Hailed by the South African press as a world class performer, flautist Dawid Venter enjoys a multifaceted career as orchestral player, soloist and chamber musician. He has performed concertos with the prominent orchestras in South Africa and his playing is often broadcast on radio and television. He has been praised for his “colourful tone, brilliance and delicacy”. He held positions as principal flautist in several symphony orchestras, including the National Chamber Orchestra and the New Arts Philharmonic Orchestra Pretoria. Over the years, he has performed under the baton of renowned conductors such as Gérard Korsten, Douglas Boyd, Carlo Franci and Ralph Gothoni. His experience in the field of contemporary music has given him the opportunity to perform in the Orchestre des flûtes français and the Ensemble Alternance in Paris.
Dawid Venter was born in Stellenbosch where he completed his undergraduate studies. He holds the prestigious Diplôme de Concertiste (à l’unanimité du jury) from the Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris Alfred Cortot and he obtained a Masters Degree in Music Performance from the University of Pretoria with distinction. His teachers include Eva Tamassy, Devy Erlih and Pierre-Yves Artaud. He is a recipient of various prestigious awards and scholarships in South Africa, France and Great Britain.
He currently lives in London with his wife and sons, where he holds the position of Principal Flautist in the Band of Her Majesty’s Grenadier Guards. In this capacity, he has received medals and awards for excellence from the Corps of Army Music as well as the Worshipful Company of Musicians. He frequently appears as soloist with the Band and has been privileged to perform in prominent state functions such as the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations, the opening of the Olympic Games in London, the royal wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the centenary of the First World War, as well as numerous investitures and performances abroad. He frequently performs as freelance player in opera productions and regularly performs recitals, notably with his duo partner Ben Schoeman.
The South African pianist and Steinway Artist Ben Schoeman is a senior lecturer in music at the University of Pretoria. He won several awards, including the first grand prize in the 11th Unisa International Piano Competition, Pretoria, the gold medal in the Royal Over-Seas League Music Competition, London, the Standard Bank Young Artist Award, the contemporary music prize at the Cleveland International Piano Competition, USA, and the Huberte Rupert Prize from the South African Academy of Arts and Sciences.
He has given solo, chamber music and concerto performances in such prestigious concert halls as the Wigmore, Barbican, Cadogan and Queen Elizabeth Halls in London, Carnegie Hall in New York, the Konzerthaus in Berlin, the Gulbenkian Auditorium in Lisbon, Teatro Vittoria in Turin, the Fondazione Cariplo Auditorium in Milan, the Durban and Cape Town City Halls and the Romanian Athenaeum in Bucharest. He has performed at many international festivals such as City of London, Edinburgh Fringe, Chester, Enescu Bucharest, Grahamstown and Ottawa.
Schoeman studied in Pretoria, Imola, Florence and London with renowned professors such as Joseph Stanford, Louis Lortie, Michel Dalberto, Boris Petrushansky, Ronan O’Hora and Eliso Virsaladze. He obtained a doctorate in music from City, University of London and the Guildhall School of Music & Drama with a thesis on the piano works of the eminent South African composer Stefans Grové. His solo album, featuring works of Franz Liszt, is available under the TwoPianists label and he has recorded music of Rubinstein and Rachmaninoff with cellist Anzél Gerber. His performance in London with pianist Tessa Uys of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, arranged for piano duet by Xaver Scharwenka, was recorded for broadcast on national television.