Our Facilities
Music Centre
In 1986, Mr Hugo Lambrechts, a former Director of the Cape Education Department, raised the question as to why there are so few South African instrumentalists in our orchestras. The answer, according to him, was that we didn’t have facilities where South Africans can start instrumental tuition at a young age. He wanted a music centre in the Parow area to serve the community of the Northern Suburbs. He was told that there was no money to establish such a Centre, but he persisted and used limited funds for over 3 years to get the Centre started in the old Parow Primary School, on the corner of Picton and Alexander Streets in 1989.
The old school building now consists of 25 music rooms, used for tuition, chamber music concerts, internal and external examinations, meetings and small functions. The world known auditorium of the Hugo Lambrechts Musical Centre in Parow. It was soon recognised by the department of education that the facilities, especially the old school hall used for concerts, were not adequate. Thanks to the relentless efforts of the mayor, Mr Attie Adriaanse, an ultra-modern auditorium was finally built and inaugurated in 2002. He commented in the Tygertalk Newspaper of 2003: “One of Parow’s greatest achievements in 100 years was the ultra-modern auditorium built at the Hugo Lambrecht School”.
Today Parow boasts one of the three major Music Centres in the Western Cape with virtually none in the rest of the country. The highly acclaimed auditorium is used for student exposure to public performance as well as a venue for visiting national and international artists. It seats 450 people and has a stage for 70 orchestra members as well a choir gallery for 140 members.
Auditorium
In 1986, Mr Hugo Lambrechts, a former Director of the Cape Education Department, raised the question as to why there are so few South African instrumentalists in our orchestras. The answer, according to him, was that we didn’t have facilities where South Africans can start instrumental tuition at a young age. He wanted a music centre in the Parow area to serve the community of the Northern Suburbs. He was told that there was no money to establish such a Centre, but he persisted and used limited funds for over 3 years to get the Centre started in the old Parow Primary School, on the corner of Picton and Alexander Streets in 1989.
The old school building now consists of 25 music rooms, used for tuition, chamber music concerts, internal and external examinations, meetings and small functions. The world known auditorium of the Hugo Lambrechts Musical Centre in Parow. It was soon recognised by the department of education that the facilities, especially the old school hall used for concerts, were not adequate. Thanks to the relentless efforts of the mayor, Mr Attie Adriaanse, an ultra-modern auditorium was finally built and inaugurated in 2002. He commented in the Tygertalk Newspaper of 2003: “One of Parow’s greatest achievements in 100 years was the ultra-modern auditorium built at the Hugo Lambrecht School”.
Today Parow boasts one of the three major Music Centres in the Western Cape with virtually none in the rest of the country. The highly acclaimed auditorium is used for student exposure to public performance as well as a venue for visiting national and international artists. It seats 450 people and has a stage for 70 orchestra members as well a choir gallery for 140 members.
Our Vision & Mission
Our Mission
The Hugo Lambrechts Music Centre aspires to:
- Provide a holistic music education programme.
- Nurture the inherent musical abilities of all our learners from diverse communities to achieve their full musical potential.
- Create a safe haven for all our learners by cultivating a culture of inclusivity.
- Harnesses music education to precipitate the development of twenty first century workplace skills such as creativity, collaboration and critical thinking.
- Offer learners and educators a platform to participate in music-making at a national and international level.
- Create a lifelong enjoyment of music while encouraging the audiences of the future.
- Provide dedicated and professional musical leadership to the South African music education environment.
- Be a South African home for international teaching artists.
Our Vision
Orchestrating a world-class music centre.
Our Values

Inclusivity

Excellence

Integrity

Respect

Care
Orchestrating Youth
Our History
In 1986, Mr Hugo Lambrechts, a former Director of the Cape Education Department, raised the question as to why there are so few South African instrumentalists in our orchestras. The answer, according to him, was that we didn’t have facilities where South Africans can start instrumental tuition at a young age. He wanted a music centre in the Parow area to serve the community of the Northern Suburbs. He was told that there was no money to establish such a Centre, but he persisted and used limited funds for over 3 years to get the Centre started in the old Parow Primary School, on the corner of Picton and Alexander Streets in 1989.
The old school building now consists of 25 music rooms, used for tuition, chamber music concerts, internal and external examinations, meetings and small functions, as well as the world known auditorium. It was soon recognised by the department of education that the facilities, especially the old school hall used for concerts, were not adequate. Thanks to the relentless efforts of the mayor, Mr Attie Adriaanse, an ultra-modern auditorium was finally built and inaugurated in 2002. He commented in the Tygertalk Newspaper of 2003: “One of Parow’s greatest achievements in 100 years was the ultra-modern auditorium built at the Hugo Lambrecht School”.
Today Parow boasts one of the three major Music Centres in the Western Cape with virtually none in the rest of the country. The highly acclaimed auditorium is used for student exposure to public performance as well as a venue for visiting national and international artists. It seats 450 people and has a stage for 70 orchestra members, as well a choir gallery for 140 members.
Our Staff
Meet our team of dedicated staff members

Principal
Dr Arisa Voges - Saxophone & Clarinet


String, Harp & Guitar Department
Mrs Zelda Wepner - Violin & Viola

Zelda Wepner (née Hofstander) graduated from the University of Stellenbosch with a BMus (2004) and HonsBA (2005) and also obtained her UNISA Teacher’s Licentiate (violin) in 2008. She studied violin with Suzanne Martens and piano with Dr Liezl-Maret Jacobs. She gained teaching experience working part-time at Beau Soleil Music Centre, Frank Pietersen Music Centre and also the Redefine Music Project in Kuilsrivier. Zelda has received merit awards from UNISA for outstanding teaching and has been asked to adjudicate at Eistedfoddau. She attended various courses including SASMT Conferences, Max Baillie Workshop (2016), UNISA National Violin Symposium (2015), the European String Teachers Association Course in Johannesburg (2012) and a conductors Workshop from Maestro Arjen Tien in 2014. She is a committee member of the South African Society for Music Teacher since 2011. Zelda was invited to join the board of UNISA examiners in 2016 and is currently an active UNISA examiner. She performs on an Ad hoc basis on violin and viola and is a part of the New Apostolic Cape Town Orchestra. Teaching is her passion and many of her students have pursued a career in music.
Maretha van der Walt - Violin & Viola

Maretha van der Walt studied violin with Louis van der Watt, and composition with Prof. Hans Roosenschoon, at the University of Stellenbosch. She graduated with a BMus in 2010 and HonsBMus (cum laude) in 2012. She was awarded a bursary, allowing her to complete a portion of her postgraduate studies in composition with Prof. Lasse Thoresen at the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo.After her studies, she moved to Johannesburg in 2012 where she taught violin at the King David Jewish Academy of Music and Hoërskool Randburg. During this time, she was also a member of, and toured with the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra. She is currently an ad hoc member of the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra.
Mrs Lee-Ann Cloete - Violin & Viola

Ms Lynn Donson - Cello

Mr Uliano Marcio - Guitar

Uliano was born in Cape Town and studied the guitar in London and Barcelona after which he did radio broadcasts on Spanish and Norwegian National Radios. After returning to Cape Town he did regular concerts and radio broadcasts, and later TV broadcasts as well. He played the main Guitar Concerti several times with various orchestras including the Lambeth Orchestra in London and started the Guitar Department at the S.A.College of Music and Stellenbosch Konservatorium. Moving to Italy for 20 years his main activity was joint recitals with his wife Marisa, soprano, and teaching both privately and in Italian Conservatorios. He served on the juries of international guitar competitions and concertised with Marisa in Europe and the Middle East. Having returned to Cape Town he teaches at Westerford High School and the Hugo Lambrechts Music Centre.
Nina Fourie-Gouws - Guitar

Nina Fourie-Gouws completed both her BMus and MMus Performance degrees at the University of Pretoria and also received a Licentiate in Classical Guitar Teaching from Unisa. In 2012 Fourie-Gouws obtained her Postgraduate in Music Performance with distinction from the South African College of Music, University of Cape Town. She is the first guitarist to receive these honours cum laude. Fourie-Gouws has received masterclasses from a large number of international concert guitarists and pedagogues. Nina maintains an active concert schedule throughout Southern Africa and in 2018 she performed as a featured solo artist at the Volterra Guitar Project in Italy. Nina has also performed as a guest artist on the South African television show, Kyknet’s Draadloos. Since 2013 Nina Fourie-Gouws has been guitar lecturer at Stellenbosch Konservatorium where she teaches pre-undergraduate and undergraduate practical music studies, accompaniment, repertoire studies and teaching methodology.
Mrs Jane Theron - Harp

Woodwind & Singing Department
Mr Liam Burden - Saxophone & Clarinet

Saxophonist and conductor Liam Burden is based at the Hugo Lambrechts Music Centre in Parow, Cape Town, where he teaches saxophone and clarinet and is principal conductor of the Hugo Lambrechts Symphony Orchestra. Liam graduated, cum laude, from the University of Stellenbosch with a specialization in saxophone performance. While an honours student he was afforded the opportunity to do a semester of study at the West Virginia University, USA, under Dr Michael Ibrahim. As a saxophonist, Liam has competed in all the major competitions in South Africa and given numerous performances. Most recently he formed part of the Connections Saxophone Quartet, made up of French and South African saxophonists, and performed to rave reviews in a two-week tour along the southern coast of South Africa. As a conductor Liam has conducted performances with the Hugo Lambrechts Symphony Orchestra at the Greyton/Genadendal Classics for all Festival, the Tulbagh Arts Festival and many concerts in the Hugo Lambrechts auditorium including the annual Hugo Lambrechts Concerto Festival often premiering new South African compositions. Liam was musical director of the musical Brothers which was staged at the HB Thom theatre in Stellenbosch, and the conductor of the first KOMPOS Concert. Further conducting commitments include conducting for the WCED Prestige Concert, which afforded top achieving grade 12 learners the opportunity to perform concerti with a professional orchestra, and conductor for a faculty concert at the 2014 Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival made up of international musicians from South Africa and the USA. Liam is a part-time saxophone lecturer at the University of Stellenbosch.
Mrs Charlene Saayman - Clarinet & Saxophone

Mr Charl Clayton - Oboe & Bassoon

Ms Jeanie Kelly - Flute

Mrs Maresa Marchio - Singing

Marcelle Steinmetz - Singing

Brass, Percussion, Piano & Theory Department
Ms Carin Brand - Trombone, Euphonium & Tuba

Mr Allistair McDonald - Trumpet*
Mrs Lindsey Mulgrew - French Horn*

Ms Carike Byker - Piano & Theory

Mr Throy Petersen - Piano*

Suzette Britz - Percussion
no bio

Non-Academic Staff

