20 years of chamber music festival

Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival (SICMF) is celebrating 20 years, from Friday July 4 to Sunday July 13, at the Stellenbosch University Konservatorium.

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The festival boasts the largest collective of world-renowned classical musicians at any festival on the African continent, and a number of internationally acclaimed artists have been coming to the SICMF for the better part of two decades.

The first of the Europe-based artists to serve on the faculty of the SICMF was Xandi van Dijk, who first served in 2005 at the second ever SICMF.

Xandi, then still based in South Africa, now lives in Germany and has forged a remarkable career there as conductor and violist.

In 2006, Daniel Rowland made his South African debut at the SICMF.

Rowland, admired internationally for his ravishing tone and captivating performances, is a regular guest at the world's most prestigious chamber music festivals.

And so, since 2004, the pool of SICMF invitees has grown to include the who's who of festivals like Verbier, Salzburg and Malboro.