NYMC rising stars shine bright

Two finalists of the 2025 National Youth Music Competitions (NYMC) were part of the opening concert of the Suidoosterfees on 29 April 2026 at the Artscape Opera House in Cape Town.
Critics raved about the concert, describing it as an event that overwhelmed the audience.
Dubbed the Concert of Hope, this annual concert is a showcase of rising South African talent. The concert featured the Cape Town Philharmonic Youth Orchestra under the baton of Liam Burden, and various big names in the music industry.

The two NYMC stars were Kyrah Adams on marimba, who was crowned overall second runner-up. She also walked away with the category prize for other instruments. Cellist Emma Gray won the strings category prize and performed in the finalists’ gala concert. According to the critics, they rendered “magical sounds that filled the heart”. (See recordings of their performances on YouTube: Kyrah Adams and Emma Gray)

Another NYMC star, the 15-year-old pianist Christian-Peter Hiemstra, a student at the Hochschule für Musik in Basel, Switzerland, earlier this year returned to South Africa for a countrywide series of concerts, spanning from February until the end of May.
Christian-Peter was a finalist in the 2024 competition, where he was awarded a bronze medal as a runner-up in the piano category.

The 42nd NYMC will take place from 30 November to 5 December 2026 at the Endler Hall, Konservatorium Building, Victoria Street, Stellenbosch. The registration for this year’s event opened on 23 March 2026. The final deadline to enter is on 23 June 2026.

“Talented young musicians between the ages of 14 and 19, who wish to enter, need to hurry. A maximum of 25 candidates can be selected to participate in the week-long contest with the total prize money of R185 000,” says Aileen Maas, co-ordinator of the NYMC. The entry form and all the competition information and rules are available on the NYMC website (www.nymc.co.za).