Hailing from Wellington in the Western Cape, saxophonist AJ Nel entered the 2026 National Youth Music Competition (NYMC) to measure his capabilities against other musicians.
The 17-year-old matriculant admitted that he is competitive by nature. This is his maiden NYMC. He believes the contest will bring him experience in working toward a big goal, meeting other passionate musicians, and performance exposure.
The rising star indicated that he already knows six of his fellow contestants.
AJ’s musical career started when he began recorder and piano lessons 12 years ago. He only started with the saxophone in 2024 after completing his Grade 7 recorder exam. His mother Martha du Plessis was his first music teacher, guiding him on the recorder and the piano. Mark Lynch was his first saxophone tutor.
Currently, he is taking lessons from Dr. Justin Carter and Josie McClure. Josie was a contestant in the 2018 NYMC.
There is a lot of music in the family. His mother studied BMus, plays the piano and sings. She is still involved in various musical activities. One of his three siblings, a younger sister, plays the flute and the piano.
“My mother has always been my musical role model,” he says with pride.
German composer Georg Philipp Telemann is the young musician’s favourite composer. “Due to my recorder background, I have always really enjoyed playing Baroque music.”
Despite his strong foundation in the recorder and piano. The talented musician also plays the flute. “The saxophone has quickly become my strongest and favourite instrument,” he smiles.
AJ says he practices two and a half hours per day. In his free time, he is an enthusiastic runner, and he enjoys outdoor activities.
His dream is to do music full time, but he is considering studying BCom for financial stability.
Should he be able to be an inanimate object, AJ would love to be a metronome as he is disciplined and consistent.
He describes himself as diligent, and his life motto can be found in Luke 9:25: “What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?”