Saturday 9 May 19:00
Emil Weder Auditorium Genadendal
R220
Prepare to be swept into an evening of soaring passion, gripping drama, and unforgettable melodies. Step through the curtain and enter the world of operatic giants—Mozart, Handel, Donizetti—where every piece is a universe of emotion, each note charged with longing, triumph, and breathtaking intensity. A nine-member string ensemble and piano create a luminous soundscape, lifting the extraordinary voices of William Berger, Lynelle Kenned, Minette du Toit-Pearce, and Corneil Muller to dazzling heights. Together, they promise a night shimmering with elegance, power, and pure musical magic. Under the masterful direction of Elna van der Merwe, with evocative arrangements by Antoni Schonkin and Arthur Feder, this is an experience designed to leave you spellbound.
CORNEIL MULLER
Corneil Muller is a respected South African musician, singer, cellist, and actor with a career spanning performance, production, and creative leadership. Born and raised in Bloemfontein, he matriculated from Grey College in 2004, where his passion for music and theatre was already evident. That same year, he received the award for Best Ensemble Player at the Stellenbosch National Ensemble Competition and a gold medal from the ATKV for acting at the national Teen Theatre finals.
In 2005, Corneil began his studies at the University of the Free State, touring nationally and internationally as a soloist, singer, and cellist with various ensembles, including the University of the Free State Choir. He has since appeared in numerous professional productions, performing as a singer, actor, and cellist.
He obtained a degree in Integrated Marketing Communication in 2008, and later held senior leadership roles in the hospitality industry, serving as Marketing Manager and subsequently Operational Director of Urban Hotel Operations. In 2017, Corneil left the corporate world to pursue international performance opportunities, accepting a contract to sing in Mallorca, Spain.
After returning to South Africa, he competed in The Voice South Africa Season 3 (2019), placing among the top 32 contestants from over 6,000 entries. Since then, he has presented a series of solo concerts and collaborations with many of South Africa’s leading artists, orchestras, and choirs, including the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra and the Stellenbosch City Orchestra.
In addition to his performance career, Corneil works in the creative industry as Client Relations Manager at Graydient Creative Consultants, where he opened a satellite office in the Western Cape in 2023. In 2025, he received a Kyknet Fiësta Award for Best Music-Driven Production for Ontban, produced by the Suidoosterfees.
Now celebrating his coming of age as a professional musician, Corneil’s artistic philosophy is rooted in expanding horizons and exploring new creative pathways—offering audiences memorable and transformative musical experiences.
ELNA VAN DER MERWE
Elna van der Merwe is an exceptionally talented and versatile South African pianist and chamber musician with an impressive career in music. With formal training at Stellenbosch University, she has established herself as a distinguished artist who moves effortlessly between genres, including classical music, jazz, and cabaret.
She has performed as a soloist with several national orchestras and has won numerous awards and competitions. Her skill as a pianist makes her a sought-after collaborator for both local and international artists. Among those she has performed with are: Maria Kliegel (cello), Gary Hoffman (cello), Michelle Breedt (mezzo-soprano), and Douglas Masek (saxophone).
Her career includes participation in all the ATKV competitions, the Unisa International Competitions (for string players, singers, and woodwind players), as well as all the SAMRO competitions since the 1990s. SAMRO has honoured her for her outstanding accompanying work during their vocal and instrumental competitions. She has recorded with artists such as Maria du Toit and Zanta Hofmeyr. As a multi-talented pianist, she has taken part in numerous two-piano concerts with Zorada Temmingh as part of the duo “The Blondes,” performing in Lesotho, Israel, and London, among others. She performs at all of South Africa’s major arts festivals, and her participation in award-winning productions underscores her artistic legacy.
At the recent 2024 Woordfees, her production Opera Favourites received the award for Best Production in Vocal Classical Music. The Hessequa Harmonie Arts Festival in Heidelberg honoured her as one of South Africa’s most respected pianists for her contribution to classical music. In 2024, she founded the first chamber music festival in Prince Albert, which has since become known as Gamka Klassiek. As the music curator of the unique Tankwa Classics festival, she combines her creativity and experience to create unforgettable musical experiences. The festival features five concerts over a weekend, held in a natural canyon under the stars.
Elna is currently a member of the Take Four Piano Quartet, alongside Zanta Hofmeyr (violin), Jeanne-Louise Moolman (viola), and Susan Mouton (cello). Since 2022, they have performed across South Africa and will appear in Malta in May 2025. Her dedication and passion make her one of South Africa’s most esteemed pianists and musical artists.
LYNELLE KENNED
Crossover soprano, Lynelle Kenned, has been hailed as one of South Africa’s biggest classical music gems.
A graduate of the UCT Opera School under the tutelage of Prof Virginia Davids and Hanna van Schalkwyk, she is a Multidisciplinary Performing Artist, TV Presenter, Actress and Media Personality.
Her list of awards include a 2023 Fiësta for Best Classical Music presentation, a 2022 Woordtrofee, the Kunste Onbeperk YOUNG VOICE 2019, a 2018 Naledi Award, a Fiësta Award in 2017, and a Fleur du Cap Award in 2016.
Stage productions include Maria in “West Side Story”, Maria in “The Sound of Music”, Mattie Allen in “Orpheus in Africa”, Musetta in “La Boheme”, Julie in “Showboat”, Cherubino in “Le nozze di Figaro”, and Grace in the world premiére of “Calling Me Home”.
Classical performances as soprano soloist include The Messiah, Easter Oratorio, St Matthew Passion, Shepherd on the Rock, Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen, Brahms’ Requiem, Faure Requiem, Les nuits d’été, and Handel’s Gloria.
A few memorable career highlights are the FNB/RMB Starlight Classics, a ‘In die Kollig” TV recital for Johan Stemmet Productions, live broadcasts of Dancing with the Stars and the KykNET Fiëstas, performing with Welsh crossover superstar Katherine Jenkins, receiving master classes with Juilliard’s Brian Zeger. Lynelle adjudicates the singing category for the national Huisgenoot Eisteddfod (2022 & 2023), and regularly collaborates with the Cape Philharmonic and Cape Town Baroque Orchestras, as well as the Lutesong Consort.
MINETTE DU TOIT-PEARCE
Minette du Toit-Pearce began her vocal training under the tutelage of Dr. Magdalena
Oosthuizen at Stellenbosch University where she received the degrees BMus, BMus
(Hons) and MMus (Cum Laude) specializing in vocal performance. She completed the
UNISA Teacher’s and Performance Licentiates (both Cum Laude) and was awarded
the DJ Roode Overseas Scholarship, as well as the Gertrude Buchanan and SAMRO
prizes during the UNISA International Scholarship Competition. She was the overall
winner of the ATKV Musiq competition as well as winner of the singing category and
the Mozart prize. She was first runner up in the SAMRO International Singing
Scholarship competition and won the prize for best performance of a prescribed
work. She was a finalist in the Kohn Foundation Wigmore Hall International Song
Competition in London and a finalist in the American Institute of Musical Studies’
(AIMS) Meistersinger Competition in Graz.
Minette regularly performs as a soloist in oratorios and recitals and is an
accomplished singer of lieder both locally and abroad. She has performed with all
major orchestras in South Africa, most notably the Cape Town Philharmonic
Orchestra and the Johannesburg Festival Orchestra. She made her American debut
as soloist in Beethoven’s 9 th Symphony with the Minnesota Orchestra in Minneapolis
in 2018 and accompanied the orchestra on their South African tour as part of their
“Mandela 100” celebrations. In 2022 she performed at the Neues Lied Festival in
Würtsburg, Germany and recorded a CD titled “Nagmusiek” with South African
pianist Marika Hofmeyr in France featuring works by Arnold van Wyk and Hendrik
Hofmeyr. In February 2024 Minette sang the role of Principessa in Puccini’s opera
Suor Angelica for Cape Town Opera for which she received a Fleur du Cap
nomination.
Minette has performed at most of the major Arts Festivals around South Africa and
has been nominated for four Kyknet Fiësta Awards and was the recipient of two
WoordTROfees for “100 Jaar van die Afrikaanse Lied” and “As Ek”.
Minette is an experienced adjudicator at Eisteddfods and singing competitions in
South Africa but also travels outside of South Africa to Namibia, Mozambique and
Zimbabwe to adjudicate, teach and perform. She is the head of the Singing Division
at Stellenbosch University and holds the position of Senior Lecturer in Singing. She is
currently working towards her PhD in music.
WILLIAM BERGER
William Berger is one of South Africa’s most successful international baritones having performed leading roles in many European opera houses including the Royal Opera House in London, Liceu in Barcelona, as well as in Paris, Lucerne, Antwerp and Lisbon.
As a concert artist he made his Kennedy Center debut in Washington D.C. to great critical acclaim and has collaborated with many of the leading orchestras, such as the London Philharmonic and Atlanta, Seattle and St. Louis Symphony orchestras. His extensive discography of complete opera and oratorio recordings also includes three solo albums: Insomnia, Hommage à Trois and Duet. He can frequently be seen performing with Cape Town Opera, most recently as Max Detweiler in The Sound of Music for which he won the Fleur du Cap award. Winner of numerous competitions and prizes, William is also an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music in London.
