The South African Double Bass at The African Concert Series London [Online Edition 2020 on Facebook on Wednesday, 24 June at 6pm London time]

Leon Bosch

 

 

 

The South African Double Bass at The African Concert Series London 2020

South African double bass virtuoso Leon Bosch has been championing repertoire by his South African fellow composers for many years. In fact, there was no music for the double bass by South African composers so he commissioned it and named his project The South African Double Bass. 

 

The African Concert Series London hosted Leon Bosch in 2019, accompanied by the series curator and duo partner, pianist Rebeca Omordia. He returns to perform at The African Concert Series London - Online Edition 2020 on Facebook on Wednesday, 24 June at 6pm London time. 

Born in Cape Town, though now a British citizen, Bosch graduated from the University of Cape Town before continuing his studies at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. Since his 1984 London solo debut with the Philharmonia Orchestra, Bosch has appeared as a concerto soloist with many distinguished musicians, including Pinchas Zukerman, Sir Charles Groves and Nicholas Kraemer.

Highlights of his chamber music partnerships have included engagements with the Lindsay, Belcea and Brodsky String Quartets, the Academy of St Martin in the Fields Chamber Ensemble, I Musicanti, and the Moscow Virtuosi. He has worked with such pianists as Maria João Pires, Mikhail Rudy, Vladimir Ovchinikov, Peter Donohoe, Martin Roscoe and, most recently on CD, the Vienna-based Korean pianist Sung-Suk Kang.

Bosch has played a significant part in, and received acclaim for, the exploration of challenging and little-known music for double bass both in live performance and on disc. He has been responsible for a number of important first performances including "Pueblo", a commission from John McCabe, several works by Allan Stephenson, and music by the South African composers Hendrik Hofmeyr and Paul Hanmer.

As a teacher, Leon Bosch holds a professorship at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London and is on the teaching staff at The Purcell School for young musicians.

Bosch's experiences under South Africa's apartheid regime have ensured he has a keen interest in social and political issues; he holds a master's degree in Intelligence and International Relations from the University of Salford.

Biography source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leon_Bosch