By spending more time inside communities in faraway cities, I built real connections and started to understand the unmet needs of music students. And so I developed an experience that can provide a turning point in young musicians’ lives, heightening their abilities, their perception of the international classical music scene, and the inspiration which drives their choices in future years.
Filippo Gorini
This BBT Artist Encore project grew directly out of another, Filippo Gorini’s Sonata for 7 Cities residency project supported by BBT’s 2023 Franco Buitoni Award. A key element of each residency is the teaching that Filippo undertakes with talented young musicians from the host city or region, and he was particularly moved by his time working with two students he met in Cape Town in Autumn 2025. Reflecting on the financial and geographical challenges faced by many young musicians in economically disadvantaged countries, Filippo created a pilot scholarship programme to offer two outstanding young musicians, Isaac van der Merwe (23) and Dané van Graan (22), a bespoke programme of mentorship, coaching and concert-going in four of Europe’s most cultural capitals – London, Paris, Berlin and Vienna – providing valuable cultural experiences that many of those living in more affluent parts of the world take for granted.
Their two-month musical sojourn included classes and private lessons with individual tutors at such establishments as London’s Royal College of Music and the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Paris; concerts given by the likes of the London Symphony, Berlin and Vienna Philharmonic orchestras in leading concert halls; recitals by Mitsuko Uchida, Isabel Faust and Grigory Sokolov among others; visits to cultural and historic sites; and the generous hospitality of host families for two weeks in each city. As well as implementing and overseeing virtually every aspect personally, Filippo also kept in touch and met and coached them several times over the period, as well as introducing them to inspiring people in the world of music and the arts.
Filippo believes his aims were fulfilled. Describing it as a life-changing experience, Isaac and Dané returned to Cape Town inspired, confident and now well-connected in several cities, and are already planning auditions to further their own musical education and future careers, as well as helping and sharing their experiences with fellow students. Filippo’s ultimate aim is to create a simple model that can be efficiently replicated for other students, potentially linking with future Sonata for 7 Cities residencies.
I now realise that becoming a musician is about so much more than practising or working hard. It is shaped by how we experience our daily lives, our “menswees” as we would say in Afrikaans. Inspiration is found not only in the practice room, but in art galleries, history museums, concert halls, conversations, friendships and the people we meet along the way. One of the greatest gifts of this journey was the people. Everywhere we went, we were met with extraordinary kindness and generosity. Time and again, people opened their homes, shared meals with us, gave freely of their wisdom, and encouraged us with genuine care. I hope that one day I can extend even half of that kindness and generosity to the musicians and people whose paths cross mine.
Dané van Graan
Wherever we went, music students showed interest in us and helped us where they could. Filippo’s musician friends – the Italian diaspora in particular – were invaluable, giving up their time and their space to support our trip. I think the Italians are the South Africans of Europe. They are friendly, direct, impossible to offend, love good food, come from a beautiful, sunny bit of the world w and have a fantastic sense of humour. I got along well with every Italian I met.A group of people I didn’t actually come into contact with but owe a lot to nonetheless were the myriad of presenters Filippo tirelessly bombarded with emails to procure discounted or complimentary tickets to concerts at top venues for Dané and I… In Paris, we heard Pogorelich play an all-Chopin programme at the Philharmonie… The thing we make as pianists is not (or at any rate, shouldn’t be) a sound – it is a feeling, and equally, the instrument we play is not the piano – it is the hearts of the people in the audience. To play for others is to do nothing short of painting on the canvas of the human soul, a medium that records not sounds but the hopes, laughter, loves, fears, and scars of human experience. Pogorelich understands.
Isaac van der Merwe