A HUGE‘Thank You!’ to all the friends of the Rand Symphony Orchestra for braving the weather and joining us in the Domus Dei Church Hall for our Annual Spring Picnic Concert on Sunday 6 September 2026!
Our Wonderful Audience, waiting for the Annual Spring Picnic Concert to start…
Although it rained heavily on the soggy lawns outside, it certainly didn’t rain on our parade! We loved seeing people set up their picnics in the hall, complete with bubbly and cheese boards, while listening to our programme. It was a really festive atmosphere!
Well done, too, to our young soloists, Boitumelo Phaho …
Boitumelo Phaho playing the Strauss Horn Concerto (1st Movt), with Andrew Pallett conducting the Rand Symphony Orchestra
… and Ulrich Snyman for their wonderful performances!
Ulrich Snyman singing for the audience, with Carel Henn conducting the Rand Symphony Orchestra
Another HUGE‘Thank You!‘ to all the members of the Ochestra for practising and rehearsing for many weeks to make this concert the successful and fun event it was.
We, the Members of the Rand Symphony Orchestra, thank our Resident Conductor, Carel Henn, our Assistant Conductor, Andrew Pallett and our young Guest Conductor, Gerhard du Preez, for their hard work in guiding us through the season!
Please watch this space for our Upcoming Concert Gala Concert:
Should it rain, we’ll move into the Church Hall, audience, picnic baskets and all, and keep the music going! This concert is too good to be missed!
Tickets through Quicket , or at the Door on the day.
Full Price R200;
Pensioners R180;
Students R150;
Family Tickets (2 adults; 2 children over 12) R 600;
Children under 12 – Free
Warmer days have arrived, and we are well into our preparations for the Rand Symphony’s annual picnic concert. As those of you who have attended this event before know, it is a family affair. Bring your snacks and drinks, put out a blanket on the Domus Dei Church Lawns, and relax in the highveld sun on Sunday afternoon 6 September, listening to local musicians play timeless classics.
However, should the weather turn nasty, we’ll move your picnic and our lovely programme of music into the Domus Dei Church Hall. The show will go on!
We look forward to welcoming you!
Programme:
Our opening work will have you feeling as if you’re riding the high seas – it is Felix Mendelssohn’s The Hebrides Overture (also known as Fingal’s Cave, Op. 26) and is is a vivid orchestral work inspired by the composer’s 1829 visit to the Hebrides islands off Scotland’s west coast. The music mimics the movement of the sea, with sometimes gently undulating tunes, at other times with rolling waves of sound. It is a wonderful example of the Romantic composers’ preoccupation with music that evokes the natural landscape.
Fingal’s Cave, Island of Staffa, Scotland by Thomas Moran, 1884-5, High Museum of Art. Wikimedia Commons
Beyond that we have a varied programme befitting a Springtime picnic. We are performing Ballet music from Gounod, a Strauss Horn Concerto performed by the talented Boitumelo Phaho, the Toy Symphony, (supposedly by Haydn, or Leopold Mozart, or Anonymous!), and music from My Fair Lady. Ulrich Snyman will be singing two well-known works. Other crowd pleasers such has Brahms’ Hungarian Dance no. 5 and Dvorak’s Slavonic Dance no. 1 will be performed under the baton of a new young conductor, Gerhard du Preez. We will round off the concert with the rousing Espana by Emmanuel Chabrier.
There will be no printed programmes, as each work will be announced before it is is played.
Carel Henn and Rand Symphony Orchestra Members, in rehearsal.
While rehearsing for our next two performances – a Variety Concert in Sasolburg at the Etienne Rossouw Theatre on 23rd August and our Picnic Concert at the Domus Dei Randburg Suid Church Grounds on 6th September – the Rand Symphony Orchestra is trialling a new initiative to offset some of the expenses of presenting concerts. As you are probably aware, concerts cost a large amount to put on: buying or renting music, venue hire, Conductor’s fees, Soloists’ fees and Concert Master’s fees. As we are a voluntary organisation we rely heavily on donations and membership fees.
We are inviting our supporters to sponsor a ‘chair’ in the orchestra for R1500 per concert. This would be a once-off donation. The money would go towards paying any extra players needed for the concert. Your name or business name would appear in our programme, highlighting to which position you have contributed.
If you are feeling very generous, we are also looking for sponsors for our professional soloists who perform with us. Here donations would need to be between R5000 and R10 000.
If a ‘chair’ sponsorship is too large an amount, rest assured no donation is too small. If you would like to support us in any way please email chair@randsymphony.co.zafor queries regarding donations and sponsorships.
The Rand Symphony Orchestra has PBO Status with SARS and is able to issue 18A Tax Certificates to donors above a certain threshold
Congratulations go to the wonderful young soloists who performed in the 2026 Rand Symphony Orchestra’s Youth Concert, held at the Roodepoort Theatre on Sunday afternoon, 7 June. They very generously gave of their time, talents and passion for music, to our audience. Scroll down for more information and picturees of some of our soloists, taken as they performed.
Each one of you is a master of your instrument. You have shown us all that Beautiful Music lives on in the youth of today and will continue to bring joy to audiences for as long as your passion lasts, and is passed on to the next generation – and the next!
In order of performance, we thank the performers listed below, and their parents, families and teachers for all their support, and the work and time involved in bringing their music so beautifully to the public’s attention:
Bianke van Staden (Violin); Irma Ammann-van Der Merwe (Flute); Xander Yushu Singh (Piano); Arielle Lottering (Piano); Boitumelo Phaho (Piano); Ziyu Pheng (Piano); Henning Bouwer (Flute); Cynthia Wang (Violin); Philip Anspach (French Horn); Emily Mitas Violin); and Meldt van der Spuy (Violin).
Well done to you all and THANK YOU for your contribution to music, and a fabulous performance!
Look out for Boitumelo Phaho, playing the French Horn, and Ulrich Snyman, Baritone, at our Variety Concert in Sasolburg on 23 August 2026 and our Spring Picnic Concert on 6 September. See details below in Upcoming Concerts in 2026 below.
On Sunday afternoon 7th June 2026, at 15h00 at the Roodepoort Theatre, you will be able to hear the top picks of this year’s young and talented musicians, aged from nine to nineteen, performing with a full symphony orchestra’s accompaniment – a terrific and exciting achievement for them!
The programme will include works by Bach, Bruch, De Beriot, Godard, Grieg, Handel, Kreisler, Mendelssohn, Mozart, and Rogers & Hammerstein.
Carel Henn, studying a score before rehearsal recently.
Our young soloists and the members of the Rand Symphony Orchestra are enjoying rehearsing together, polishing their chosen works, each week, to ensure that they truly rise, as the young Stars they are, on Sunday afternoon, 7th June.
Carel Henn, conferring with Concert Master, Ute Liebenberg, before rehearsing Grieg’s Piano Concerto’s First Movement. Soloist Ziyu Pen already at the piano in the background.Carel Henn, conferring with young flute soloist, Irma Ammann-van der Merwe, during a recent rehearsal
We know you and your musically-inclined children, nieces, nephews, parents, grandparents, friends and music teachers, will love the energy and enthusiasm which our young soloists bring to the marvelous music they are currently rehearsing with us, the members of the Rand Symphony Orchestra.
Remember to book now, at Webtickets, to ensure your attendance at this fabulous showcase of wonderfully talented young musicians, performing with the Rand Symphony Orchestra.
Watch this page, our Instagram Page and our Facebook Page, for further information about this and future performances of the Rand Symphony Orcheestra.
Carel Henn, the RSO’s Musical Director and Resident Conductor
On Sunday 15th March 2026, The Rand Symphony Orchestra presented their Classically Romantic Concert to a full and enthusiastic audience at the Roodepoort Theatre. Our grateful thanks to our Conductor and Musical Director, Carel Henn, for a season of enjoyable and successful rehearsals, and a terrific programme and exellent conducting on the day of the performance!
Violinist Camelia Onea (right) and Violist Violeta Mijlkovic (left).
Our outstanding soloists, Camelia Onea and Violeta Mijlkovic, performed the Mozart Sinfonia Concertante beautifully, accompanied by the Orchestra.
The Orchestra, tuning before their performance on 15th March 2026. Video by Orchestra Member Sarah Hardman.
For further photos taken at the Concert, see our Gallery.
The Orchestra Members shone in their performances of Beethoven’s Fedelio Overture and Schumann’s Symphony Number 4 – and enjoyed every moment of the performance!
Thank you to our wonderful audience, who applauded as often and as much as possible, and gave us a standing ovation at the end of the concert!
Last, but not least, our thanks to the Roodepoort Theatre, its Manager and Staff for their assistance.
The Rand Symphony Orchestra invites you to their Gala Orchestra Concert on Sunday afternoon 23 November 2025 at 15h30 at the Roodepoort Theatre, Christiaan De Wet Road, Roodepoort. Tickets, at R200, R180 for pensioners and R150 for students, are available through Webtickets.
Carel Henn and the Rand Symphony Orchestra are honoured to have received this Star, awarded to us by the Roodepoort Theatre on 24 September 2025.
This highly anticipated concert will be conducted by Maestro Carel Henn and features a captivating programme of Romantic masterpieces.
Experience the grandeur of Brahms, the brilliance of Borodin, and the artistry of Rudolf Geldenhuis, all in one exceptional afternoon of music.
Rudolf Geldenhuis, Soloist
The programme also includes Alexander Borodin’s Symphony No. 2 in B minor, a vibrant and heroic piece filled with rich melodies and Russian character.
Under the direction of Carel Henn, the Rand Symphony Orchestra continues its tradition of delivering powerful and inspiring performances to audiences around Gauteng.
Thank you for your support this year. While it is still cold outside, we are hard at work preparing for our Spring Picnic Concert, which promises to be a relaxing day out with the whole family!
Join us on Sunday 7th September 15h00 on the Domus Dei Church Lawns, 30 Jean road, Blairgowrie, for an afternoon of music.
Tickets are on sale at Quicket from R 120 – R 180 and kids under 12 are free.
Bring your picnic blankets, snacks, and the whole family to enjoy a live performance. From classical favourites to popular tunes, the concert offers something for everyone. It’s a casual, family-friendly event that celebrates music, community, and nature.
The perfect opportunity to introduce your kids or grandkids, nieces and nephews to symphonic music.
As a non-profit, we rely on our supporters to spread the word about our events. To boost our ticket sales, please do share this information on your school and community WhatsApp groups, forward it to friends and family, or print it out and put it on your workplace fridge. It all helps!
Whatever the weather, the show will go on!
Upcoming Concerts:
Our thanks to the 
