Malcolm Nay: Piano

Zanta Hofmeyr: Violin

Susan Mouton: Cello

The Wits Trio members are Malcolm Nay (piano), Zanta Hofmeyr (violin) and Susan Mouton (cello). Since their inauguration in 2012 the Wits Trio has become well-known throughout South Africa. In 2016 the Trio performed the complete trios of Johannes Brahms at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown to high acclaim from critics and audiences. At the Vryfees in Bloemfontein they received an award for the Best performance of a new chamber concert programme . In March 2017 they were featured at a SAMRO concert at the University of Pretoria where they performed the Wits Trio Tribute – a composition specially composed for them by the South African composer, Jeanne Zaidel-Rudolph. The Trio has toured extensively throughout the Western Cape and the Karoo with the intention of bringing live classical music performances to venues outside of the major metropolitan areas. They performed the Beethoven Triple concerto in September 2017 in Johannesburg. In 2018 Susan Mouton joined the Wits Trio as they undertook their performances of the piano trios of Franz Schubert. Since 2020 they performed Beethoven trios in online concerts as part of the Beethoven celebration year as well as the Mendelssohn and Piazzolla works for piano trio.

Zanta Hofmeyr graduated from the Juilliard School of Music in New York 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. Formerly associated professor of violin at the University of Pretoria, Zanta now teaches violin in Johannesburg and at Wits University. She often acts as string coach for youth orchestras and has been on the faculty of chamber music festivals in the USA and Stellenbosch, SA. She performs regularly as soloist with symphony orchestras in South Africa and was lauded for her performances of the Britten, Beethoven and Bruch concerti. In 1999 she performed the 10 Beethoven sonatas with Malcolm Nay and again in 2016 with the Bulgarian pianist Ilia Radoslavov touring SA and the US. She has several recordings with different artists of which the latest are French sonatas and three Beethoven sonatas. With Malcolm Nay she recorded Romantic Violin pieces and they are well-known as a duo partnership with performances of the major violin and piano repertoire. In 2016 she served as adjudicator at the Rudolfo Lipizer international violin competition in Italy. In 2018 she and Susan Mouton performed the Brahms double concerto at Unisa with the Pretoria Symphony Orchestra.

Susan Mouton grew up in Durban, where she began cello lessons at the age of 10. She studied at the University of Pretoria under Professor Gerard van de Geest. Here she was the recipient of the Pretorium Trust bursary on 3 occasions, as well one of the winners of the SA Music Scholarship. During her studies she often appeared as soloist with the University Orchestra, and in 1981 she was one of the soloists in the CAPAB Music Festival. After she graduated, she joined the National Symphony Orchestra in 1983, and was appointed Principal cellist in 1987. She studied with Marian Lewin while completing her Performer’s Diploma at Wits University, and was one of the winners of the Unisa Overseas Study Bursaries in 1987, which she used to spend 3 months attending master classes in Europe with a number of esteemed cellists, including Arto Noras, William Pleeth, Johannes Goritski and Wolfang Laufer.

Since 2000 she has been Principal cellist of the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra. in addition to her orchestral playing, she is active as a chamber musician, and is frequently asked to examine for Unisa. In 2001, she was on the jury for the National String Competition, and in 2010, she was honoured to be chosen as the only South African string specialist on the jury for the International String Competition. During the past few years, she has also been involved in numerous productions with the well-known Afrikaans singer, Jannie du Toit. 

Malcolm Nay is one of South Africa’s leading solo and chamber pianists, having performed in numerous concerts both locally and abroad. He has appeared as a soloist with the major orchestras in South Africa and is a founding member of several prominent chamber ensembles. Malcolm has performed solo recitals at the University of Johannesburg (UJ) Arts Gencor Gallery; at the Durban Music Society, at the Baxter Theatre in Cape Town and at the Wits Atrium amongst many others. He has performed several concertos with South African orchestras as well the premiere of Jeanne Zaidel-Rudolph’s Pendulum for piano and orchestra. Additionally, he performed several Mozart concertos in Gauteng with the Chamber Orchestra of South Africa which he conducted from the keyboard.

Malcolm is a founding member of the Hemanay, Musaion and Wits Piano trios which have enjoyed considerable success. The Hemanay Trio (with Helen Vosloo – Flute and Marian Lewin – Cello) was acknowledged in Die Beeld as one of the few South African chamber ensembles able to compete on the international stage. This Trio released two albums of both canonical and South African music. They also gave the world premiere of The Cattle have gone Astray by Hans Hussein in Columbus, Ohio in the United States. This trio commissioned several works by prominent South African composers including The Soul Bird by Stefans Grove, Trio Elegiaco by Hendrik Hofmeyr amongst several others.

The Musaion Trio (with Zanta Hofmeyr – Violin and Heleen Du Plessis – Cello) gave the premiere of Hans Roosenschoon’s The Emperor has New Clothes and Kevin Volans’ Piano Trio. They also performed at the Grachten Festival in Holland, the Rachmaninoff Festival at Stellenbosch University and the Grahamstown (now Makhanda) National Arts Festival in 2003. With Heleen Du Plessis Malcolm recorded Peter Klatzow’s Sonata for Cello and Piano for ODE records. With Zanta Hofmeyr he performed the complete Beethoven Sonatas for Violin and Piano, as well as the complete works of Prokofiev for the same setting.

The Wits Trio (with Zanta Hofmeyr – Violin and Susan Mouton – Cello) is the current chamber ensemble. They have performed an annual recital at Wits since their inception, as well as performances at the National Arts Festival. They have performed the complete Brahms and Schubert piano trios and the Wits Trio Tribute, written specifically for the ensemble by Jeanne Zaidel-Rudolph. Additionally, Malcolm has performed several recitals with leading singers including Sibongile Khumalo and Alma Oosthuizen and has performed with many visiting overseas artists.

Malcolm graduated from Wits University where he studied with Pauline Nossel and Isabella Stengel. Following this, he travelled on scholarships to the United States where he studied with Bela Siki. He took prizes in several competitions including the Second Prize at the International Piano  Competition in Montevideo. On his return to South Africa he joined the practical staff at the University of the Witwatersrand where he recently retired as an associate professor.