Welcome to JIMF 2012!

“Improvisation? Anyone who plays anything worth hearing knows what he’s going to play, no matter whether he prepares a day ahead or a beat ahead”.

The 2012 edition of the Johannesburg International Mozart Festival certainly took a little longer than one day to prepare, let alone one beat. Nevertheless, Duke Ellington’s witty remark on the art of improvisation speaks volumes about the spontaneity of music-making we are about to experience at this year’s JIMF. If spontaneity is the human state of mind that lets us enjoy all things new then there is quite a lot to be enjoyed between 27 January and 19 February.

Perhaps the most obvious novelty is the new JIMF design. Everything has undergone a major facelift – the new logo, artwork and website are reflecting how much the Festival has grown in size, scope and significance. Nearly 50 performers and ensembles will appear in 30 concerts over a period of more than three weeks with at least one exciting event taking place every day. In addition to our previous popular venues, the Linder Auditorium and Northwards House, we have added new locations to the portfolio, such as the University of Johannesburg Theatre, Villa Arcadia, St. Mary’s Cathedral, Masakeng in Soweto, the Bioscope at Arts on Main and Bassline. My sincere thanks go out to our new partners as well as to all our sponsors. The diversity of venues reflects the creative combinations and intersections of the 2012 programme.

Of course, we have our usual programme of symphony, chamber and choral concerts, as well as solo recitals. We also continue our exchange scheme with the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival in Germany to support young South African singers. Last year’s pioneering project, the composer-in-residence-scheme, had very fruitful repercussions well beyond the JIMF and it gives me great pleasure to welcome Paul Hanmer as the new composer-in-residence, following Mokale Koapeng’s appointment in 2011. Apart from composing Nightjar breaks and Nachtroep, two new orchestral works commissioned by the JIMF for the final concert on 19 February, Paul Hanmer’s name will be appearing in a number of contexts: as the composer of various works throughout the Festival programme, as a performer, as a pedagogue, as a speaker and as a contributor of programme notes. We are privileged to be collaborating with such a creative and versatile artist. We are still dedicated to integrating the Melodi Music Project, an amazing music education scheme based in Pimville, offering workshops for the young musicians with our visiting artists.

In fact, the workshop format has been extended significantly this year, becoming the vital hub for encounters between audiences and artists, between composers and performers, between seasoned pros and aspiring musicians. There will be an organ improvisation workshop and a one-week vocal masterclass in collaboration with the UNISA Music Foundation. Michael Blake will lead a series of workshops for young South African composers under the auspices of the NIROX Foundation. The symposium of the past two years, held in conjunction with the Goethe Institut, has been slightly modified as a central Improvisation Weekend (11-12 February) to place more emphasis on performance contexts, along with the usual presentations and open panel discussions.

Other highlights include our new collaboration with the wonderful Buskaid Soweto String Ensemble, two live improvisation concerts for silent movies at the Bioscope, our proactive engagement with New Music and – last but not least – a series of jazz and jazz fusion concerts, perhaps the most eloquent tangent with the improvisation theme in South Africa’s rich musical landscape.

Despite the variety of concerts, genres, styles and formats, “quasi improvisando” is not just to be understood as an eclectic mix that might cater for many different audience tastes, but this Festival edition endeavours to present a coherent programme which articulates topical contextualizations of the improvisation theme.

Translating Mozart’s creative spirit and constantly initiating new ideas, the Johannesburg International Mozart Festival is now making a truly important contribution, “join”-ing together – as our logo and website name point out – all those who come together in their passion for music.