3 Oct 2016
Music Concert

In support of the Jes Foord Foundation, guitar virtuoso Guy Buttery brings his new collaboration with The Odeion String Quartet straight from their sold out concerts at the National Arts Festival. Having worked with the KZN Philharmonic Orchestra in an associated project, this collaboration sets up the perfect platform to take Buttery’s intricate guitar-based compositions out of their solo guitar environment and re-contextualizes them in a contemporary symphonic setting.

Since 2011, renowned South African guitar player Guy Buttery has been working on a project that combines his virtuosic solo guitar playing and distinctly African musical voice with contemporary compositional techniques and textures combined with a String Quartet. Guy worked closely with arranger and composer Chris Letcher on the collaboration with the KZNPO and, based on its success, they were immediately discussing how to take this project further. The performance was described as “a flawless synchronization of Africa and the West”. This unique pairing creates a world of opportunity for the strings and guitar operating as musical equals, and even at times as rivals, rather than simply as soloist and accompanying ensemble.

Buttery’s new project creates an enhanced musical interaction between contemporary ‘classical’ music and his own distinctive compositional style. Composing and arranging these two forces is what has been the driving force behind the project which ultimately brought this dynamic collaboration to life at the National Arts Festival in July 2016. Together with the work of Chris Letcher, the project brings a rich and uniquely South African score set amongst Western instrumentation. Each of the members of the quartet as well as Buttery on guitar and mbira, the African thumb piano, are treated as independent musical voices, creating unique string textures, polyphonic melodic lines and polyrhythms, rooted in Buttery’s adventurous musical style.

Based in Bloemfontein, The Odeion String Quartet is the ultimate “mini-orchestra”. Creating a myriad of textures and colours, this collaboration stretches the possibilities of its known format and instrumentation. Performing a “best-of” of his collective works from the last 15 years along with brand new compositions unique to this project, Buttery relooks at the guitar and string quartet presentation and catapults it to new heights.

19:30 / R120
Tickets available through Computicket and at the door

Guy Buttery Biography
Guy Buttery has propelled his career far beyond the borders of his beloved South Africa. As an internationally recognized musician, this multi-instrumentalist enjoys invitations to play sell-out performances all over the globe. The USA, UK, Australia, France, Brazil, and Italy have all welcomed him back year after year. However, to brand Buttery as one of South Africa’s musical phenoms would be an injustice. He has grown into so much more. His international role has surpassed merely playing shows to foreign audiences. It has evolved into one as an ambassador of South African music, inspiring people across the world with our home grown style at the very heart of his talent and tenacity. He is our musical advocate for everything positive and beautiful about the place we call home.

Guy Buttery’s debut album in 2002, "When I Grow Up..." was nominated for ‘Best Instrumental’ and ‘Best Newcomer’ at the South African Music Awards (SAMA’s) making him the youngest nominee in the history of the event. He then went on to win a SAMA in 2010, for his album “Fox Hill Lane” and again in 2014, for his first live concert recording, “Live in KwaZulu”. He has also received other major National accolades including the “The Standard Bank Ovation Award‟ in 2010, 2012 and 2014 for his performances at the National Arts Festival in South Africa and currently holds the record for the most Ovation Awards awarded to any musician. Guy was then invited to perform with the 52-piece KZN Philharmonic Orchestra, dubbed “Africa’s greatest ensemble” and was also voted “Top Live Show” by The Cape Times.
Guy was also invited to perform at the South African Music Awards where he was broadcast to an audience of over 4 million people in one of the country's most watched television events. Guy then joined world-renowned guitar legends Preston Reed and Jon Gomm for a series of concerts with the touring event, ‘International Guitar Night’. The media cited him “as one of South Africa’s finest exponents of the acoustic guitar.”

Expect high dynamics, deep grooves, delicate African inflections and mind-bending guitar playing of an entirely new order

The Odeion String Quartet Biography

The Odeion String Quartet was established as a fulltime resident string quartet at the University of the Free State (UFS) in 1991. It is the only resident string quartet at a South African university. The Odeion String Quartet is a flagship of the UFS and symbolises the university’s commitment to the arts. It plays an important strategic role in the development of music for symphony orchestra and in classical music training in the Free State.

Artists with whom they have appeared include Albie van Schalkwyk, Ben Schoeman, Catherine Foxcroft, Eddy van Oosthuyse, Farida Bacharova, James Grace, Leon Bosch, Leslie Howard, Liesl Stoltz, Marian Lewin and Zanta Hofmeyr. During 2011, the quartet recorded Hendrik Hofmeyr’s string quartets. Following Denise Sutton’s retirement at the end of 2012, Samson Diamond has been appointed as the Odeion String Quartet’s new first violin and leader from January 2013. The inaugural concert with the quartet’s new leader took place on 21 February 2013.
The members of the quartet play an important role as teachers at the Odeion School of Music (OSM) at the UFS – attracting students from all over the country – and coach chamber music ensembles of the OSM such as the Odeion Sinfonia and the OSM Camerata. They also lead the string sections of the Free State Symphony Orchestra (FSSO), coach the string sections of the Free State Youth Orchestra (FSYO), and assist with the Mangaung Strings Project. Thus, the quartet is an essential part of UFS collaboration with the FSSO, the FSYO, the Free State Musicon, the Free State Provincial Department of Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation, as well as Pacofs.

GUY BUTTERY - acoustic guitar & mbira
SAMSON DIAMOND - 1st violin
SHARON DE KOCK - 2nd violin
JEANNE-LOUISE MOOLMAN - viola
ANMARI VAN DER WESTHUIZEN - cello
CHRIS LETCHER - string arrangements