(PRINCETON, NJ) -- The Princeton Symphony Orchestra (PSO) presents the fifth and final installment of this season’s online Buskaid – A Musical Miracle series showcasing South Africa’s renowned Buskaid Soweto String Ensemble. The Fabulous Finale is available on demand Friday, May 28 - Sunday, May 30. The eclectic program spans musical eras from Baroque through Classical and early 20th century to more recent pop and kwela music.
Performed works include Jean-Philippe Rameau’s Chaconne from the opera Dardanus, the first movement of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 13 in C Major, K. 415 with guest pianist Melvyn Tan, and Edward Elgar’s Sospiri, Op. 70. Buskaid-trained musicians alternate as soloists in each of Dmitri Shostakovich’s Five Pieces for Two Violins, adding a twist by substituting cellists for violins in the Elegy. Buskaid founder Rosemary Nalden conducts.
Reflecting on the uplifting series and its global audience, Ms. Nalden says, “It’s almost impossible to sum up in a few words the impact of this online concert series on all of us at Buskaid. Suffice it to say that our young musicians have gained hugely in confidence and self-esteem with the knowledge that they have been celebrated worldwide for their talent, their commitment, and their sheer joy in making music.” She adds, “Our debt to the PSO is inestimable, for they have brought a sense of optimism and hope into our lives during very challenging times.”
Guest pianist Melvyn Tan is happy to be associated with Buskaid, visiting the school in Soweto several times and performing with the group in Johannesburg. He established his international reputation with pioneering performances on the fortepiano. He continues to cast fresh light on a large repertoire from Bach and Scarlatti to Liszt, Debussy, Stravinsky, and John Cage, inspired by his encounters with teachers Nadia Boulanger, Vlado Perlemuter, and others. His concerto partners have included the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra, Salzburg’s Camerata and Mozarteum orchestras, Melbourne Symphony, and more.
Buskaid’s instrumental soloists Kabelo Monnathebe, Tshidiso Boikanyo, Cecelia Manyama, Keabetswe Goodman, Gilbert Tsoke, Nathi Matroos, Thokozani Radebe, Khotso Langa, Mzwandile Twala, and Simiso Radebe, and all the musicians making up the Buskaid Soweto String Ensemble received rigorous, multi-year training at the Buskaid Music School in Soweto before joining Buskaid’s touring ensemble.
Access to each concert in the Buskaid – A Musical Miracle series is $5 per unique device link, and includes on-demand viewing of the concert over the course of a 3-day weekend. To purchase, call 609-497-0020 or visit princetonsymphony.org.
Buskaid is an organization which offers high quality string teaching to less privileged children and young people in the township of Soweto. In 23 years, it has produced a world-class Ensemble, which has undertaken 26 highly successful international tours. Buskaid also runs an inhouse teacher-training scheme, and currently employs twelve Ensemble members as assistant and trainee teachers. Buskaid offers a safe haven to the 120 children currently attending its Music School, many of whom battle with difficult personal circumstances. Studying and playing music improves their self-esteem – and for some, provides a welcome path to skilled employment.
Founder of Buskaid and Director of the Buskaid Music School in Soweto, Rosemary Nalden was born
in England and educated in New Zealand, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Languages before studying viola and singing at the Royal College of Music in London. She freelanced in London for over 30 years, playing under such conductors as Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Sir Roger Norrington, and Sir Simon Rattle. Teaching has played an important role in Rosemary’s professional life. She employs a highly specialized teaching approach pioneered by the late Paul Rolland. Her combined interest in performance practice and teaching has placed her in a unique position to develop the innate musicianship and stylistic flair of her young South African students. In 2002, Rosemary was awarded an MBE in the Golden Jubilee Queen’s Birthday Honours List, in recognition of her work with Buskaid.
Buskaid was founded by Rosemary Nalden in January 1997 in response to requests from the local community in Diepkloof Soweto. Initially the organization consisted of fifteen members of another Diepkloof Project and a few new beginners. It currently comprises approximately 120 students, all of whom are drawn from the less privileged local community. Since 2002 the Music School has run a teacher-training course for all its students; currently twelve senior Buskaid members are employed as highly skilled string teachers.
Over the past 23 years, Buskaid has produced a string ensemble with a formidable reputation for high standards of performance and a sophisticated grasp of musical style. The Ensemble has toured internationally 26 times, and highlights include performances in prestigious venues throughout Europe, the USA and New Zealand; appearances at the City of London, Cheltenham and New Haven International Festivals; a highly acclaimed performance at the 2007 BBC Promenade Concerts, and a tour of Syria in 2010. In 2009, Buskaid was named by the UK’s Gramophone Magazine as one of the world’s ten most inspirational orchestras, alongside such orchestras as the London Symphony Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic.
The Ensemble has played six times under the baton of Sir John Eliot Gardiner, and in collaboration with Melvyn Tan, Bernarda Fink, Steven Isserlis and Karl Jenkins. It performed several times in the presence of the late, former President Nelson Mandela, for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and HRH Prince Charles, for President Cyril Ramaphosa, and for many distinguished foreign dignitaries, including the former First Lady of the United States of America, Mrs Michelle Obama.
Such achievements are a tribute to these young people’s dedication and discipline, basic requirements for anyone wishing to master the complex skill of playing a stringed instrument. Inevitably this training has a powerful influence on all other aspects of their lives. Many are high achievers in their academic work. Those children and young people who battle with problems such as difficult home circumstances, drug abuse and bereavement, find both support and solace at the Music School.
Whilst providing a first-class training ground for the exceptional musical talent to be found throughout the townships, Buskaid also challenges its members to attain high standards in all aspects of their lives, giving them confidence and a great sense of optimism about their future. In all senses they are role models and a fine example of how a modest endeavour can impact powerfully on both local and international communities.
The Princeton Symphony Orchestra (PSO) is a cultural centerpiece of the Princeton community and one of New Jersey’s finest music organizations, a position established through performances of beloved masterworks, innovative music by living composers, and an extensive network of educational programs offered to area students free of charge. Led by Edward T. Cone Music Director Rossen Milanov, the PSO presents orchestral, pops, and chamber music programs of the highest artistic quality, supported by lectures and related events that supplement the concert experience. Through PSO BRAVO!, the orchestra produces wide-reaching and impactful education programs in partnership with local schools and arts organizations that culminate in students attending a live orchestral performance. The PSO receives considerable support from the Princeton community and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, regularly garnering NJSCA’s highest honor. Recognition of engaging residencies and concerts has come from the National Endowment for the Arts, and the PSO’s commitment to new music has been acknowledged with an ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming and a Copland Fund Award. The only independent, professional orchestra to make its home in Princeton, the PSO performs at historic Richardson Auditorium on the campus of Princeton University.
PHOTOS BY GRAHAM DE LACY
