Tereska Muishond and Owen Dalton with the orchestra of faculty and students during their performance on Monday 6 July photo Tiffany Schultz.
The 21st Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival (SICMF) has concluded with a triumphant, standing-ovation performance of Gustav Mahler’s monumental First Symphony, "The Titan". The resounding finale marked the culmination of a gruelling 10-day musical marathon, leaving both the audience and performers in raptures after an intense schedule of 20 student concerts, seven faculty showcases, and five orchestral events, alongside public masterclasses and lectures.
For the nearly 300 student participants, the emotional weight of the festival's conclusion was deeply felt. Having forged deep, unlikely friendships through intense musical collaboration, many youngsters were moved to tears at the final curtain. It was a bittersweet mix of joy for the cherished experience and sadness at having to say goodbye to newly found peers.
Conductor Liam Burden and the Symphonic Wind Orchestra SICMF 2026.
Reviewing the festival, critics noted it would be virtually impossible to isolate a single highlight from an extraordinary line-up that offered truly something for everyone. Memorable moments spanned from Daniel Rowland’s sensual interpretation of Philip Glass’s The American Four Seasons to an effervescent, virtuoso performance of Mendelssohn’s double concerto by Miclen LaiPang and Emanuil Ivanov.
