Rike On Sax

Rike started her music education at age six, playing the piano and later the oboe and performed in various youth orchestras during her school years. At the age of nineteen she was introduced to the alto saxophone and decided to make it her main instrument. She played first at the Centurion Lake Hotel as resident musician and did some freelance work with various pop bands; Avalanche, Scandal, Worx, Big Bands; Bonzai Big Band, SAAF Big Band, and saxophone quartets. Her repertoire ranges from classical to pop and jazz.

Rike regularly performed with Afrikaans singer Mathys Roets at music festivals Aardklop, KKNK and Grahamstown and recorded the live album Hy’s ons man with songs of Leonard Cohen and Koos du Plessis. She did studio work for Mathys’s other albums and for “Drie van die Bestes”. She played at the launch of Angolan singer Tony N’Guxi’s album Kazeze.

In 2001 she was a semi-finalist for the Crescendo Music Competition for one of her own compositions. In 2002 she joined the Cape Town band Southern Glow and performed at the famous “Jazz Bar” at the Hilton Abu Dhabi in the UAE for two years. She also performed with the band “The Worx” at the Royal Mirage Hotel in Dubai.

In 2004 she joined the Barnyard Theater circuit and has toured with shows like Roll over Beethoven, The Piano Boys, Boogie Wonderland, Forever Young, Tonight’s the Night, Rock around the Clock and Bloubloed en Biltong.
Rike plays on a Selmer alto saxophone and has recently started playing soprano saxophone. She was fortunate enough to meet the famous sax player David Sanborn in person at the JVC Jazz festival in New York.
You may have seen Rike perform in shows like Roll over Beethoven Rock me Amadeus or Piano Boys at the Barnyard theatres. Or maybe some years ago with Afrikaans singer Mathys Roets at the Oudtshoorn festival and Aardklop. Maybe you have been to the famous Jazz Bar, Hilton Hotel in the Middle East, Abu Dhabi and caught her playing with Southern Glow, or at the Royal Mirage hotel in Dubai.

In 2001 she was the residential musician at the Centurion lake Hotel, playing solo saxophone with backing tracks. Part of her experience has been working with many different groups, from pop bands to string quartets and big bands. Bands like Avalanche, Velocity, The Worx, and Cape Town band, Southern Glow.

Currently, a favorite for functions is a duo with saxophone and violin. It forms a dynamic duo: two female instrumentalists performing classics hits like In the mood. The repertoire ranges from classical music to light jazz and contemporary music. The unique blend of saxophone and violin promises a delightful and highly entertaining feature to any function.</p>

Rike recorded her own album, which features some of her own instrumental compositions and arrangements of songs. Some of the musicians showcased on the album include guitarist Mauritz Lotz. The album is available at request and at performances.

Classically trained, Rike studied the oboe and also had piano training since the age of six. During her school years, she played in the Wits and TED youth orchestra. She joined the Air Force Band as a musician and was introduced to the alto saxophone. She played with the SAAF Glenn Miller big band and also a saxophone quartet. Qualifications include Music theory Gr VI, Oboe Gr VIII, and Chief Musician (Military teachers licentiate) on both oboe and saxophone at the Air Force Band

Rike gave saxophone lessons part time at various high schools and is still available for saxophone lessons in the Johannesburg area In 2001 she was a finalist in the crescendo music competition.