These are two concerts you won’t want to miss. Come and join in the colourful programme just as it is in Vienna with music by the Strauss family, Lehar, Mozart, Drigo and Ketelby, Blue Danube, In a Persian Market, the Radetsky March and many other favourites. This is conducted by Richard Cock with the Johannesburg Festival Orchestra, Jo’burg ballet and soloists Magdalene Minaar (soprano) and Stéfan Louw (tenor).

JIMF runs from Friday, 23 January to Sunday, 7 February and the theme this year is ‘Alla Turca’ (‘In the Turkish style’). Ever since Mozart’s days, when the city of Vienna was besieged by the Turks during the war, composers have been fascinated by the arrival of arabesque elements in Western music. This year’s Mozart Festival reflects the influence of oriental and exotic styles in a huge variety of composers from Mozart to the present day.

The Composer-in-Residence for 2016 is Peter Louis van Dijk who was born in Holland and is now living in Port Elizabeth. Van Dijk has lectured at the University of Cape Town, UWC and was senior lecturer in Composition and Theory at Rhodes University and currently teaches Composition and Orchestration, as well as assisting his wife Junita Lamprecht-van Dijk in teaching graduate choral conducting at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in Port Elizabeth.

"We are privileged to welcome Peter Louis van Dijk as our Composer-in-Residence 2016. One of the finest South African-based composers, Peter has written in a multitude of genres. With an impressive portfolio of international commissions and CD releases to his name, he has found some important inspiration in African cultures. It’ll be wonderful to hear his San Gloria at the Festival,” says Florian Uhlig.

Highlights are the Mozart Birthday Concerts, Chamber Music Concerts, Composers Workshops, visits from the eminent British pianist Peter Donohoe and the Turkish twin-sister piano duo Ferhan and Ferzan Önder, as well as the Buskaid Soweto String Ensemble under the guidance of Rosemary Nalden.

A new addition this year is the CEO Orchestra (supported by BASA). Richard Cock conducts various corporate directors in a concert at the Linder Auditorium which is sure to delight audiences (entrance free).

The Darling Opera company perform Mozart’s Abduction from the Seraglio as a pocket opera at The Fringe at Joburg Theatre.

James Grace, with his guitar recital of Spanish repertoire, is a must if you haven’t seen this talent, and then for the Final Symphony Concert, Richard Cock conducts the Chanticleer Singers along with solo performances by James Grace.

Professor Josef Protschka will give a singing masterclass again as part of the JIMF Vocal Scholarship Scheme. He has chosen six active participants from applicants all over South Africa. One candidate could win a prestigious fully-paid scholarship to study at the Musikhochschule in Cologne/Germany for a whole academic year.

For more information, and to view the programme, visit www.join-mozart-festival.org. Alternatively, connect with them on Facebook.