Piet Koornhof

BIO

Violinist Piet Koornhof has performed extensively as recitalist, chamber musician and soloist with orchestras in Southern Africa, Europe, North America, Russia, Singapore and New Zealand. His recent overseas performances included recitals with American pianist Thomas Hecht at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music in Singapore and at the Echos Festival in Italy. In 1994 Koornhof was the first South African to undertake an extensive recital tour of Russia, with pianist Vladimir Yurigin-Klevke, including a recital at the Moscow Conservatoire. In 1998 he gave master classes and performed at Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand. In 1999 he performed at the Palaces of St. Petersburg International Chamber Music Festival as a member of the Potch Trio, and appeared as soloist with the Moscow Chamber Orchestra, both in Moscow and in St. Petersburg.

Koornhof’s most recent CD recordings, both for Delos, are the complete J.S. Bach trio-sonatas for flute, violin and piano with Raffaele Trevisani and Paola Girardi, and the Hendrik Hofmeyr double concerto for flute, violin and string orchestra with Trevisani and the Moscow Chamber Orchestra led by Constantine Orbelian. Future albums planned include 'On Fire', virtuoso music for violin and piano, Russian piano trios, and more chamber music for flute, violin and piano. His chamber music CD recordings as founder and violinist of the South African Chamber Music Society for Koch Discover International have garnered high international acclaim. His CD of piano trios of Babadjanian and Vasks as a member of the celebrated Potch Trio was released in South Africa in 2005. 'Remembrances', a CD of unusual short lyrical pieces for violin and piano with Truida van der Walt, was released in 2007.

In addition to the standard repertoire, Piet has a special interest in surprisingly accessible 20th and 21st century chamber music. He has been responsible for the first South African performances of works by Schnittke, Pärt, Vasks, Sviridov, Karaev, Toldra, Bolcom, Babadjanian, Chebodarian, Gliere, Medtner, Taneyev, Skoryk, Martinu, Ben-Haim, Koechlin, Schulhoff, Piazzolla, Schoenfield, Hofmeyr, Watt and Klatzow, among others. He is currently based at North-West University in Potchefstroom.