Kobie Du Plessis

Kobie du Plessis was born in South Africa to parents who encouraged culture. Her father was English Inspector of Schools in the Orange Free State, and her mother was a painter who exhibited widely and also performed as singer.

Kobie started with the piano at the age of seven, and from the age of nine started winning awards and scholarships with the piano at Eisteddfods and music exams.

She started on the Celtic Harp when she was twelve years old. She also performed with this harp in the Free State Youth Woodwind Orchestra.

Kobie attended the University of Pretoria to study harp at the Conservatorium under Rosalind Dunbar (who studied in Belgium and Holland under Phia Berghout) where she majored in performance. In her third year she won the Pretorium Trust Scholarship for outstanding performance. During her studies, Kobie joined the SABC Junior Orchestra and twice accompanied them on tour to South America. She performed the Debussy Dances with the orchestra in the Teatro Solis in Montevideo (Uruguay) as well as in South Africa. She also performed with the South African Youth Orchestra.

After her studies Kobie took harp lessons with Kathleen Alister, doyenne of harp in South Africa. Kobie also started teaching piano and harp. After marrying Charl du Plessis, she moved to the Western Cape with her husband and started freelancing in the Cape Town Symphony Orchestra (CTSO) and Cape Performing Arts Board (CAPAB).

Kobie formed a duo, Syrinx Duo, with principal flautist of the CTSO at that time, Corvin Matei. Together they recorded a compact disc with classical music for flute and harp. Syrinx Duo performed the Mozart Concerto for Harp and Flute for the 25th Anniversary of the Free State Orchestra (PACOFS) as well as with the CTSO. They also broadcast with the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC).

Kobie performed with various chamber music groups in the Western Cape. She also broadcast solo music for the SABC. She was frequently asked to free-lance in the Durban Orchestra and regularly performed solos with the Stellenbosch Chamber Orchestra. While Kobie was free-lancing as first harpist for the CTSO, the orchestra accompanied Pavarotti when he performed in the Stellenbosch.

Kobie taught harp for must of the time, especially the Celtic Harp, which was more readily available to students. She also taught her daughter Suemari first on the Celtic Harp and later on the Concert Harp. Her son Chris plays the violin. Kobie arranged many pieces for harp and violin for her two children. Later she formed a duo with a violinist, Roelof Swart, with whom she performed for four years.

Kobie started arranging light and contemporary music to for solo harp as well as duos with a flute or violin for the purpose of performing at special events such as weddings, at exhibitions etc.

In 2001 Kobie moved overseas with her family. They first lived in Holland, where she performed in Amsterdam for the Grachten Festival as representative of her country. She repeatedly performed for the South African Embassy in The Hague. Kobie also performed with local musicians and choirs near Maastricht, where she lived. After two and a half years the family moved to Barcelona.

In 2004 she returned to the Western Cape where she performed two concerti with a string orchestra. She gave five solo recitals and one concert with a singer.

In 2005 Kobie performed in a Chamber Music Group at the Liceau Theatre in Barcelona. She also received her mentor and world famous harpist Edward Witsenburg at her home. Together with Edward Witsenburg and Magdalena Barera Oro, Kobie partook in a three harps concert.

Recently Kobie developed an interest in traditional Spanish and Catalan harp music. Her latest interest is in Irish Celtic music. She has three harps, a Celtic, Austrian Folk and a Concert Harp. She likes to perform using one or a combination of her harps, which in combination with her diverse collection of music demonstrates all the different colours of sounds of the harps.