The Buskaid Soweto String Ensemble

In a rare UK concert appearance, talented young Buskaid musicians from Soweto play a classical programme ranging from Bach and Rameau to Boccherini and Brahms, as well as their own township Kwela and Gospel arrangements.
 

“One of the World’s Top Ten Most Inspirational Orchestras” Gramophone Magazine 2009

Buskaid’s strongly held belief is that all children in the townships of South Africa should be given the opportunity to channel their creative energies and talents through learning and playing classical music to the highest international standards. The Buskaid Soweto String Ensemble, a unique group of around 30 young African musicians drawn from the less privileged communities, present a varied and unusual programme of classical, classic pop and township kwela music to showcase their extraordinary musical versatility. Directed by Buskaid’s founder, British viola player Rosemary Nalden MBE, the Ensemble is now internationally renowned for its stylistic approach to baroque, classical and romantic repertoire, as well as for its own vibrant and original arrangements of South African Kwela and Gospel music.