Where dedication meets destiny.
Our story
The Philip H. Moore competition was the brainchild of Victoria Bennett, in memory of her father. After the passing of the Victoria Bennett in 2019, our aim has been to continue to make her vision a reality. We continue to include the opening words as written by Ms Bennett in previous programmes:
“Philip H. Moore (1916 – 2005) was born in Stockport, England. He graduated from University with a degree in Chemical Engineering and spent his adult life building a very successful business in Durban. He was both an artist and a music lover. His taste in music was wide and varied but his main musical interest was in the Classics. He was a philanthropist and donated to many worthy causes.
The 2019 Competition has been made possible by the funding generously supplied by his wife, Norma Moore and his daughter, Victoria Bennett. It has been established in his memory, in appreciation for all the love and care he provided and for the musical heritage he gave his children.”
We are in tremendously thankful to Ms Bennett’s two children, Rory and Savannah, as well as Norma Moore (wife of the late Philip H. Moore) who choose to continue to fund this competition in Vicky’s honour. In 2022, the official name of the competition was changed from Philip H. Moore to Victoria K. Bennett. We honour those who initiated this platform and continue to support this endeavour – the advancement of classical musicians.
Our mission
To encourage, support and uplift classically-trained music students from diverse cultures and backgrounds up to and including 25 years of age in solo performances.
Our vision
To maintain the standard of excellence and to extend this local classical music competition for solo performers, to a competition of national status.
31.05
Entries for the Victoria K. Bennet Music Competition close
22.07
Competition Round 1
15.08
Competition Round 2
29.08
Victoria K. Bennet Gala Event
Adjudicators
Prof Waldo Weyer
Professor Weyer began piano studies at the age of eight and started to accompany choirs while still in primary school. He appeared on the honorary roll of UNISA’s performance exams on several occasions, including the final exam, for which he won the Robert Clough scholarship. He was invited by the SABC at the age of seventeen to record for the radio programme Ons jeug maak musiek.
He enrolled for a Bmus degree at the North-West University in 1991 to study piano with Professor Gerhard Koornhof. He majored in piano performance, music history, pedagogy and mathematics and received several scholarships as a student. Having passed the ABRSM Grade 8 examination with highest distinction, Prof Weyer was awarded an international scholarship to study at the Royal Academy of Music in London where he completed a Bmus degree in piano performance under Hamish Milne and Patsy Toh, obtaining the LRAM with honours. On his return to South Africa, he obtained a Bmus cum laude at the North-West University, the UNISA Performance Licentiate with distinction and completed a Mmus degree in piano performance, cum laude in 2004 under Truida van der Walt and Prof Bertha Spies. He participated in master classes with Helmut Deutsch (Austria), Joseph Banowetz (USA), Frank Heneghan (Ireland), Thomas Hecht (NZ), Timothy Ehlen (USA) and Caroline Oltmanns (USA). In 2007 he also performed in master classes at Princeton University (USA) presented by Ilya Itin of the Golandsky Institute.
He often receives great critical acclaim as a chamber musician and as an accompanist at arts festivals in Grahamstown and Potchefstroom as well as in Mimi Coertse’s An die Musik Lieder series. In 2005 and 2006 Prof Weyer served as an official accompanist during the National and International UNISA Singing Competitions, and performances with orchestra include concerti with the Pro Musica orchestra and the former COSA (Chamber Orchestra of South Africa). He recently released a recording on his YouTube channel of miniature pieces for violin and piano with his colleague, Prof Piet Koornhof (violin).
Prof Weyer obtained a Dmus in piano performance in 2014 and is an Associate Professor in Piano and Piano Pedagogy. He is also a postgraduate supervisor and has delivered papers nationally and internationally on topics such as pianism, learning theories, and philosophies of interpretation. His research focuses also on the science of expertise and piano performance as well as practice-based and practiceled research.
Adjudicators
Prof Waldo Weyer
Professor Botha received his musical training at the University of Pretoria, the Music Academy of the West, and Texas Christian University.
As a student, he received a number of scholarships, notably UNISA’s South African Music Scholarship and DJ Roode overseas scholarship. He was also a finalist and prize-winner in the Hennie Joubert Piano Competition and the first Unisa National Piano Competition.
His main pianistic influences were Joseph Stanford, Jerome Lowenthal, José Feghali, and Harold Martina. Prof Botha is an active soloist, collaborative pianist, and chamber musician, and has performed and given masterclasses in the US, Europe, the UK, and South Africa. His recordings are regularly broadcast on Fine Music Radio. He has published essays in international music journals such as the Piano Journal, Clavier Companion, and Piano Magazine, and was the editor of the South African Music Teacher from 2019 until 2022. He is the president of WPTA South Africa.
Tinus holds a doctorate from the University of Pretoria and is an Associate Professor at the North-West University.
Adjudicators
Gisela Scriba
Gisela Scriba received her high school education at Gelofte Hoërskool, Pinetown and was a member of both the Natal Youth Orchestra and Choir. She obtained a BMus in Piano Performance, a Diploma in Church Music and Bmus(Hons) in Piano Method at Pretoria University, Cum Laude. She also completed a Higher Education Diploma at the University of South Africa.
A strong interest in the teaching of the young beginner and in ensemble work culminated in a Mmus on ‘The piano duet as a teaching medium’ which was conferred Cum Laude in 2010. Several articles by Ms Scriba, on this topic, have been published in South African music journals.
She teaches piano and music theory at her private studio in Pretoria, with her pupils frequently winning awards on a national level. She is an active member of the South African Society of Music Teachers and was Chairperson of the Pretoria Centre as well as the Pretoria Eisteddfod from 2015 to 2021. She is Vice-President Pre-Tertiary of the South African chapter of the World Piano Teachers Association WPTA , established in 2018. Ms Scriba is also the treasurer of the Pretoria Centre and has served on the Standing Committee of the SASMT and was Vice-President for the Gauteng region between 2013 and 2019. Currently she is President of the SASMT. Due to her influence, the Pretoria Centre hosted the first National SASMT Pretoria Ensemble Competition in September 2017. The competition is now
hosted annually.
Ms Scriba regularly presents workshops, adjudicates at music festivals and national music competitions, and has been a national examiner for practical classical music and marker for the theory exams of the Music Examinations Department of the University of South Africa since 2011. She was a member of a panel of five compiling the 2016 piano syllabus for UNISA and the piano duet examination syllabus was also compiled by Ms Scriba. She has been the pianist for the Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool choir since 1996, as well as the Afrikaanse Hoër Meisieskool choir from 1998, and has travelled with them both nationally and internationally, winning many top awards. Additionally, she regularly accompanies instrumentalists at concerts, festivals, examinations and national competitions.