Ms Catherine Foxcroft
Ms. Catherine Foxcroft [BMus (UCT), UPLM (UNISA), Kunstlerische Ausbildung (Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hannover Germany), Kammermusikdiplom (HMTH), Konzertexamen (HMTH)] is senior lecturer in piano and chamber music at the Department of Music and Musicology at Rhodes University.
Catherine Foxcroft is considered to be one of South Africa's finest young pianists. She graduated from UCT with a BMus (Performers') in 1990. As a student of Laura Searle at U.C.T., she was a frequent prizewinner at national competitions and was engaged professionally as soloist with all the symphony orchestras in South Africa. In 1991, she was awarded the Performers' Overseas Scholarship from UNISA and the Jules Kramer Overseas Scholarship from UCT. This enabled her to study with the renowned pianist and teacher Arie Vardi from 1991 to 2000 at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Hannover, Germany. Here she completed the Künstlerische Ausbildung (1993), Kammermusikdiplom (1994) and the Konzertexamen (2000) with distinction. During this time she was a distinguished semi-finalist and finalist at international piano and chamber music competitions in the USA, Czech.Rep, Germany, Austria, Greece and Italy.
While residing in Germany, she accompanied the classes of Prof. Klaus Becker (oboe), Prof. Felix Renngli (flute) and Prof. Klaus Thunemann (bassoon). An accomplished chamber musician, she performed in the prestigious Beethovenhalle in
Bonn, appeared with the Leinau Ensemble in the West Deutsche Radio in Cologne, andperformed regularly with the international piano quartet, Quartet Anglais.
Catherine performed as soloist with several orchestras in Europe such as the Ottenia Philharmonic Orchestra di Craiova, Moscow Philharmonic, Orchester der HMTH Germany, Povuvia Philharmonic and the Kammerorchester Goslar. She is engaged as a concerto soloist frequently in SA, appearing between 2006 and 2009 with the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra, Johannesburg Festival Orchestra, Free State Symphony Orchestra and Eastern Cape Philharmonic Orchestra. She appears nationally and internationally in recital, mostly recently in a tour of SA and Zimbabwe (2008). In 2001 and 2004, she gave solo recitals on board the Maxim Gorky, a Russian/German cruise ship which was touring the USA, Canada, Europe and Russia.
Still an active chamber musician, Catherine performed with the Odeion and Sontonga quartets in 2006. She is also frequently invited to give masterclasses. She was presented by Rhodes University in a series of chamber masterclasses (2005) and was invited to be on the faculty at the Stellenbosch University International Piano Symposium in 2006 and 2008. Ms Foxcroft is a sought after adjudicator and has been a jury member at several prestigious national competitions, such as the ABSA National Music Competition (2006), Eastern Cape Youth Music Competition (2008), the UNISA National Piano Competition (2007), UNISA Overseas scholarship (2008) and SAMRO Overseas scholarship (2009). She has recorded for the SABC, Radio Telifis (Ireland), Nord Deutsche Radio and the West Deutsche Radio (Germany). Her CD recordings and live recordings are broadcast frequently on FMR and SAfm in South Africa.
Ms. Foxcroft is senior lecturer in piano and chamber music at the Department of Music and Musicology at Rhodes University in South Africa.
“Sure footedness in the first and delicate phrasing in the second movement by Foxcroft made for an absolutely breathtaking musical experience, only to be completely blown away later by the sheer mastery and brilliance of her craft in the third movement” Prokofiev Piano Concerto No 3 National Arts Festival Review Grahamstown 2009.
“Foxcroft and Gueller delivered an exhilarating account of the movement and the enthusiastic audience response was wholly merited.” Prokofiev Piano Concert oNo 3 Deon Irish Cape Times Cape Town 2009.
“Foxcroft provided a glorious, staggeringly uninhibited performance “Prokofiev Piano Concerto No 3 George Nisbet Natal Mercury Durban.
“So briljant was haar spel dat die gehoor na die laaste noot soos een man opgespring het vir die toegejuiging” Saint Saens Piano Concerto No 2 FSSO Elretha Britz Die Volksblad Bloemfontein 2007.
South African pianist Catherine Foxcroft is hailed by critics and audiences alike as a brilliant soloist whose dynamic performances bring audiences to their feet time after time. As a student of Prof Arie Vardi, she studied, competed and performed internationally for over a decade before returning to South Africa in 2003. She frequently appears as a concerto soloist with South African orchestras, performing Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No 3 conducted by Bernhard Guellar with the Cape Philharmonic in 2009 (Cape Town and Grahamstown National Arts Festival). She also regularly gives recitals in South Africa and internationally, appearing in 2008 in a recital tour of 8 concerts from Cape Town to Harare. She has been a jury member of several prestigious national music competitions (UNISA, ABSA, SAMRO) and her students have been recognised as some of the exciting, upcoming young pianists in SA. Her CDs are broadcast regularly on FMR and SAfm. She lives in Grahamstown with her husband and young son and is employed at Rhodes Music Department as senior lecturer in piano.
On 13 June 2012, the Grahamstown Sextet (which features Foxcroft on piano) performed in the Beethoven Room - the review can be found here: http://www.grocotts.co.za/content/heres-homegrown-talent-14-06-2012
