 2018 she received the Beau Soleil progress prize for senior woodwinds. In 2019 she attended the Franschhoek Chamber Music Festival and the Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival, where she participated in an informal masterclass with Demarre McGill. She joined the Cape Philharmonic Youth Wind Ensemble in 2019 and was made first flute in 2020. During the pandemic she participated in an online flute forum where she challenged herself to make weekly videos of her flute playing while she could not reach live audiences.
Jessica grew up in a musical home, showing love for the arts as a child. In her teenage years, she began to take special interest in music, discovering her passion for flute. Jessica is grateful for the comfort and support that listening to music has provided for her throughout the years. She hopes to comfort others with her playing. She believes that music has ability to connect and inspire audiences and she hopes that music will always be a part of her life. Her dreams include finding her niche in the artistic world, travelling to different countries, and becoming fluent in a foreign language. She hopes to study music further.
Please click on the titles below which will take you two solo performances by Jessica.
JS Bach Sonata no. 6 in E major, BWV1035 1st movt: Adagio ma non tanto
Edwin York Bowen Flute Sonata Op.120, 3rd movt: Allegro con fuoco
International Double Reed Society
John Rojas recently returned from giving concerts in Granada, Spain at the invitation of the International Double Reed Society representing South Africa at this year’s conference. The program consisted of works by South African composers as well as arrangements of Afrikaans and African folk songs. Pictured with Mr Rojas is his pianist-wife Maria Elizabeth Bezuidenhout.
SAX IMPROV WORKSHOP
Hosted by Per Thornberg (Sweden)
In collaboration with the Cape Town Big Band Jazz Festival 20th Anniversary
Date: Friday 23 February
Time: 14h30 – 17h00
Venue: SACS High School
Newlands Avenue, Newlands
RSVP: email ctbigbandjazzfest@gmail.com
or Ann 082 451 3696
Bring your instrument
2017 National Saxophone Symposium
The 2017 National Saxophone Symposium came to Cape Town recently and was hosted by Matthew Lombard (USA) and Justin Bellairs who headed the Classical and Jazz workshops respectively. The attendees learned everything from sound production and technique development to jazz sax setups, turnarounds and bebop articulation. The artists also impressed in their afternoon recital and evening concert. The highlight was a Massed Saxophone Orchestra made up of all the participants which closed the evening.
Youth Day 2017
The Beau Soleil Woodwind Quintet recently performed at the Iziko South African National Gallery Annexe at the invitation of the Western Cape Education Department. Members included Lily van der Merwe (flute), Elizabeth Bentley (oboe), Kirsten Stabrey (clarinet), Carin Donson (horn) and Timothy Everson (bassoon).
Flute Concerts & Workshops
We are very fortunate to welcome back the world renowned husband and wife team of flutist Raffaele Trevisani and pianist Paola Girardi. They will be playing a number of concerts and facilitating workshops in the Cape Town area. Beau Soleil is proud to support one of our senior flute students, Lily van der Merwe. She has been selected to play for Mr Trevisani’s upcoming master classes. Please follow link for more information about this exciting 2017 South African tour.
