Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival

08/06/2026

The moment the audience said everything. 🎶

YaoGuang Zhai performing Artie Shaw’s Clarinet Concerto under conductor Jacobus de Jager at SICMF 2025 — and the good news? He’s back for 2026.

SICMF 2026 · 3–12 July, Stellenbosch.
Tickets available now at sicmf.co.za 🎟️

06/06/2026

Returning to SICMF in 2026, Liam Burden will conduct the Festival Symphonic Wind Ensemble, a new addition to the festival’s orchestral programme.

A faculty member of the festival since 2023, Burden is Departmental Head of Winds, Percussion and Piano at the Hugo Lambrechts Music Centre, Music Director and Conductor of the Cape Town Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, and a lecturer at Stellenbosch University. As both conductor and performer, he has worked extensively with young musicians across South Africa and brings a wealth of experience to this exciting new venture at SICMF.

The introduction of the Festival Symphonic Wind Ensemble marks an important expansion of the festival’s orchestral offering, and we are delighted to welcome Liam Burden to the podium for its inaugural year.

03/06/2026

We’re getting very excited as press coverage starts to ramp up!

One month to go! Get your tickets or full festival pass now: https://www.sicmf.co.za/tickets/

Mix of local and international talent on stage The Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival (SICMF) takes place from 3 to 12 July at the Konservatorium…

02/06/2026

That time a C-string snapped mid-performance of Walton’s Piano Quartet in D minor and cellist David Cohen vanished from the stage, leaving the audience completely perplexed… 😂

Daniel Rowland stepped in to explain what had happened, David returned, restrung and composed — and shared a little-known fact: the C-string is the thickest, most robust string on the cello, and breaking one mid-performance is extraordinarily rare. The audience was equal parts fascinated and in stitches.

The performance resumed. The music was brilliant. And the moment became an instant SICMF legend.
This is what live chamber music is all about. 🎻

Join us for more joyful music moments at SICMF 2026. Tickets available now. Link in bio.

OnlyAtSICMF

01/06/2026

Making her SICMF debut in 2026, Kärin Hendrickson joins the festival as conductor of the Festival Concert Orchestra.

Kärin Hendrickson brings equal passion to orchestra, opera, and audience. Her career has included work with some of the world’s leading orchestras, from the London Symphony Orchestra and the Belgian National Symphony to the Pittsburgh Symphony and the BBC’s flagship ensembles. Deeply committed to nurturing young musicians, she has worked with programmes including Concertgebouworkest Young and the LSO/Guildhall Orchestra Artistry programme, and has conducted at major conservatories across the United Kingdom and Europe.

In 2025, she was appointed Director of Orchestras and Director of Graduate Orchestral Conducting at the University of New Mexico.

We are delighted to welcome Kärin Hendrickson to Stellenbosch for her first SICMF appearance.

Tickets on sale now.

27/05/2026

Ticket sales for SICMF 2026 are now live.

Join us from 3–12 July at the Stellenbosch University Konservatorium for ten days of chamber music, orchestral concerts, masterclasses, new collaborations, and performances by outstanding musicians from South Africa and around the world.

Individual concert tickets are now available via the SICMF website.

Festival passes will be released later this week.

Book now at webtickets. webtickets.co.za/v2/event.aspx?itemid=1594623695

22/05/2026

Returning to SICMF for his third year, Michael Repper leads the Festival Symphony Orchestra in 2026.

A Grammy Award-winning conductor recognised for his work across orchestral performance, education, and international collaboration, Repper has built a dynamic career spanning major ensembles and musical projects around the world. His return to SICMF continues an important connection with the festival and its young musicians.

We are proud to welcome Michael Repper back to the Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival.

16/05/2026

Three orchestras. Three distinct musical voices. Three conductors shaping the sound of SICMF 2026.

We’re proud to announce the conductors leading this year’s orchestral programme:

🎼 Michael Repper — Festival Symphony Orchestra
🎼 Kärin Hendrickson — Festival Concert Orchestra
🎼 Liam Burden — Festival Symphonic Wind Ensemble

From large-scale symphonic repertoire to the launch of our brand new wind ensemble, these conductors bring international experience, musical insight, and dynamic artistic leadership to ten days of music-making in Stellenbosch this July.

Join us for SICMF 2026 as young musicians from across South Africa and beyond come together with leading artists and conductors for one of the country’s most vibrant classical music gatherings.

30/04/2026

We are thrilled to announce that the audition excerpts for our three orchestras are now live!

Please follow the link in our bio to the website where you will find helpful information pertaining to the audition process, deadlines and how to record your audition.

Application submission deadline: 15 June 2026

In each folder, you will find PDF files with marked excerpts. Please prepare all the required excerpts.

For any queries, you can reach out to our SICMF Library team at [email protected]

13/12/2025

Awarded in July at the 20th anniversary Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival, the SICMF Scholarship enabled student Andrea Salomo to spend time in Cincinnati shadowing Dwight Parry, who served as SICMF faculty this year.

The scholarship offered an immersive learning experience, giving Andrea first-hand exposure to professional orchestral life — from rehearsals and section work to performance preparation.

In this video, Andrea reflects on her time in Cincinnati and shares her gratitude to Dwight Parry and the festival for an opportunity she describes as both generous and deeply formative.