New home for National Youth Music Competition

The National Youth Music Competition (NYMC) is set to return in 2024 under the auspices of the Department of Music of Stellenbosch University (SU).

The competition was the flagship project of the National Youth Music Foundation (NYMF), a trust chaired by the founder of the competition, the late and deeply missed Michael Maas. Following his passing on 14 March 2023, the 2023 edition of the competition was cancelled. Since its launch nearly 40 years ago, the annual competition has only been cancelled on one other instance – in 2021 due to the global Covid-19 pandemic.

To ensure the sustainable continuation of the NYMC, Aileen Maas, administrator of the competition and Prof Mario Nell, chair of the SU Music Department, explored possible ways forward. Aileen has been instrumental in the organisation of the NYMC for over 25 years, and Prof Nell (himself a winner of one of the competition’s earliest editions) has acted as advisor and adjudicator, and has been involved in entering pupils and students into the NYMC regularly throughout the years. His current pupil, young pianist Mike Wang, won the last Competition in 2022.

“We are excited to announce that the annual NYMC for classical musicians between the ages of 14 and 19 years will continue in 2024, in the same format as in the past, and now as a project of Stellenbosch University’s Music Department. Our department is the oldest institution of its kind in South Africa, and boasts a proud tradition, spanning more than a century, of dedication to music education, the performing arts, creative work and academic research. The NYMC’s vision and mission - to identify, develop and provide public exposure to our country’s outstanding young classical musicians - fit hand in glove with the Music Department’s commitment to reach out further into the school-going ages, and foster such young talents towards further tertiary studies and successful careers.” says Nell.

Prof Nell will act as the director of the NYMC, alongside Aileen Maas who maintains the administration of the competition.

The 2024 NYMC will take place from 2 to 7 December at the Endler Hall, Konservatorium Building, Victoria Street, Stellenbosch. The NYMC brochure and registration form will be published on the NYMC website at www.nymc.co.za at the end of February 2024.

The winner and final rankings of the NYMC are determined cumulatively over four rounds. It is the only competition in South Africa in which the six finalists compete for top honours accompanied by the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra (CPO). The third round, featuring the 12 semi-finalists, as well as the final round’s gala concert will be streamed live on the NYMC website.