Wakkerstroom Festival Showcases Overlooked Female Composers

The 2026 Wakkerstroom Music Festival in South Africa will spotlight female composers whose works have historically been neglected or misattributed. Festival chairperson Linette van de Merwe emphasises that classical music is not defined by gender and invites audiences to explore compositions that have been overlooked due to patriarchal bias. Cellist Mietze Dill, founder of Serendipity Strings and a PhD student researching Virginia Woolf’s connection to chamber music, will perform pieces by women composers including Dame Ethel Smyth, Amy Beach, Rita Strohl, and Mélanie Hélène Bonis. Smyth, a suffragette activist, composed the Cello Sonata in A minor, Op.5, which had been out of print for nearly a century and highlights her political engagement in music. American composer Amy Beach, constrained by the social norms of her era, achieved international recognition despite limited formal training. French composers Strohl and Bonis contributed significantly to Romantic and late-Romantic repertoire, often overcoming social restrictions and personal obstacles. The festival, founded 15 years ago by ballerina Rona Sonnenburg, aims to provide a platform for underrepresented voices in classical music, offering South African audiences a rare opportunity to experience historically significant works by women. The performances by Dill and pianist Mareli Stolp, collectively titled Unheard (of), underline both the artistic and historical importance of these compositions, reaffirming that great music transcends gender.