GARDEN ROUTE NEWS - The Carpe Musicam! Concert Orchestra celebrates its 10-year anniversary in 2025.
Sixteen instrumentalists gathered at the beginning of July 2015 for Carpe Musicam!’s first rehearsal, under the leadership of conductor Norman Carless and pianist Elsabe Barkhuizen.
The aim was to provide a safe, fun and educational space for part-time musicians in the Garden Route to hone their musical skills, to create an awareness and love for live orchestral music in the Southern Cape and to give as many young musicians as possible the chance to perform as part of an orchestra as often as possible, thus playing an important part in securing the future of mainstream orchestral music in the area.
To mark 10 years of seizing the music, Carpe Musicam! will be giving four concert series made up almost entirely of music played over the last 10 years.
Choosing pieces was difficult as their repertoire exceeds 500 items, all custom orchestrated for the group by conductor Norman Carless.
More than 200 musicians have played with Carpe Musicam! during the last 10 years and the orchestra presently has over 50 players, ranging from the semi-virtuosic to the inexperienced.
A good 40% of orchestra members are under 25 years of age and they rub shoulders with musicians of all ages and skill levels.
Old and young have learnt from one another.
Every rehearsal becomes a sort of master class and the players’ personal skills tend to improve remarkably.
All members are part-time musicians and professional players are never brought in for performances.
Additionally, all soloists are drawn from the orchestra’s ranks.
The orchestra gives between 12 and 14 performances per year – far more than any similar community group in the country, and the repertoire is made up almost entirely of non-classical music.
In 2017 the Carpe Musicam! Choir was formed and in 2022 the seeds of what is now known as the Carpe Musicam! Pops Band were sown.
This group of less skilled musicians - formed around a nucleus of orchestra members - came to full bloom in 2024 as a wind and string band, giving a handful of standalone concerts, all of which garnered great praise.
Carpe Musicam! can also field smaller groups for special occasions.
Their sextet and trio are well-established but other instrumentations are possible due to Carpe Musicam!’s large pool of talent.
Any orchestra is only as good as its audience.
The support of local music lovers has contributed greatly to Carpe Musicam!’s development and success.
Anybody interested in becoming part of Carpe Musicam!, may make enquiries via the website, www.carpemusicam.co.za.
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