Sibyl Whiteman Morris

I was fortunate to grow up in a household where there was music frommorning to night. My mother was a distinguished piano teacher who had played in public in her younger days, and my father, though earning his living as a mathematics lecturer and professor at UCT, followed a parallel music career and obtained an MMus degree in composition under Prof Erik Chisholm. So I really didn’t have an option as to career choice! At the age of 17, after nine years of excellent instruction from both my parents, I left home to study overseas. I studied at the Royal Academy for a year, before departing for Amsterdam. There I had plenty of opportunities for performing on both piano and my second instrument, the clarinet.

I won a few prizes in piano competitions, which led to some broadcasts on Dutch radio stations, and I gave recitals in Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague. I left Amsterdam with the Prix d’Excellence, the highest award for solo playing. Subsequently I gave recitals in various German cities. On returning home I was appointed Senior Lecturer in Piano at the University of Port Elizabeth and stayed for several years until I left to get married. I belatedly did a Master’s degree in Chamber Music at UCT; my piano tutor was the unforgettable Lamar Crowson and my supervisor for the thesis was Michael Tuffin, another FMR presenter.

I have given lectures on music for adult education programmes, done solo broadcasts on SABC, given solo recitals in major cities in South Africa, and played with the SABC, Natal Philharmonic and Cape Town orchestras under conductors such as Sir Charles Groves, Louis Fremaux, and Edgar Cree. I have also made two CDs of piano solos, which are sometimes aired on FMR!

Apart from my family (husband and two sons), my main interests are photography, our beautiful fynbos, reading, walking and wildlife watching.

Sibyl is a regular presenter of Composer of the Week (Mondays at 20:00), Great Interpreters (Fridays at 20:00) and Music Among Friends (Thursdays at 20:00).