Pieter Grobler, Piano

Biography

Pianist Pieter Grobler obtained the BMus and BMusHons degrees in piano performance cum laude under the guidance of Joseph Stanford at the University of Pretoria, South Africa,. Postgraduate studies were with Joseph Banowetz at the University of North Texas, where he completed the MM and DMA piano performance degrees. During his tenure there he regularly attended lessons with the Polish pianist: Adam Wodnicki.  

He studied vocal accompaniment with Dr. Elvia Puccinelli and Harold Heiberg.  His training was further enriched through master classes of which the most beneficial lessons were from Niel Immelman, Leonard Hokanson, Andrzej Jasinski and Pascal Rogé.

He maintains an active concert schedule and is regularly featured on Classic-FM radio in Johannesburg.  Although not a South African music specialist, he regularly includes local compositions into his recital programs, most recently the premiere performance of South African composer Alexander Johnson's Three Incantations (which is also dedicated to him and now included in the prescribed works list for the University of South Africa (Unisa) Licentiate exams). In addition to his solo performances he regularly collaborates as Lied accompanist as well as chamber musician.  Since his return to South Africa, he has been in demand as an adjudicator in local competitions and eisteddfods. 

For the past 3 years, he served on the faculty of the Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival – the biggest festival of its kind in Africa.  Pieter Grobler is a lecturer in piano at Stellenbosch University, located in the historic and picturesque town after which the university was named, near Cape Town, South Africa.