Buskaid Soweto String Ensemble
The Buskaid Soweto String Project (BSSP) was established by Rosemary Nalden in January 1997 when she first came to work in South Africa in response to requests from the local Diepkloof community. Initially the BSSP consisted of some members of the original Diepkloof Project and a few new beginners. Since then it has more than quadrupled in size, and currently comprises approximately 80 students ranging in age from five to twenty-nine, all of whom are drawn from the less privileged local community.
In the twelve years of its existence, the Buskaid Project has produced a string ensemble with a formidable reputation for high standards of performance and a sophisticated grasp of musical style. As a result, the Ensemble has toured internationally sixteen times, performing with huge success in the UK, France, the USA, Ireland, Holland, Germany and New Zealand, and as guest artists at the City of London, Cheltenham and New Haven international festivals, at the Cité de la Musique, Paris and at the 2007 BBC Promenade Concerts. Its first visit to the USA was hosted by the actress Gillian Anderson, a loyal supporter of the Project whose fans have organised a number of fundraising events for the benefit of the Buskaid Trust.
The Buskaid Ensemble has appeared with a number of international artists such as Steven Isserlis and Bernarda Fink and performed concerts in the presence of former President Nelson Mandela and President Thabo Mbeki, as well as Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, The Duke of Edinburgh, HRH The Duke of York and HRH the Earl of Wessex.
To date the young musicians have, through such events, generated well over R2 million for the Buskaid Trust.