Claasen wins prestigious music prize

UCT postgraduate student Clinton Claasen's "exceptional" talent on the piano has earned him the Laura Searle Prize for Concerto Playing competition, adding to his ever-growing number of awards. Claasen, who is doing his master's in piano performance at UCT's South African College of Music (SACM), won some cash and the opportunity to perform with the UCT Symphony Orchestra next year. The Laura Searle Prize prize is awarded annually by the SACM to a piano student of exceptional ability, in memory of Laura Searle. Claasen has won several accolades before, including the Zook Fields Prize for best first-year student, the Johnny Windham Scholarship for a piano performance major, and the Lionel Bowman Beethoven Prize.

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