A 13-year-old Meadowridge schoolboy is one of 52 young musicians from around the country who will compete in a prestigious national music competition.
The Hubert van der Spuy National Music Competition will take place from Sunday September 19 to Thursday September 23 at the Hugo Lambrechts Music Centre in Parow. There is R15 000 in prize money for the winner.
Luke Stamer, a Westerford High School pupil who attends the Beau Soleil Music Centre in Kenilworth, is one of 29 participants from the Western Cape.
Luke, who says Johann Sebastian Bach is his favourite composer, is also practising for the upcoming Trinity College London Grade 8 exam. Last year, he achieved a distinction in the Grade 7 exam.
Luke says he played the recorder in Grade 2 at Sweet Valley Primary School and he became interested in the cello when he heard a teacher playing it.
After pestering his parents for several months, they hired an instrument and sent him for private lessons. His mother, Jenee, would accompany him on the piano during some of his one-to-three hour daily practice sessions.
As for his favourite piece of music, something he aspires to perfect, Luke says it’s Yo Yo Ma playing the prelude to Bach’s Cello Suite No. 1
The Hubert van der Spuy National Music Competition is organised and presented by the Tygerberg branch of the South African Society of Music Teachers, and was inspired by member Hubert van der Spuy. The first competition took place in 1989. The final will be live streamed on Thursday September 23.