Pianist and educator Tinus Botha has been the recipient of several awards, including the silver medal at the Hennie Joubert Piano Competition in Wellington, the UNISA South African Music Scholarship, Unisa’s DJ Roode Overseas Scholarship, and the Gertrude Buchanan Prize. He was also a finalist and prize winner in the first Nederburg South African National Piano Competition. During his undergraduate studies, he also completed three licentiates — teacher’s and performer’s licentiates from Unisa, as well as a performer’s licentiate from Trinity College.

He has had master classes with renowned teachers such as Dorian Leljak, Andzrej Jasinski, Maria Gineva, Gustavo Romero, Timothy Ehlen, Martino Tirimo, Fabio Bidini, Russell Sherman, and Zhou Guangren, among others. He is an alumnus of the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, California, where he studied with Jerome Lowenthal. In January 2000 he moved to Fort Worth, Texas to pursue postgraduate studies under the tutelage of José Feghali and Harold Martina at Texas Christian University. During this time, he held a graduate assistantship, and received the Lili Kraus award from TCU. He graduated with an MMus in May 2003. In April 2008, his formal studies were concluded with the conferral of the DMus (Performing Arts) degree by the University of Pretoria under the guidance of Joseph Stanford.

He performs widely as soloist, collaborator, and chamber musician, and has appeared in many cities in South Africa, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Europe. He has been an adjudicator at several major national music competitions and acts as external examiner for various South African universities.

Tinus is currently associate professor of piano at North-West University in Potchefstroom, as well as co-president of the South African chapter of the World Piano Teachers Association. He was appointed as editor of The South African Music Teacher in July 2018, and his essays have been published in The South African Music Teacher, Clavier Companion, Piano Magazine, and The Piano Journal.

[2024-07-12]