THE Wits Theatre and Wits School of Arts/Division of Theatre and Performance (TAP) will host a performance by The Wits Trio – Zanta Hofmeyr (violin), Maciej Lacny (cello) and Malcolm Nay (piano) – on August 8. The Trio has become well-known throughout South Africa and receives requests to perform at Durban Music Society, Theatre on the Square’s lunch time concerts, as well as at Rhodes University. They will be embarking on a tour of the Eastern Cape later in Port Elizabeth, East London and Graaff Reinet.

The first half of the concert on August 8 is Beethoven’s Piano Trio in B-Flat Major Opus 97, “The Archduke” while the second half is Mendelssohn’s famous Piano Trio in D Minor Opus 49.

Zanta graduated from The Juilliard School of Music where she was a student of Dorothy Delay and Hyo Kang. After her New York debut in Carnegie Recital Hall (now Weil recital hall), she returned to South Africa in 1985.

A recipient of numerous awards and scholarships, her most recent awards include a nomination as best female artist at the KKNK arts festival as well as a South African Music Award nomination for her CD Cantilena.

Zanta teaches violin in Johannesburg and at the University of Pretoria. She often acts as string coach for youth orchestras and has been on the faculty of the International Chamber Music Festival at the University of Stellenbosch.

Lacny was born in Cracow (Poland) in 1977. He graduated from the F. Chopin High School (1995) and the Cracow Conservatory of Music (2001) in Prof. Z.Lapinski’s cello class. He also obtained a pedagogical diploma from the Cracow Conservatory of Music.

Between 1995 and 1999, Maciej performed in many concerts around Europe with the Cracow Quartet in Switzerland, Belgium, Holland and Germany. He is married to a South African flautist and living in Johannesburg. Maciej is currently co-principal cello of the Johannesburg Festival Orchestra and he has played in several recitals with acclaimed pianist, Malcolm Nay.

Malcolm is widely regarded as one of the finest chamber pianists and accompanists in South Africa. After graduating with a BMus from Wits University where he studied with Pauline Nossel and Isabella Stengel, he travelled on scholarships to America, where he studied with Bela Siki.

Malcolm was the recipient of numerous prizes at several international piano competitions, including the prize for the most talented South African pianist at the first Unisa International Piano Competition and second prize at the Montevideo International Piano Competition.

As a soloist, he has appeared with most of South Africa’s major orchestras and is remembered especially for performances, in Gauteng, of the Mozart concertos, which he conducted from the keyboard. He is also sought after adjudicator at prestigious music competitions throughout the country and he continues to perform extensively at the larger festivals in South Africa.

Malcolm is currently Associate Professor at Wits Music, Wits School of Arts (WSOA).

The concert will take place in the The Atrium, S W Engineering Building, Wits East Campus, Braamfontein at 7 pm on Saturday, August 8. Free parking is available at the Planetarium; the entrance is off Yale Road, Braamfontein.
Tickets are R80 (R55 concessions) at www.webtickets.co.za or at the door.