Ané van Staden (neé du Toit) obtained her MMus (cum laude) in Violin Performance from the University of Pretoria in 2015. Since 2008, Ané has been active as chamber musician and soloist.

During her years of study she had lessons with Johanna Roos and Irene Tsoniff, and was awarded numerous prizes such as the prestigious DJ Roode Overseas Scholarship for Teachers at the UNISA Overseas Scholarship Competition in 2010, and the Jennie Perreira Prize for Strings and the Overall Second Prize at the UNISA South African Scholarship Competition in 2009. This enabled her to further her musical education in the UK where she had lessons with Natalia Lomeiko and Corina Belcea. Ané was also awarded a Pretorium trust Bursary in 2008 and 2010. In 2009 she was selected to participate in the UNISA National String Competition and chosen as a concert master of the Miagi Orchestra. Between 2009 and 2014, she toured Europe with Miagi performing at festivals such as the Young Euro Classic Festival, Schleswig-holstein Festival and the Ludwigsburger Schlossfestspiele. She also appeared as soloist with Miagi in 2012.

Ané is a founding member of the Evolution of 4 String Quartet and performs with them throughout the country since 2012. Ané was appointed as the concertmaster of the Gauteng Philharmonic Orchestra in 2015 and often appeared with them as soloist. In 2016, Ané was invited to spend a month as a guest post graduate student at the University for Music and Performing Arts in Vienna. She shares her passion for the violin through teaching and maintains a private violin studio. She also performs with the JPO, JMI and other South African orchetras on a freelance basis. Ané was appointed as head of Assistant Director of the Gauteng Chamber Music Festival in 2016.

Evert van Niekerk started his violin tuition in Pretoria with Jenny Pereira
in August 1977. In 1981 he went to Denise Sutton (Then Concertmaster of the
Pact orchestra). He completed his Matric at the Pretoria Art, Ballet, Music
and Drama school. He is a sought after recording artist, having played on
several of the foremost South African artists¹ cd¹s, and many movie
soundracks, in particular ³Faan se trein² and ³Knysna² where he performed
the solo violin parts.
His recordings also currently play on Classic FM and RSG. Since 2003, he has
been a regular performer with Salon Music in Pretoria, as well as the
Johannnesburg Philharmonic and Festival Orchestras, and with the latter as
soloist, playing JS Bach and Vivaldi concerto¹s under the baton of Richard
Cock. He has recently made his debut solo CD ³Lofsnare². He is married to
Laura, and they have two children, Joshua (19) and Christine(15)

Johanna Roos is a passionate chamber musician. She teaches violin and coach chamber music from home and has lectured part-time at the University of Pretoria since 2005. She has adjudicated numerous Festivals and Eisteddfods, including the Final of the ATKV Muziq competition. As a student she toured Canada, Belgium and Germany with the Jeunesse Musicales World Symphony Orchestra 94/95 and to Moscow with SANYO 1998. In South Africa she obtained her MMus cum laude at UP. After winning the string category of the ATKV Forte Competition in 1995, she was awarded a SAMRO scholarship and won the Overseas Scholarship Competition (Nina Barry and DJ Roode) from UNISA. She continued her studies at the Royal College of Music (London) with an Associated Board Scholarship and obtained the Postgraduate Diploma (Solo- and Ensemble Recitalist) cum laude, under the tutelage of Natalia Boyarsky. In the UK she worked as Assistant Violin teacher at the Yehudi Menuhin School and was an artist for Music in Hospitals, performing with Elena Nalimova and as soloist (Dvorak Violin Concerto) with the Southbank Sinfonia. Johanna participated in Geza Szilvay’s Colourstrings Workshops in London and it still has a profound impact on her approach as pedagogue. In South Africa she played ad hock for the Chamber Orchestra of South Africa and has performed as soloist with many orchestras. She recorded the CD Violin Expressions with Annalien Ball and is the leader of String quartet, Evolution of 4

Mia Björkman-Sun is currently employed as full-time Tutti violinist in the Kwazulu Natal Philharmonic Orchestra, where she often doubles as acting principal or co-principal second violin.

Mia completed her B.MUS (Hons.) cum laude in 2011 at the University of Pretoria where she studied under Johanna Roos, and received her UNISA Teacher’s Licentiate with distinction in the same year. She obtained a Masters in Violin Performance from the University of Stellenbosch (studying under Suzanne Martens), where she was the first violinist of the University of Stellenbosch String Quartet as well as the concert master of the University of Stellenbosch Symphony Orchestra (2012-2013). She received cum laude for all three of her Master’s performance exams, as well as her thesis, which was entitled ‘Teaching violin holistically: toward a deeper understanding of the Colourstrings violin approach’. During her tenure as leader of the University of Stellenbosch String Quartet, the quartet was named the Over-all Winner in the Stellenbosch National Ensemble Competition (2013). The quartet regularly performed with South Africa’s foremost quartets the Amici and Odeion quartets, as well as the renowned Arianna Quartet (USA), and held acclaimed performances at the Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival (2012) and the Harare International Festival of the Arts (Zimbabwe, 2013).

As a student she had master classes with well-known violinists Daniel Rowland, Jan Repko, Natalia Lomeiko and Frank Stadler, amongst others, and played first violin in prominent youth orchestras – undertaking tours to Germany (MIAGI 2009), Spain (The World Orchestra 2013), and Lebanon (The World Orchestra 2015).

Mia has experience in teaching pupils of all ages, and her interest in teaching has led to her attendance of various music education courses to deepen her knowledge of teaching. Most recently, she was one of the first South Africans to attend the Colourstrings violin teacher training Level 1 (2016) and Level 2 (2017) courses in Helsinki, Finland, with renowned pedagogues Géza Szilvay and Yvonne Frye. Mia has a keen interest in the various aspects of music, including chamber, orchestral and solo performance and is passionate about developing enthusiasm for music in young people by means of teaching.

Elmarie van der Vyver is an instrumentalist that plays the viola and the violin in both the contemporary and in the historically informed performance practice (HIPP) idioms.

She started her studies on the violin at the age of six and completed a BMus degree at the University of Pretoria, followed by a MMus in viola performance at the Northwest University. Her teachers include Alan Solomon, Piet Koornhof, and most recently the Baroque specialist Antoinette Lohmann of the Conservatorium of Utrecht in the Netherlands.
Elmarie has been active as soloist and chamber musician. She has also been active as member of most of the main orchestras in Gauteng for many years. She performs at many of the arts festivals in South Africa on a regular basis. She currently teaches viola at the University of Pretoria. She also teaches privately and adjudicates at eistedfodds, music festivals and competitions.
She has attended numerous masterclasses and courses and played for the recordings of many artist’s CD’s.

Her interest in music lies with the development and performance of early music as well as the promoting and premiering of contemporary and new compositions. She has an appetite for unknown music – to find the music, put interesting programmes together and introduce audiences to music that was not known before.

JEANNE-LOUISE MOOLMAN was appointed as violist of the Odeion String Quartet and senior lecturer at the Odeion School of Music at the University of the Free State in 2008. She studied at the under Prof Alan Solomon University of Pretoria, where she obtained the BMus and BMus Hons. degrees with distinction. She subsequently also studied in Salzburg under Thomas Riebl. As student, she won, among others, the ATKV Forté and Oude Meester competitions and in 1985 she was the first winner of the University of Natal 75th Anniversary Prize. She is an experienced musician who regularly performs with some of our country’s foremost musicians in various chamber music combinations. Jeanne-Louise was one of the founding members of the Rosamunde String Quartet, which was one of the leading string quartets in the country for 10 years. Other musicians with whom she has performed include the violists Gérard Korsten, Philippe Graffin, the pianists Leslie Howard and Albie van Schalkwyk, and the clarinettist Robert Pickup. Jeanne-Louise has given numerous solo performances in South Africa (including Pretoria, Johannesburg, Bloemfontein, Kroonstad and Potchefstroom) and in Zimbabwe (Harare and Bulawayo). As soloist, she has performed with various orchestras in the country, among them the KZNPO (Durban), the Chamber Orchestra of South Africa (Pretoria), NAPOP (Pretoria) and the Free State Symphony Orchestra (Bloemfontein). In 2012, she was invited to perform at the International Viola Congress in Rochester, New York. On that occasion, she performed the world premiere of Matthijs van Dijk’s Viola Sonata No. 2, “Sukulala”, which had been composed specifically for her. In 1994, the well-known South African composer Stefans Grové dedicated his Sonata for Viola and Piano to Jeanne-Louise and her husband Piet Moolman. In 2008, she performed the world premiere of Grové’s Concerto for Flute and Viola with the Chamber Orchestra of South Africa, after which she was invited to perform the work at the International Viola Congress in Stellenbosch. Jeanne-Louise has had more than twenty years of experience as principal violist of several professional orchestras in Gauteng and the Free State.

JEANNE-LOUISE MOOLMAN is in 2008 as altviolis van die Odeion Strykkwartet en senior lektor by die Odeion Skool vir Musiek aan die Universiteit van die Vrystaat aangestel. Sy het aan die universiteit van Pretoria onder prof. Alan Solomon gestudeer, waar sy die BMus- en BMus Hons-grade met lof behaal het. Hierna het sy ook in Salzburg onder Thomas Riebl gestudeer. As student het sy onder andere die ATKV Forte – en Oude Meester-kompetisies gewen en in 1985 was sy die eerste wenner van die Universiteit van Natal se 75ste Herdenkingsprys. Sy is ’n ervare musikus wat gereeld saam met sommige van ons land se voorste musici in verskillende kamermusiekkombinasies optree. Jeanne-Louise was een van die stigterlede van die Rosamunde Strykkwartet wat vir meer as 10 jaar een van die toonaangewende strykkwartette in die land was. Ander musici saam met wie sy al gewerk het, sluit die violiste Gérard Korsten en Philippe Graffin, die pianiste Leslie Howard en Albie van Schalkwyk, en die klarinetspeler Robert Pickup in. Jeanne-Louise het al talle solouitvoerings in Suid-Afrika (onder andere in Pretoria, Johannesburg, Bloemfontein, Kroonstad en Potchefstroom) en in Zimbabwe (Harare en Bulawayo) gelewer. As solis het sy saam met verskeie orkeste in die land, waaronder die KZNPO (Durban), die Kamerorkes van Suid-Afrika (Pretoria), NAPOP (Pretoria) en die Vrystaatse Simfonieorkes (Bloemfontein) opgetree. In 2012 word sy genooi om tydens die Internasionale Altvioolkongres in Rochester, New York, op te tree. By dié geleentheid lewer sy die wêreldpremière van Matthijs van Dijk se Altvioolsonate no. 2, “Sukulala”, wat spesiaal vir haar gekomponeer is. Die bekende Suid-Afrikaanse komponis, Stefans Grové, het in 1994 sy Sonate vir Altviool en Klavier aan Jeanne-Louise en haar man Piet Moolman opgedra. In 2008 lewer sy die wêreldpremière van Grové se Concerto vir Fluit en Altviool saam met die Kamerorkes van Suid-Afrika, waarna sy genooi word om die werk by die Internasionale Altvioolkongres in Stellenbosch uit te voer. Jeanne-Louise het meer as twintig jaar se ervaring as hoof-altviolis van verskeie professionele orkeste in Gauteng en die Vrystaat.

Anmari van der Westhuizen is Adjunct Professor and Head of the Odeion String Quartet at the University of the Free State. She graduated from the University of Stellenbosch (BMus.Hons cum laude), from the Mozarteum, Salzburg (Grosses Diplom cum laude), and from the Hochschule für Musik, Cologne, under the tutelage of Prof. Maria Kliegel (Konzertexamen). In 2013 Anmari received her PhD in Music Performance from the University of Pretoria and was awarded full academic honorary colours for her thesis Solo Violoncello music: a selective investigation into works composed between 1980 and 2010 and the compilation of a catalogue.
Anmari has won prestigious competitions including the ATKV Forte Competition, the SABC Competition, the Oude Meester Competition and the University of Natal 75th Anniversary Prize. As a young cellist, she was selected to participate in the International Youth Music Festival in Interlochen, U.S.A. She received extensive chamber music training by members of the world’s best string quartets like the Alban Berg String Quartet, the Amadeus String Quartet, the Borodin String Quartet, the Brodsky String Quartet and the Hagen String Quartet.

While living in Europe she appeared in numerous solo and chamber music performances, inter alia with Viennese ensembles Music-on-Line and the Wiener Streichorchester, and was a member of the Koehne String Quartet, Wien. She performed as a chamber musician and soloist in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Faroe Islands, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Poland, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, U.S.A., Zambia and Zimbabwe. Anmari has made several CD recordings and both her solo CD’s with Ilse Schumann received excellent reviews in South Africa and in Austria. During 2015 Anmari received the Vryfees award for the Best Classical performer of the Arts festival and the Rose award from Radio Rosestad for her remarkable contribution towards arts and culture.
In addition, Anmari has performed several world premieres of cello compositions. In 2007 the Austrian Composers Union invited her to give a solo recital of contemporary solo cello works in Vienna, Austria, which included the world premiere of Roelof Temmingh’s Variations, which was dedicated to her. She also gave the first performances of solo cello works by Austrian composers Wolfgang Nening and Hannes Heher, as well as works dedicated to her by Hubert Du Plessis and Hendrik Hofmeyr. She was the conductor/ director of the UCT String Ensemble for ten years and is currently the conductor of the Odeion Sinfonia and co-conductor of the Free State Youth Orchestra.

Jessica Bailey was born in 1960 in Johannesburg. She studied cello with Betty Pack from the age of seven. In 1977 she was invited to study with Pierre Fournier in Geneva. In 1978 she studied under Joan Dickson at the Royal College of Music in London. In 1982 she had masterclasses with William Pleeth.

Jessica played in a piano trio with Gerard Korsten from the age of nine until leaving school. She has continued to play chamber music with musicians including Malcolm Nay, Albie van Schalkwyk, Jill Richards, Gerard Korsten, Johanna Roos and Piet Koornhof. Jessica is married to artist John Clarke, they have two children. Jessica currently teaches cello and plays in the quartet, Evolution of 4.