Rosemary Nalden

Rosemary Nalden, founder of Buskaid and Director of the Buskaid Music School in Soweto, was born in England and educated in New Zealand, where she graduated Bachelor of Arts in Languages, before studying viola and singing at the Royal College of Music in London.  

Rosemary has freelanced in London for over 30 years as a leading member of most of the ‘early instrument’ ensembles and orchestras.  She has played and recorded extensively under such conductors as Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Sir Roger Norrington, Sir Simon Rattle, Christopher Hogwood, Franz Brüggen and Gustav Leonhardt.

Teaching has played an important role in Rosemary’s professional life and she employs a highly specialised teaching approach, pioneered by the late Paul Rolland and developed by her close friend Sheila Nelson, the distinguished British string pedagogue.  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 African students.

As Buskaid’s chief fundraiser, Rosemary has been responsible for generating several million rands for the Buskaid Trust over the last fifteen years.

In 2002 she was awarded an MBE in the Golden Jubilee Queen’s Birthday Honours List, in recognition of her work with Buskaid.  In 2003 she received a Distinguished Alumni Award from her former university, The University of Auckland, New Zealand.