Annelize de Villiers

Annelize de Villiers is a Cape Town based clarinettist. She is passionate about ensemble playing and is an avid chamber and orchestral musician in and around the Western Cape. She was acting principal clarinettist of the KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestra (KZNPO) in 2014 and co-principal and e-flat clarinettist of the KZNPO from 2014 to 2017. In 2017 she relocated to Cape Town and was sub-principal clarinettist of the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra until the end of 2020.

During her postgraduate studies with renowned Swiss clarinettist Frédéric Rapin, she also qualified in bass clarinet and historical clarinet under Antoine Marguier and Cindy Lin respectively. She toured throughout Switzerland and France for various chamber music productions, most notably for the staged production of Stravinsky’s “L’Histoire du soldat'' with French director Roland Auzet and singer Thomas Fersen. Annelize received masterclasses from Wenzel Fuchs, Romain Guyot, Francois Benda, Eddy Vanoosthuyse, Bryan Crumpler and Claudio Vandelli, all of whom greatly influenced her approach to sound, sound production, and musical interpretation on the clarinet.

Annelize was the clarinettist for the premiering performances in Africa (Harare International Festival of Arts) and South Africa of British composer David Bruce’s acclaimed clarinet quintet “Gumboots”. She is actively involved in music education, regularly presents masterclasses, and adjudicates at local competitions and eisteddfods. She currently teaches clarinet at Rustenburg Girls’ High School and Wynberg Boys’ Junior School, and is clarinet lecturer at the South African College of Music, University of Cape Town.