Award winning conductor and composer Pieter Bezuidenhout is one of South Africa’s most prominent young composers and conductors; bridging the gap between the older and the younger generation of musicians. The Beeld newspaper writes that “Bezuidenhout seemingly composes without any baggage of the past, in a context where music is often restricted by it”. 

 

He has received awards in composition from the European Academy of Choral Conductors for his choral work Stardance and most recently the Stefans Grové International Composition Competition Award in 2015 as well as in 2017; for his works Huis van die Dowes for Soprano and Piano and The Blue Lady Sonata for Clarinet and piano. Bezuidenhout is regularly commissioned locally as well as internationally to write works for ensembles ranging from instrumental chamber groups to festival choirs. His works have been performed most recently in Graz, Washington, Munich, Bratislava, Istanbul, Paris, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore and by the Choir of the Music Conservatory in the Canary Islands to great acclaim.

 

Bezuidenhout is currently the conductor of 5 choirs in South Africa. Namely the Centurion High School choir, the Oos-Moot Girls’ Choir, the Magalies Mixed Youth Choir, The Louis Leipoldt Primary school Choir and his adult chamber choir; The Horizons Project Choir. The Horizons Project specializes in the performance of new choral works written by Young South African Composers.

 

As well as being a professional conductor, He is also a passionate pedagogue and is regularly invited to give lectures and workshops on music from South Africa. Most recently he was invited to give seminars at the EuropCantat in Talinn, Estonia in 2018 and at the Chor.com in Hannover, Germany in August 2019. Bezuidenhout’s music is published internationally by Hebling Chormusik online.