Johannesburg: Hosted by SAMRO’s Endowment for the National Arts since 1962, the annual competition enables two young South African musicians to further their music studies overseas, with each receiving a scholarship package worth R170 000. The competition rotates on a four-yearly basis between awarding instrumentalists, singers, keyboard players and composers.
This year is the turn of composers, and the finalists in the two categories are:  Keith Moss and Angie Mullins (Western Art Music) and James Bassingthwaighte and Kingsley Buitendag (Jazz/Popular Music). Their original compositions – ranging from Latin-inspired works to choral pieces – will be performed during the final round of the competition on 28 August.
Bassingthwaighte says he has been waiting to enter the competition for four years, “so to finally be here and be selected as a finalist really feels like a successful end to a long journey”. His piano composition, a Latin solo prescribed by the competition organisers, is called Un Asunto Familiar con los Valdes and is based on his love for the music of the Valdes family from Cuba, particularly revered jazz pianist Chucho Valdes.
His African jazz quartet is called Song for Sam. “It was written in the famous ‘Tuku’ style of Oliver Mtukudzi from Zimbabwe and is named for his son, Sam, who was tragically killed in a car accident a short while ago,” he explains.

The other competitor in the Jazz category, Kingsley Buitendag, is studying towards his masters in jazz piano performance and composition at Rhodes University, under Professor Marc Duby. He says being a finalist is exciting “and a positive affirmation that I am on the right path to realising my dream of being a composer and musician”.
His two pieces that will be performed are Sombras for solo piano and Mr Gaulana for quartet. “Sombras takes inspiration from tonal shades and colours,” he explains. “It is in a Latin American style ultimately, but is more an exploration of texture than a by-the-book Latin piece. Mr Gaulana was written as a tribute to Lulama Gaulana, a musician from my home town of East London who I have worked with and learnt a lot from. It is, in a sense, also a tribute to the South African pianists I have loved since my youth, such as Andile Yenana and Bheki Mseleku.”
In the Western Art or classical category, Moss echoes the other candidates’ feelings of nervousness and excitement and is thrilled that fellow Eastern Cape resident Buitendag is a finalist in the other category. While his and Mullins’ orchestral works will not be performed, he says his trio that will be played at the final is largely an extension of his masters work in terms of its style and harmonic language.
“One of the choral works that will be sung was inspired by a friend of a friend who sadly took his own life,” he says. “My friend posted a quote from [Persian poet] Omar Khayyam from his Rubaiyat, Into this Universe, which immediately put me in touch with the mood and direction of how I would use the text in a choral setting. I am quite proud of that work.”
Mullins, who wrote one of the setworks for the instrumental competition in 2008, says being a finalist is “amazing”. She is passionate about two things: music and cooking. Her orchestral piece in her portfolio, which will not be performed at the final, is called Murder in the Kitchen, and evokes the “banging and clanging and chopping” that takes place when preparing a meal.
“My vocal piece, Street Study, which is one of the pieces that will be performed on Saturday, is for six voices,” she explains. “When I started this piece, I thought about all the things the human voice could do. The first thing that obviously popped to mind was ‘sing’ – so I decided to have my vocalists do just about everything except sing. They grunt and groan and sigh and growl – there’s even a beat-boxing section. I’ve been preparing this work with some amazing young vocalists who are open to trying all the crazy things I’ve put into the score – I’ve loved working with them!”
Mullins’ other piece, City Must Burn, is a trio for electric violin, piano and percussion – which she wrote for her trio “dream team” of Waldo Alexander, Jill Richards and Magda de Vries, who will be performing the work during the final round. Also performing on the night are the Wits Choir as well as jazz luminaries Paul Hanmer and McCoy Mrubata. A special award will be presented to renowned composer and former SAMRO chairman Professor Mzilikazi Khumalo.
Entrance to the final round, taking place on 28 August at the University of Johannesburg Arts Centre from 6.30pm, is free. For further information, or to reserve your seat, please call Wandile at (011) 712 8417 or Naseema at (011) 712 8414.