Mareli Stolp

Mareli Stolp – Pianist earned her BMus (2002) and MMus (2006) degrees at the University of Pretoria, and a BMus at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam in 2006 where she specialised in contemporary music. Since returning to South Africa from the Netherlands in 2006, she has performed widely across the country, as soloist and member of various ensemble groups. Notable interdisciplinary projects include: Run! With Standard Bank Young Artist Nicola Elliott; the solo performance Voyeur Piano at Infecting the City 2014; You will find your people here with Clare Loveday performed in 2023 at the Venice Biennale; performances at the Klein Karoo National Arts Festival (2007,2009, 2011); Klein Karoo Klassique (2009, 2016, 2018, 2022, 2024); Aardklop National Arts Festival (2009, 2010, 2011) and the National Arts Festival (2013, 2015). Mareli frequently collaborates with South African composers and has performed the premieres of upwards of 20 compositions during her career. She has served as Chair of awards panels for the KKNK and Aardklop (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019) and was a member of the NAF Ovations Panel (2017).

Since completing an Artistic Research PhD at the University of Stellenbosch under supervision of Professor Stephanus Muller in 2012, she has held positions as a fulltime lecturer at Rhodes University, Makhanda; Postdoctoral Research Fellow with the University of KwaZulu Natal; and Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Arts Research Africa programme at Wits University. She has been a member of the Journal for Artistic Research Editorial Board since 2015, and was Chair of the South African Society for research in Music from 2015-2021.