Redefining the Canon

  

  

South African native Dr. Cobus du Toit is praised for technical facility that makes everything look easy (Opus Colorado) and rich tone that is especially impressive (Herald Tribune). Cobus is an avid soloist, chamber musician, and pedagogue on the faculty at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and has performed in Russia, South Africa, Taiwan, Japan, Germany, and France as a soloist.  Mr. du Toit's creative work has been featured in a year-long exhibition at the Massachusetts Museum of Modern Art with artists Carly Simon, James Tayler, and Natasha Bedingfield. His humanitarian impetus is evident in the #WeBringFlowers project, a set of 5 socially conscious commissions that confront societal violence in a non-political manner. In addition to being a prize winner at over a dozen competitions, including the 1st UNISA Southern African National Competition for Woodwinds and Brass, and the Byron Hester Competition, Cobus is also the principal flute of the Boulder Chamber Orchestra. Recent recordings include the complete flute oeuvre by French composer Jacques Castérède on the Naxos label, which has received praise for Dr. du Toit's pure tuning and tonal production, (Fanfare) and for being a performer with pure sound that plays fantastically well (American Record Guide). 

Cobus received his MM and DMA from CU Boulder and a BM from the University of Pretoria. His principal teachers include John Hinch and Christina Jennings. For more information, please visit www.cobusdutoit.com.