Wits Piano Festival Returns with Eight Leading Pianists Across Four Concerts
The Wits Standard Bank Piano Festival returns for its second edition from 8–10 May 2026 at the Chris Seabrooke Music Hall at the University of the Witwatersrand, bringing together eight exceptional pianists across four intimate double-bill concerts.
Curated by acclaimed composer, bassist and educator Carlo Mombelli, the festival deepens its exploration of the piano as both a cultural vessel and a contemporary instrument, moving between South Africa’s jazz traditions and the global classical canon.
A programme shaped by distinct voices
The festival opens on Friday, 8 May (19h00) with Thembi Dunjana and Thandi Ntuli.
On Saturday, 9 May, audiences are treated to two concerts:
- 15h00: Yonela Mnana and Bokani Dyer
- 19h00: Hilton Schilder and Andile Yenana
The final day, Sunday, 10 May (15h00), features Megan-Geoffrey Prins and international guest Taíssa Poliakova, closing the festival with a global perspective on the instrument.
An intimate space designed for listening
The Chris Seabrooke Music Hall, which is purpose-built for chamber music, offers a rare listening environment where the piano takes centre stage, performed on a Shigeru Kawai concert grand, known for its tonal richness and clarity. “The hall allows audiences to experience the piano in its purest form,” says Mombelli. “It’s about nuance, detail, and the relationship between performer, instrument and audience.”
Where tradition and innovation meet
For Wits the festival reflects the university’s commitment to artistic excellence and cultural dialogue. “Wits has always been a place where ideas and artistic traditions meet and evolve,” says Malcolm Purkey, Consulting Director of Wits Theatre . “This festival creates a space for South African voices to be heard in conversation with the world, while giving audiences a deeply personal, close-up experience of extraordinary musicianship.”
Access and booking
- Dates: 8–10 May 2026
- Venue: Chris Seabrooke Music Hall, Wits University
- Tickets: R300 per concert
- Bookings: Webtickets
Early booking is recommended due to limited seating.
About the Artists
Thembi Dunjana
Born in Gugulethu, Cape Town, Dunjana’s music reflects a dynamic interplay between heritage and contemporary expression. Her albums Intyatyambo (2020) and God Bless iKapa. God Bless Mzantsi (2024) have both earned Mzantsi Jazz Awards, marking her as one of the most compelling young voices in South African jazz.
Born in Gugulethu, Cape Town, Dunjana’s music reflects a dynamic interplay between heritage and contemporary expression. Her albums Intyatyambo (2020) and God Bless iKapa. God Bless Mzantsi (2024) have both earned Mzantsi Jazz Awards, marking her as one of the most compelling young voices in South African jazz.
Thandi Ntuli
Ntuli’s work is defined by intuitive lyricism and a genre-fluid approach that blends jazz, soul and African idioms. A Standard Bank Young Artist for Jazz, she has collaborated with artists including Shabaka Hutchings, Thandiswa Mazwai and Sipho Mabuse.
Ntuli’s work is defined by intuitive lyricism and a genre-fluid approach that blends jazz, soul and African idioms. A Standard Bank Young Artist for Jazz, she has collaborated with artists including Shabaka Hutchings, Thandiswa Mazwai and Sipho Mabuse.
Yonela Mnana
Mnana’s music reflects a thoughtful dialogue between tradition and contemporary jazz expression. A respected performer and educator, he has collaborated widely and continues to explore the textures of everyday sound within his compositions.
Mnana’s music reflects a thoughtful dialogue between tradition and contemporary jazz expression. A respected performer and educator, he has collaborated widely and continues to explore the textures of everyday sound within his compositions.
Bokani Dyer
Award-winning pianist and composer Bokani Dyer is known for his lyrical sensitivity and genre-spanning work. His album Radio Sechaba (2023) explores themes of identity and belonging, cementing his place as a leading voice in contemporary African jazz.
Award-winning pianist and composer Bokani Dyer is known for his lyrical sensitivity and genre-spanning work. His album Radio Sechaba (2023) explores themes of identity and belonging, cementing his place as a leading voice in contemporary African jazz.
Hilton Schilder
A veteran of the South African music scene, Schilder’s work is rooted in the Kaapse Klopse tradition. With more than 40 recordings to his name, his career spans decades of collaboration and innovation across multiple genres.
A veteran of the South African music scene, Schilder’s work is rooted in the Kaapse Klopse tradition. With more than 40 recordings to his name, his career spans decades of collaboration and innovation across multiple genres.
Andile Yenana
Yenana’s music draws deeply from South African heritage, incorporating traditional Xhosa melodies into a refined jazz language. A Standard Bank Young Artist for Jazz, he has played a key role in shaping the country’s contemporary jazz landscape.
Yenana’s music draws deeply from South African heritage, incorporating traditional Xhosa melodies into a refined jazz language. A Standard Bank Young Artist for Jazz, he has played a key role in shaping the country’s contemporary jazz landscape.
Megan-Geoffrey Prins
A Standard Bank Young Artist for Music, Prins made his concerto debut at the age of 11 and has performed internationally. Known for his technical precision and expressive depth, he is currently a piano lecturer at the University of Pretoria.
A Standard Bank Young Artist for Music, Prins made his concerto debut at the age of 11 and has performed internationally. Known for his technical precision and expressive depth, he is currently a piano lecturer at the University of Pretoria.
Taíssa Poliakova
An internationally active pianist, Poliakova’s repertoire spans Russian Romantic, Portuguese and contemporary works. She has performed across Europe and Brazil, bringing a global perspective to the festival’s closing programme.
An internationally active pianist, Poliakova’s repertoire spans Russian Romantic, Portuguese and contemporary works. She has performed across Europe and Brazil, bringing a global perspective to the festival’s closing programme.
