The Wits Trio: Zanta Hofmeyr (violin), Maciej Lacny (cello) and Malcolm Nay (piano)

An exciting new venture for three exceptionally talented musicians…

Zanta Hofmeyr, Malcolm Nay and Heleen Du Plessis were the Musaion Piano Trio for many years until Heleen re-located to New Zealand. Malcolm and Zanta were on the look-out for a new cellist and they happened to hear the stunning Polish cellist, Maciej Lacny, perform - The Wits Trio came into being. The newly-formed Trio will perform works by Dvořák and Brahms.at Wits on Saturday 5^th May in the Atrium.

Zanta Hofmeyr graduated from The Juilliard School of Music where she was a student of Dorothy Delay and Hyo Kang. After her New York debut in Carnegie Recital Hall(now Weil recital hall), she returned to South Africa in 1985.

A recipient of numerous awards and scholarships, her most recent awards include a nomination as best female artist at the KKNK arts festival as well as a SAMA nomination for her CD Cantilena.

Zanta currently teaches at the Universities of Pretoria and the Witwatersrand. She often acts as string coach for youth orchestras and has been on the faculty of the International Chamber music Festival at the University of Stellenbosch.

Her recordings include “Zanta Hofmeyr plays Arioso” with organist Wim Viljoen and with pianist Malcolm Nay the album “Romantic Violin”. In 2009 she released “Cantilena” – a second collaboration with Wim Viljoen. In 2011 a new CD Beethoven Tango were released in which she and pianist Charl du Plessis perform works by Piazzolla, Sting and Jazz standards.

Maciej Lacny was born in Cracow (Poland) in 1977. He graduated from the F. Chopin High School (1995) and the Cracow Conservatory of Music (2001) in Prof. Z.Lapinski’s cello class. He also obtained a pedagogical diploma from the Cracow conservatory of music. 

Between 1995/99 he was playing many concerts around Europe with the Cracow Quartet in Switserland, Belgium, Holland and Germany. He has cooperated with orchestras like Sinfonietta Cracovia, Capella Cracoviensis, Cracow Opera, Breslau Symphony Orchestra. From 1996 to 2007 he also played as principal cello of the Cracow Radio Symphony Orchestra.

He is married to a South African flautist and living in Johannesburg. Maciej is currently co-principal cello of the Johannesburg Festival Orchestra and he has played in several recitals with acclaimed pianist, Malcolm Nay.

Malcolm Nay is widely regarded as one of the finest chamber pianists and accompanists in South Africa. 

After graduating with a BMus from Wits University where he studied with Pauline Nossel and Isabella Stengel, he travelled on scholarships to America, where he studied with Bela Siki.

As a soloist, he has appeared with most of South Africa’s major orchestras: he is remembered especially for performances, in Gauteng, of the Mozart concertos, which he conducted from the keyboard. 

Malcolm Nay is also a highly regarded recitalist, and has given distinguished solo recitals at the University of Johannesburg (UJ) Arts Gencor Gallery; at the Durban Music Society; at the Wits Great Hall for the Johannesburg Music Society; at the Baxter Theatre in Cape Town and at both UJ and the Wits Atrium.

Malcolm Nay is a sought after adjudicator at prestigious music competitions throughout the country and he continues to perform extensively at the larger festivals in South Africa. 

He is currently Associate Professor at WitsMusic, Wits School of Arts (WSOA).

Free parking is available off Yale Road, Braamfontein

RUNNING TIME: Ninety minutes (incl interval).