The Port Elizabeth Music Society dates back to January 23, 1940, when concerned residents met to “draw attention to the apathy towards music which had prevailed in Port Elizabeth in the past.” Thanks to this inaugural meeting the society was formed, part of its mission being to establish a viable orchestra in the city.

Originally called the Port Elizabeth Orchestral Society, the name was changed to the Port Elizabeth Music Society on December 12, 1960, as the orchestra had by then become a viable autonomous entity.  The society has brought various musicians from across the world to Port Elizabeth. There is a good balance between South African and overseas artists and a wide representation of instruments and genres.

The society has a close relationship with the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University’s Music Department with the NMMU’s South Campus Auditorium being its venue of choice for intimate chamber performances. The president of the society is Erika Bothma who is also an acclaimed concert pianist in her own right and has been the president for 8 years.

Membership fees are subsidised and are R385 for single members, R700 for couples, R80 for scholars, R85 for students, R300 for single pensioners and R550 for pensioners couples.

Concert Series 2015
Tue 17 Feb - Yi-Jia Susanne Hou (violin) & Brian Wallick (piano)
Wed 11 Mar - Spencer Myer (piano)
Thu 9 Apr - Caleb Vaughn-Jones (cello) &  Erika Bothma ( piano)
Thu 14 May -  Awadagin Pratt (piano)
Sun 7 Jun - Anzel Gerber (cello) and Ben Schoeman (piano)
Mon 17 Aug - Wits Trio: Zanta Hofmeyr (violin), Marciej Lacny (cello), Malcolm Nay (piano)
Tue 29 Sep - Hrachya Avanesyan (violin) & Pieter Jacobs (piano)
Tue 27 Oct - Primakov-Lavrova Piano Duo

For more details about individual concerts, please see the What’s On calendar

2014
Thu 6 Feb - Anton Nel (piano)
Thu 13 Mar - Konstantin Soukhovetski (piano)
Wed 21 May - Antonio Pompa-Baldi (piano)
Sun 15 Jun - Ilya Gringolts (violin) & Peter Laul (piano)
Thu 14 Aug - Cobus du Toit (flute) & Patrick Sutton (guitar)
Thu 18 Sep - Popular S.A. singers & instrumentalists
Tue 7 Oct - Charl du Plessis (piano)
Wed 19 Nov - Andre Pisarev (piano)

2013
Wed 20 Feb - Stefan Temmingh (recorder) & Axel Wolf (lute)
Mon 18 Mar - Lucas Vondracek (piano)
Tue 7 May - Trio Broz
Wed 29 May - Santiago Canon Valencia (cello) & Jose Dias (piano)
Mon 10 Jun - Vassily Primakov (piano)
Tue 20 Aug - Sergey Malov (violin) and Bryan Wallick (piano)
Thu 24 Oct - Jan Hugo (piano)
Thu 21 Nov - Yura Lee (violin) & Tertia Visser-Downie (piano)

2012
Sun 26 Feb - The Mamre Concert
Mon 19 Mar - Alexander Lubyantsev (piano)
Wed 16 May - Alexander Ramm (cello) & Tinus Botha (piano)
Wed 6 Jun - Avigail Bushakevitz (violin) & Ammiel Bushakevitz (piano)
Thu 23 Aug - Mark Nixon(piano)
Mon 17 Sep - Wolfgang Schmidt(cello) & Bryan Wallick (piano)
Thu 18 Oct - Eastern Cape Childrens Choir (Conductor: Lionel van Zyl)
Wed 21 Nov - Inon Barnatan

First Published 26 April 2012