The sole representative from the Eastern Cape in the 2026 National Youth Music Competition (NYMC) is the 15-year-old pianist Victor Le Du from Makhanda (Grahamstown).
Although it is the Grade 8 learner at Kingswood College’s first appearance at the NYMC, the emerging star is no stranger to music competitions. He has played in several music competitions, including the Hubert van der Spuy National Music Competition and the Atterbury National Piano Competition. In the process, he met fellow contestants, Dylan Price and Haotian (Mike) Yang.
He entered the competition, motivated by the opportunity to perform for an audience and share his music. The NYMC seemed like the logical next step after his previous competitions.
“I believe that my participation will expose me to a new environment, giving me further experience performing, as well as valuable feedback from experts,” he says.
Victor started his musical career at the age of seven. His first music teacher was Annali Smith at Kingswood College. His present music teacher is Prof Catherine Foxcroft of Rhodes University. She was part of the adjudicating panel of the 2025 NYMC.
The rising star also plays the clarinet, but the piano is his favourite musical instrument.
His musical role model is Alfred Brendel, who was described as the “thinking man’s pianist. “I admire Brendel’s philosophical approach and interpretations which feel deeply thoughrful and considered, putting his own ego aside to remain true the composer’s intent.
According to him, he practises approximately two hours per day, with more on weekends. “The hours increase substantially as I get closer to performance or competition dates,” he explains.
In his free time, the talented musician plays chess, and he is a member of the Kingswood College Concert Band.
He enjoys discovering the work of Franz Liszt. “His work has deep and powerful emotions coupled with a sense of freedom and improvisation that I find thrilling to play. Liszt also introduces harmonic interventions and challenges the pianist with almost superhuman technical demands,” he elaborates.
Once he has achieved his matric, Victor would like to continue with music and possibly explore composing music.
If he could be an inanimate object, he would like to be a piano. “It is an object through which composers and musicians bring music to life.”
He describes himself as busy, and his motto in life is: “If at first you don’t succeed, change the plan, not the goal”.