Jordan Brooks – winner of the 35th National Youth Music Competition
17 October 2019
Jordan Brooks (16), a violin student of Anne-Marié Swanepoel at Beau Soleil Music Centre in Kenilworth since the age of seven, was selected as the overall winner of the prestigious National Youth Music Competition at the Gala Concert on 12 October 2019.
The annual competition draws top young musicians from all over the country who compete over four gruelling rounds, with only six finalists selected to perform a concerto with the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra. Jordan not only won the overall prize of a gold medal and R30 000, but also the prize for the best concerto performance in the final round for his exceptional rendition of the Sibelius violin concerto under the baton of Brandon Phillips. Other awards he received were the strings category prize and the prize for the best performance of a work by a South African composer, a prize he shares with co-competitor pianist Gerhard Joubert.
Jordan is currently the concert master of the CPYO as well as the Beau Soleil Senior String Ensemble. In 2015 he was the overall winner of the SAMRO-Hubert van der Spuy Music Competition for primary school learners. Jordan has performed as soloist with various orchestras and ensembles in the country and is also a keen chamber musician who takes part every year in the Franschhoek Chamber Music Workshop as well as the Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival. In 2018 he joined the MIAGI Youth Orchestra as first violinist on their extended tour to Europe.
Jordan has received master classes from several internationally renowned performers and teachers such as Marc Bouchkov, Alexander Gilman, Phillipe Graffin, Christina Brabetz, Gareth Lubbe and André Swanepoel. Jordan is studying to make a career as a professional violinist. He is currently a Grade 10 learner at Westerford High school.