Over twenty national and international pianists will feature in an online thanksgiving concert in honour of Professor Darius Brubeck, a well known, KwaZulu Natal pianist who contracted the coronavirus and is currently in recovery.
The concert, which forms part of the weekly "Music Unlocked Session" made possible by the UKZN Centre for Jazz and Popular Music, Support Creative Business and Piano Passion Project members, is set to take place on Wednesday, May 27 with an online connect link being sent at 6pm.
The concert will also assist in aiding the Denis Hurley Centre and will feature 20 pianists from South Africa, UK, USA and the Netherlands.
The line up consists of: Melvin Peters; Burton Naidoo; Debbie Mari; Nishlyn Ramanna (UK); Andile Yenana; Neil Gonsalves; Mark Kilian (USA); Shemual Mahabeer; Sibusiso Mashiloane; Lungelo Ngcobo; John Edwards; Nduduzo Makhathini; Lindi Ngonelo; Zwelihle Kunene; Siyanqoba Mthethwa; Zoe Molelekwa; Susan Barry; Roland Moses; Vincent Mthethwa; Khabelo Witness Matlou (USA); Obakeng Thamage and Mike del Ferro (Netherlands).
The Denis Hurley Centre feeds and cares for the city’s homeless and has been at the forefront in ensuring that they have been cared for during the national lockdown.
The community facility has always been in support of the arts and works closely with artists and performers. The performers, who have worked with the centre before, want to give back to the organisation in their time of financial need.
Covid-19 became all too real for the pianists when their former teacher, friend, mentor and colleague in the Project, Prof Darius Brubeck became afflicted with the virus, and found himself on a ventilator in intensive care, with doctors giving him a 50/50 chance of survival, thankfully, Brubeck is making a steady recovery, is now back home.
Given Brubeck's recovery, and the financial need in our communities, the Piano Passions Project found a fund-raising thanksgiving concert was in order. The obvious restriction is the current social distancing measures. So, they opted for an online concert of pre-recorded piano performances created especially for the event.
The concert will be two hours long and will feature a wealth of piano talent that is in some way, part of Darius’ legacy in KwaZulu Natal.
"It’s a multi-generational piano performance and teaching culture. Darius is central to this story and we are enormously relieved and grateful that he is recovering. We pay tribute to his astonishing legacy through this concert,” said UKZN’s Neil Gonsalves.
*Tickets for the online concert can be on Webtickets at R80, with an option to donate more.