The Venezuelan conductor, Christian Vásquez, is in south Africa conducting the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra in a series of concerts that started on November 2 and will come to end next Thursday, November 10. The three first concerts of this series featured Edicson Ruiz as soloist. This double-bass player of the Berliner Philharmoniker was born in Venezuela and is also product of El Sistema.

On November 2 and 3, the Venezuelan musicians appeared at the Linder Auditorium in Johannesburg, and on November 4 at the ZK Matthews Hall in Pretoria. Both concerts featured works by Rossini, Hoffmeister, Dittersdorf, Márquez and Ginastera.

Next concerts will be held on November 9 and 10 at the Linder Auditorium. The program includes Edwar Elgar’s Serenade for Strings in E minor, op. 20, Edouard Lalo’s Cello Concerto in D Minor, and Sergei Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5 in B-Flat Major, op. 100. Featured soloist will be cellist Peter Bruns. For further information about these concerts please visit the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra website.

Christian Vásquez’s upcoming engagements include performances with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (November 18-25) and Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo (December 11).

Edicson Ruiz, for his part, will be in Japan on November 24 conducting a seminar titled "El Sistema, Berlin Philharmonic and My Self" and giving a recital at the Tokyo University for Fine Arts. On December 17, Ruiz will perform in Berlin at the Institut Francais.