Six conductors and 60 years: Memories abound for Diane Coutts
By Marlene Ross
The Johannesburg Bach Choir has been associated with some of South Africa’s most talented musicians during the past 60 years. Diane Coutts, who has performed with the Johannesburg Bach Choir as organist, pianist and harpsichordist, twice received the SABC Artes award for best piano recordings and has also received lifetime achievement awards from the South African Music Rights Organisation (SAMRO) and the South African Society of Music Teachers (SASMT). Diane’s association with the Johannesburg Bach Choir goes back to the 1990s. She still accompanies the choir for rehearsals on an ad hoc basis.
Diane Coutts: Pianist, organist and harpsichordist extraordinaire
Born in Durban, Diane studied piano, organ and flute. Her organ tutor was Errol Slater, who was the organist at St Paul’s Church in central Durban. At one of her piano performances in Durban she was noticed by Ivey Dickson, a professor at the London Royal Academy of Music and the director of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain. She invited Diane to study in London from 1965 to 1966.
On returning to South Africa, she was appointed as the SABC accompanist for Natal in 1970. In 1979 she was transferred to Johannesburg as the official SABC accompanist and as member of the National Symphony Orchestra of the SABC. Diane prefers accompaniment to solo work, because it provides her with the opportunity to share her love of music with other musicians. She explains that in duo work in particular, one is able to share ideas on interpretation with fellow musicians. She has accompanied many contestants at the Unisa International Strings Competitions as well as the Unisa International Voice Competitions, including the winner of the Unisa International Strings Competition in 2010.
Referring to her many piano recordings, Diane explains that she prefers “leaving a recording as a legacy as opposed to playing in live concerts, which is just a fleeting moment in time”. As an introvert, she feels it also better suits her personality.
Apart from her work at the SABC, she also examined for Unisa and was juror for many music competitions. Diane has many qualifications in teaching, accompaniment and performance for organ, piano and flute. Her students excel in their examinations, many of them winning Unisa awards. She is still teaching and has adapted to the post-Covid online teaching and examination methods with aplomb.
In 2019, after serving the Catholic Church as organist for 60 years, she received an award from Pope Francis. Diane is still the organist at St Bonifatius German Speaking Catholic Church in Randburg.
Diane has performed with the Johannesburg Bach Choir as organist, pianist and harpsichordist with six resident conductors – Bruno Peyer, Douglas Reid, Roland Solomon, Colin Yorke, Dario Broccardo and Tim Roberts. Highlights of her performances with the Choir include playing the harpsichord solo part in the Bach Brandenburg Concerto No 5 on a locally built harpsichord for its inaugural performance, as well as the challenge of playing the Mozart Requiem on the organ, in place of a full orchestra.
Diane remains an inspiration to her students and fellow musicians and the Johannesburg Bach Choir is very proud that she is part of the choir’s journey.
The Johannesburg Bach Choir is delighted to receive a letter of congratulations on its 60th anniversary celebrations from the Leipzig Bachfest and the Bach Archive Leipzig. The Leipzig Bachfest is the world’s most significant Bach festival, attracting choirs from throughout the globe. We are honoured to be congratulated in this way. The letter is below.
The Bach Blog was launched on Sunday 28 July 2024 in honour of the death of the great JS Bach, after whom the Johannesburg Bach Choir is named. It also celebrates the 60th anniversary of the JBC – its diamond jubilee – with the logo specially designed for the occasion by bass section leader Alastair Findlay. The Bach Blog features stories about members of our choir, or those associated with it over the years, written by other members of the choir and edited by Theo Coggin, a member of the bass section of the choir.
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Stuart Meyer continues his account of the musical journey of Ruth Coggin, the new music director of the Johannesburg Bach Choir.
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Mandy Collins, a member of our alto section, composed this poem for Tim Roberts’ farewell. We thank Mandy for giving us permission to publish this poem. Please note it is Copyright to Mandy – Theo Coggin, Editor of The Bach Blog.
Farewell to Tim Roberts
Monday 25 November 2024’s practice saw a heartfelt time of saying “thank you” to our music director, Tim Roberts, for his 15 years’ service to the Johannesburg Bach Choir. Accompanied by Ruth Coggin on the piano, each of the voice parts sang a song of their choice to him, the alto group finishing with Auld Lang Syne accompanied by Mandy Collins on a steel drum. A special gift to Tim was a framed cartoon of him, featuring his interests and hobbies. The hand-drawn cartoon was made by bass leader Alastair Findlay, with the inspiration and creative input for it by blog editor, Theo Coggin. Here is Tim with his harpsichord “racing car”, oboe, choir and singing elephant.
Photo by Ushi Wellmann
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From “permission-of-husband-required” to JBC chair
It was the sublime, evocative voice of the late, great Kathleen Ferrier that struck awe into the young Kathy Whiteley, a former chairperson of the Johannesburg Bach. All she wanted was to sing like her. This is how Kathy’s love of singing started.
Six conductors and 60 years: Memories abound for Diane Coutts
The Johannesburg Bach Choir has been associated with some of South Africa’s most talented musicians during the past 60 years. Diane Coutts, who has performed with the Johannesburg Bach Choir as organist, pianist and harpsichordist, still accompanies the choir for rehearsals on an ad hoc basis.
The Johannesburg Bach Choir is delighted to receive a letter of congratulations on its 60th anniversary celebrations from the Leipzig Bachfest and the Bach Archive Leipzig. The Leipzig Bachfest is the world’s most significant Bach festival, attracting choirs from throughout the globe. We are honoured to be congratulated in this way.
Love of the colourful tapestry that life has to offer has led to rewarding experiences such as those of the Membership Secretary of the Johannesburg Bach Choir. From her newfound love for bowls which she began playing after retiring in 2017, to her abiding love for the world-renowned diamond corporate, DeBeers, Sue has had an interesting life.
On entering Sue Webster’s sunny abode one is immediately struck by her collection of beautiful artefacts. A Sydney Carter oil, a Pierneef water colour, and works by her uncle, David Anthony Jones (reminiscent of the works of John Piper and Paul Nash) adorn the walls. Along the windowsills there’s an assortment of decoy ducks and wooden bird sculptures.
Reiner Fossati, who was a member of the choir from 1983 until around 2019, and chairman for seven years, grew up in a musically-minded family in Cape Town, listening to classical greats such as Beethoven and Brahms.
Some people one never forgets, often for a variety of reasons. Jane Abrahams, a former Secretary, committee member and, not least, an invaluable member of the sopranos of the Johannesburg Bach Choir for many years, is just such a person.
J. S. Bach’s longest tenure (1723-1750) was as Cantor and Director of Music of the Thomaskirche in Leipzig. Although he was not the organist in Leipzig, his later organ works were written while he was there. There are records of an organ having been there from around 1500 until Bach’s time, and two that were there in the early eighteenth century are known about. Both instruments received what we would call today “heavy maintenance” during Bach’s lifetime, although there appears to have been no extensive rebuilding as was done at Arnstadt. Neither of the instruments survives today. The photo in this post is of the present organ in the church. (Information from http://www.organhistoricalsociety.org. Photo from Facebook post of Stephen Lewis Furches https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100008093808278&__tn__=-UC*F)
The Johannesburg Bach Choir will celebrate its diamond (60th) jubilee at a gala concert in November this year. Arrangements for the concert at St John’s College Chapel in Houghton on Sunday 17 November at 4.00pm (16h00) are already well in hand. They include plans to perform JS Bach’s acclaimed Cantata No 140 (“Wauchet auf, ruft uns die Stimme”) with Ilze van Staden as the soprano soloist, among other works.
Ballet, the bundu and the Bach Choir may not readily find an association in the minds of most people, but for alto Andrea Wilhelm, they fit together very neatly. Andrea, a member of the Johannesburg Bach Choir since 2022, is passionate about ballet, the bush and singing. An interview with her unpacked the meaning behind her unusual email address of bunduballerina@…
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The ongoing continuum of musical expression is central to the entire personal and professional demeanor of Tim Roberts, the affable musical director of the Bach choir.
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The Johannesburg Bach Choir 