Piano prodigy Jean-Kyle Bogenhagen, 10, has qualified for the Hubert Van Der Spuy national musical competition.
One of 29 qualifiers hailing from Cape Town, the Kraaifontein pianist dazzled judges in the qualification process with two audition videos.
After weeks of waiting for confirmation, Jean-Kyle is excited to have qualified a third time for the competition, hosted by the Tygerberg branch of the South African Society of Music Teachers.
The three-day event will take place at Hugo Lambrechts Music Centre in Parow from September 19.
“I was and am very excited. I participated twice before in this competition, although I was much younger, I remember it clearly,” he told the Northern News this week.
Both his parents are music fanatics who have influenced his love for the piano.
Jean-Kyle, who owns his own piano, is currently practising in his mother Charlene Bogenhagen’s home studio to prepare for the three-day competition.
At the moment, the event is planned as a live event, Ms Bogenhagen said. The competition was cancelled last year due to the pandemic.
“I started playing the piano at the age of 6,” Jean-Kyle says. “My love for music started since I was a baby. I always attended concerts and listened to classical music from a very young age.
“My dream is to one day be able to play Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1. At the moment, I am playing a Chopin nocturne. I enjoy this piece very much; it is so rich in colour and has a beautiful melody.”
He is a fan of SA concert pianist Megan-Geoffrey Prins and Russian concert pianist Evgeny Kissin. “My piano teacher, Mr Shane Goodall, always inspire me to listen to more pianists,” he says.
Jean-Kyle says his love for the piano comes second only to his dream of being an architectural designer.