Helderberg music society presents Michael Kevin Jones and Sjoerd Alkema in concert
British cellist Michael Kevin Jones will perform in a concert of the Helderberg Village Music Society on Sunday, October 19.
Image: Supplied
The Helderberg Village Music Society will feature British cellist Michael Kevin Jones and South African pianist Sjoerd Alkema in its latest concert on Sunday, October 19.
Mr Jones, who was born and raised in London, is a graduate of the Royal College of Music.
He studied in Germany on a government scholarship, working with leading teachers including Joan Dickson and Johannes Goritzki. Soon after, he was appointed solo cellist with major ensembles, touring across Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America.
Critics have praised his playing as “compelling and deeply expressive” (The Strad) and “a voice of rare individuality” (Gramophone).
His landmark recording of the complete Bach Cello Suites on a 1667 Stradivarius cello for the Metropolitan Museum of Art has won multiple international awards. As a chamber musician, his Jones & Maruri Cello–Guitar Duo achieved top-ten success in Asia, and he remains an artist celebrated for blending tradition with innovative ideas.
Accompanying him is Mr Alkema, a pianist, conductor, and academic. Trained at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg, Austria, where he attended masterclasses with Herbert von Karajan, he has held leading positions in South Africa as chorus master, conductor, and lecturer.
He has conducted operas such as La Traviata, Aïda, La Bohème, and musicals including The Sound of Music, and Evita. His performances of choral masterworks - from Handel’s Messiah to Haydn’s Creation - have earned him recognition for their clarity and insight.
As a pianist, he has collaborated with many South African singers, performing works by Schubert, Brahms, Rachmaninoff, and Dvořák. Reviewers have praised him as “a sensitive partner at the piano, bringing both strength and delicacy.”
South African pianist Sjoerd Alkema will also perform at the Helderberg Village, on Sunday, October 19.
Image: Supplied/ Facebook
The programme promises a captivating journey through the cello and piano repertoire, including music by Bach, Vivaldi, Beethoven, Rodrigo, Bruch, Van Goens, and the South African premiere of Grace Tin-Yen Christus’s The Dragon and the Phoenix.
The concert will start at 4pm at the Talani Terrace, Helderberg Village, and the tickets cost R130. Booking with Quicket is essential for access to the village.
For more information, contact Laurien Comyn at 082 467 0337 or Peter Searle at 082 561 3052.