A piano masterclass was held in the Chrisholm Auditorium at the University of Cape Town (UCT) on Thursday, 4 June 2026. The guest pedagogue was the internationally acclaimed Italian-Egyptian concert pianist Francesca Khalifa, who visited South Africa on a concert tour that included performances in Gauteng, the Free State and the Western Cape.
Three participants were selected for the masterclass at UCT, namely Graham de Beer, Carla Coltman, and our very own resident Rustybug pianist, Zainab Long (Grade 10). It is a great honour to be selected to perform at a masterclass, and huge congratulations to her on this achievement!
Zainab played Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Prelude in B Minor, Op. 32 No. 10 at the masterclass. Her performance revealed a deeply emotional and instinctive musical voice, with a compelling sense of intensity and longing throughout. She demonstrated a strong understanding of the work’s dramatic architecture, particularly in shaping climactic moments and sustaining emotional tension to the end. Her handling of the improvisatory passages was especially convincing, allowing the music to unfold with freedom and spontaneity.
Throughout the masterclass, Zainab showed great musical maturity in exploring the balance between power and relaxation, learning how physical freedom at the keyboard can deepen both tone and expression. Her responsiveness to ideas surrounding rubato, phrasing, pedalling, and tonal colour reflected a thoughtful and sensitive approach to interpretation. Particularly notable was her willingness to engage with the emotional world of the piece – its ache, resistance, and longing – while remaining open to refining the subtle details that bring Rachmaninoff’s writing fully to life. This was a passionate and promising performance that displayed both technical commitment and significant artistic potential.
by Martha de Jager