Marina Louw

Principal and Head of Strings

Marina Louw obtained a B.Mus (cum laude) at the UFS, majoring in viola performance under the tuition of John Wille. During her student years, Marina performed as a soloist at virtually all of the Youth Music Festivals in the country, and subsequently also with the Cape Town Baroque Ensemble in the Artscape Opera Theatre.

On completion of her degree she became a member of the National Symphony Orchestra of the SABC. After moving to Cape Town, Marina furthered her studies at the University of Stellenbosch, obtaining a M.Mus (cum laude) in chamber music in 2005. 

In 2003 and 2005 she had master classes in Oxford with the well-known Hungarian violinist and teacher, Kato Havas. Excerpts from her Master’s thesis, exploring parallels between the Alexander Technique and Kato Havas’s violin teaching method ‘The New Approach to Violin Playing’, have been published in the KHANA (Kato Havas Association for the New Approach) newsletter, which is distributed to members of the association in five continents.

Marina has extensive experience as a string teacher.  After 11 years as a violin and viola teacher at Hugo Lambrechts Music Centre, Marina accepted a promotions post at the Beau Soleil Music Centre, where she has been the Head of the String Department for the past 14 years, teaching violin and viola and conducting various ensembles. She has just been appointed Principal of Beau Soleil Music Centre.

Marina was invited to join the board of UNISA examiners in 2007, and also compiled the UNISA syllabus for viola in 1998 and again in 2011. Marina frequently acts as an external examiner for graduate and post-graduate exams at UCT, and has adjudicated the Sanlam Primary Schools Competition, the ATKV Prelude Competition, as well as several local eisteddfodau.

She has coached at the annual Franschhoek Chamber Music Workshop since 1998, and since 2008 she has also been a coach at the MIAGI Youth Orchestra Course.  Marina was the artistic coordinator for the 37th International Viola Congress, which took place at the University of Stellenbosch in July 2009.

Marina freelances for the CPO and is a keen chamber musician. She is a member of the Beau Soleil Piano Quartet, the Euridice String Quartet and also performs with various other ensembles.