Prof Catherine Foxcroft
Assoc Prof Catherine Foxcroft [BMus (UCT), MMus, Diplom-Konzertsolistin (HMTMH), DMus (UP), UPLM (UNISA)] is an Associate Professor in Classical piano, Chamber music, and Music Psychology.
Currently Head of Department and Associate Professor at the Department of Music and Musicology Rhodes University, Catherine Foxcroft combines a vibrant career in music as soloist (concerto and recital), chamber musician, pedagogue, and researcher. As an undergraduate student of Laura Searle at UCT, she won prizes in the national SABC, ATKV and UNISA competitions and performed as soloist with all the South African orchestras. From 1991 -2002, completed an MMus and Postgraduate performance diploma (Konzertdiplom) with Arie Vardi at the Musikhochschule fur Musik, Theater und Medien (HMTM), Hannover, Germany. During her time abroad, she was a semi-finalist and finalist at international competitions (Germany, Greece, Czech Republic, USA, and Italy). In 2014, her academic studies concluded with the conferral of the DMus (Performing Arts) degree by the University of Pretoria.
Catherine performs frequently as a soloist with South African orchestras, and appears nationally and internationally in recital (solo and chamber). In 2001 and 2004, she gave solo recitals on board the Maxim Gorky, a Russian/German cruise ship on recital tours in the USA, Canada, Europe and Russia. She has toured South Africa, Ireland and Germany with the Chameleon Trio (oboe/flute, bassoon, piano), and has performed chamber repertoire with renowned SA performers Liesl Stoltz (flute), David Bester (violin), Anmari van der Westhuizen (cello),Bronwen Forbay (soprano), Bridget Rennie-Salonen (flute), Lizzie Rennie (viola), and Christian Bester (baritone). She has been on the Faculty of the biennial Stellenbosch International Piano Symposium since 2006.
She has recorded for the SABC, Radio Telifis (Ireland), Nord Deutsche Radio and the West Deutsche Radio (Germany). Her CD recordings (In Concert, Recital, Beethoven 3rd Concerto, Romantic Piano sonatas) and live concert recordings are broadcast frequently on FMR and SAfm in South Africa.
Catherine’s piano students have won prizes at numerous national competitions, including the UNISA Grade 8, FMR, Grahamstown Music competition, SAMRO, KZNPO and JPO Youth Concerto Festivals. Several of the Rhodes University students she supervised have continued to study performance at internationally acclaimed music institutes such as the Guildhall School of Music UK, Oxford University UK and Hochschule fur Musik Franz Liszt Weimar Germany. Catherine is frequently invited to adjudicate national music competitions (Hennie Joubert, ATKV, Artscape, UNISA scholarships, UNISA International, and SAMRO). She is a sought-after external examiner at SA Universities for MMus and PhD practical examinations (NWU, UP, UKZN, NMU).
Catherine’s research interest lies in Music Psychology with a focus on Performance. She is currently supervising a growing number of postgraduate students at Rhodes University who are focusing on topics related to Music Psychology. She has assessed MMus and PhD theses at several SA Universities and reviewed articles for publication in SA journals. She has presented her research at international conferences such as 2nd International Conference for Music and Emotion, Australia (2011), International Conference for Music Perception and Cognition (2012, 2018), Performing Knowledge Conference Cambridge, UK (2016). These presentations have led to two publications in SAMUS: Vol 34/35 (2015) and Vol 39 (2019). She has assessed PhD and MMus theses
Recent Performances:
2019 Brahms piano quintet Op 34 and Dvorak piano quintet Op 81 (in collaboration with David Bester (NMU), Lwazi Mkula, Elmarie vd Vyver, Anmari vd Westhuizen (UFS)
2019 Bach Piano Concerto for 2 pianos BWV 1060 (in collaboration with FSSYO)
2018 Beethoven Piano Concerto No 3, Freestate Symphony Orchestra, 19 May, Odeion Hall, Bloemfontein. https://youtu.be/IiVO7TaLY00
2017 Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No 2, RU Symphony Orchestra, Gala Concert 27 September, Guy Butler Hall, Monument, Grahamstown (conducted by David Scarr). https://youtu.be/zYiKnJ9dJbk
2017 Flute duo recital with Liesl Stoltz, RU Concerts Series, February, Beethoven Room, Grahamstown. https://youtu.be/I5bkPeq3Otw
2017 Recital with Jo-Nette LeKay and Christian Bester https://youtu.be/NWRKsIW95TY, https://youtu.be/1nfuyfy4BkE
Recordings:
2019 Recording and CD produced Schubert Sonate D960 and Rachmaninoff Sonate No 2 Op 36
2013 Recording: Grahamstown Piano/wind sextet. UNISA Foundation Concert Series Enoch Sontonga Hall, Pretoria. Sextets by Thuille, Rheinberger, Taljaard (*SA composer)
2012 Recording: Odeion String Quartet (UFS)..UNISA Foundation Concert Series. Enoch Sontonga Hall, Pretoria. Brahms Piano quartet Op 25 in g minor. Dvorak Piano quintet Op 81 in A major
2007 Recording: Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue, ECPO, Feathermarket Hall, Port Elizabeth
1998 - 2000 Recording and CDs produced: Recital (2000); Beethoven Piano Concerto No 3 (1999); In Concert (1998).
Publications:
2019 Foxcroft, C.J. (2019).“Being in the Zone”: Towards a Conceptual Understanding of Flow during Optimal Solo Performance. SAMUS Volume 39. .
2016 Foxcroft, C.J. and Panebianco-Warrens, C. (2015). Exploring the Role of Pianists’ Emotional Engagement with Music in a Solo Performance. SAMUS: South African Music Studies (Formerly South Africa Journal of Musicology). 34/35 (1). p.459-498.
Conferences:
- 2018 15th International Conference for Music Perception and Cognition (ICMPC), Graz, Austria. Emotions and Flow in performance: the performer’s perspective (long paper). Exploring musical Flow in ensemble(poster)
- 2016 Performing Knowledge Conference, Emmanuel College, Cambridge. 25 – 26 April. Exploring the role of pianists’ emotional engagement with music in a solo performance (paper). Exploring Musical Flow in EnsemblePerformance (poster).
- 2012 12th International Conference for Music Perception and Cognition (ICMPC), Greece. Exploring the role of the performer’s experienced emotions with music during a solo performance (speed paper and poster). Publication in proceedings. ISBN 96099854-1-7.
- 2011 South African Society for Research in Music (SASRIM): The Performer’s experienced emotion while performing: Interviews with 5 professional concert pianists (paper).
- 2011 2nd International Conference for Music and Emotion, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia The Performer’s experienced emotion while performing: Interviews with 5 professional concert pianists (speed paper and poster).
Last Modified: Mon, 20 Jan 2020 12:42:02 SAST