This December, tap your feet to the magical sounds of the National Youth Orchestra (NYO) as they perform two concerts - the first at the Curro School in Langebaan and the second at the Groote Kerk in Cape Town. The concert programme includes a variety of compositions including works by Strauss, Grieg and Holst. A highlight is Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante for Violin, Viola and Orchestra.

The National Youth Orchestra Foundation plays a crucial role in the development of young South African musicians and the wind orchestra and string orchestra showcased in December are the only two national ensembles of its kind in the country.

Norwegian conductor, Bjørn Breistein will be working with the National Youth Wind Orchestra and Swedish Fredrik Burstedt will conduct the National Youth String Orchestra. Both are back by popular demand to conduct our young musicians. “I am excited to be back in South Africa for the third consecutive year to lead the National Youth Wind Orchestra and look forward to introduce music by my favourite contemporary composers to the musicians and audiences,” said Breistein.

For more than half a century, the NYO has provided a platform for talented musicians to hone their skills through its training and development courses. Its legacy is far reaching with representation of alumni in top professional orchestras in South Africa and across the globe. Sasol has been supporting the NYO Foundation’s initiatives for more than 30 years.

Pam Mudhray, Sasol Group Community Affairs Manager said, “Sasol is passionate about unearthing and developing artistic talent in our country and through the NYO programmes, classical music continues to flourish among the South African youth.”

The wind and string orchestras will be formed during the Summer Course in Simon’s Town, from 6-16 December. This 10-day course is designed to give a ‘booster shot’ to South Africa’s national team of youth orchestras by immersing the players in a professional music environment to teach teamwork, discipline, technical skills, orchestral skills and instill in them a love of music that will last a lifetime. Friends met at orchestra courses are friends for life. They also have the opportunity to network with musicians from across South Africa and with teachers from across the world, which helps every young career to flourish.

This is one of many courses provided by the NYO to train young classical musicians. Other elements in and around courses include a focus on instrument repair, conducting and composition. This year, through the NYO, three instrument repair technician trainees attended a three week programme run by the Belgian Music Fund in Mozambique, to enhance their skills in restoration. Dawne Haddad, one of South Africa’s top luthiers, will be attending the Summer Course and will host workshops for the musicians.

Other NYO courses include conductor workshops, exchange programmes to Europe (watch the most recent NYO international exchange to Switzerland), composition programmes, arts administration internships and tutor internships. Bursaries, scholarships and payment plan options are made available to all participants, to make access to the courses universal, regardless of financial or geographical barriers.

For Dineo Matsepe, a young Soweto-based violinist who has been to a number of orchestra courses and gone on a six-week NYO exchange to Switzerland, the NYO is a place where she can, “be myself and do what makes me happy.” This year she is an intern on the arts administration programme and she is excited about the orchestra course because she will get to know how things work behind the scenes. “Orchestras are important for South Africa because it nurtures the culture of our country,” she said.

Applications for the 2013 NYO courses are open. If you are between the ages of 13 and 25 and play an orchestral instrument at grade 6 music level, visit the NYO website to find out more information: www.sanyo.org.za/courses.

Concerts

Date   Venue   Time   Purchase tickets at:

14 December 2012   Curro School in Langebaan   19:00   The door or call the NYO on 083 2722 117
16 December 2012   Groote Kerk in Adderley Street   15:00   Computicket
For more information, call the NYO on 083 272 2117, email team@sanyo.org.za  or visit www.sanyo.org.za/news/press-kit for more information.

The National Youth Orchestra perform at their 2011 concert in Port Elizabeth

Musicians participating in the Summer Courses held by the National Youth Orchestra

PROFILES

06 December 2012

National Youth Orchestra musicians

Babalwa Tshula (Port Elizabeth)

For Babalwa Tshula, who hails from Port Elizabeth, music is her life. She plays the Clarinet in the South African National Youth Wind Orchestra and will be attending its Summer Orchestra Course in Simon’s Town in Western Cape from 6 – 16 December 2012.

According to Babalwa, “The winds course is always an awesome experience. It allows me the opportunity to make new friends with people who have a similar passion to me.”

She is currently studying towards her BMus and is destined to achieve greatness. “Being part of the NYO means being part of a new family. It gives you the sense of belonging you need, but the discipline to shape you into something beautiful. I am grateful to Sasol and other sponsors for making our dreams a reality,” she said.

Marvin Weavers (Cape Town)

Marvin Weavers, a 23-year-old Cape Town based musician plays the viola for the National Youth String Orchestra. He has been part of the National Youth Orchestra (NYO) for the past few years and also plays for the Cape Town Youth Orchestra, the Cape Town Orchestra and is a member of a trio called Stringed Anima.

Weavers has a passion for music and enjoys every minute being part of the NYO. “I am going to use this opportunity at the Summer Course to gain valuable experience and learn more about arts administration. I think we need many more people working in arts administration as it is imperative that classical music survives in South Africa”.

Levi Alexander (Cape Town)

Levi Alexander has been passionate about music from a young age and started playing Baritone Saxophone at Hugo Lambrechts Music Centre. Today, he is studying at University of Cape Town’s (UCT) South African College of Music and is sharing his passion by teaching saxophone at Beau Soleil Music Centre and the Cape Philharmonic Music Academy.

He is also active in his community, being the director of Music of The Royal Crusaders Christmas Band, the Peninsula and District Christmas Bands Union and is part of St. George's Cathedral Choir.

Through music, Levi had the opportunity to travel the globe and has been to Germany, Austria, Turkey, and United Kingdom.

Levi attended the National Youth Orchestra course numerous times and recently joined a group called PHAX Trio, made up of members of National Youth Wind Orchestra members. Levi plays the organ as a second instrument.

Dawne Haddad (Cape Town)

Dawne Haddad, a presenter at the National Youth Orchestra Summer Course in Simon’s Town is an acclaimed luthier, someone who makes and repairs lutes and other string instruments. She obtained a diploma in instrument making in 1982, under the guidance of maestro Francesco Bissolotti in Cremona, Italy. She stayed in Cremona for close to 15 years where studied and worked before returning to South Africa in 1991.

Now, the Cape Town-based musician has a studio near Muizenberg, where she makes violins, violas and cellos as well as instrument repairs and restoration. She has lectured extensively on instrument and bow making and on the history of the Cremonese Masters. Two years ago, she lectured on this topic at the International Viola Congress in Stellenbosch.

Over the years, Dawne has made many stringed instruments, which are played worldwide, including the Lyric Opera in Chicago, the Berlin Philharmonic and London Symphony Orchestra. Locally, Marian Lewin and Polina Burdukova are a few of the proud owners of her cellos.

Anna van der Merwe (Cape Town)

Anna van der Merwe is one of the soloists who will perform Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante alongside and Maja van Dyk (viola, University of the Free State) with the National Youth String Orchestra in concerts from 14-16 December in Cape Town and Langebaan.

The Cape Town-based violinist is a third year performance student at UCT’s South African College of Music under the tutelage of Professor Farida Bacharova. She has received numerous accolades during her studies, including the Gerry Meyer memorial prize, Alfred Libochowitz strings prize, Mackenzie Memorial bursary and has been on the Dean’s Merit list for the first two years at university. Recently, she won the strings category prize at the annual ATKV Muziq competition for young adult musicians.

This year, she was invited to attend the Porziano Musica course in Italy and thereafter won a scholarship to attend a summer school in Upper Austria in 2013.

Anna is also a keen chamber musician and is a member of the prize-winning Axiom Piano Trio with Aristide du Plessis and Francois Botha. Anna has been concertmaster of the UCT’s Symphony Orchestra since 2010 and was also the concertmaster of the Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival’s symphony orchestra under the baton of Daniel Raiskin in 2012.

National Youth Orchestra concert conductors

Bjørn Breistein

The conductor for the National Youth Wind Orchestra, Bjørn Breistein, completed his studies at the Grieg Academy of Music in Bergen and worked extensively as a soloist in his home country of Norway, as well as in Europe. He began his career as a euphonium player in the Norwegian Brass Band and the Southern Military band. He studied conducting in Norway, the Czech Republic and Germany.

Breistein has conducted top wind bands in Norway, a country with a strong and well-respected wind band tradition. He brings with him to South Africa a love for contemporary music performance, and a wealth of knowledge in the field of wind band performance.

“I enjoy making music with people who have the same ambitions as me. This is my third consecutive year conducting the NYO Winds and I can't wait. Last year was awesome – to see the progress from day to day is unbelievable. This year, I look forward to introduce music by my favourite contemporary composers to the musicians and audiences,” he said.

Fredrik Burstedt

The conductor for the National Youth String Orchestra is Fredrik Burstedt. A young Swedish conductor and violinist, who received his first musical instruction from his father, a well-known violinist and pedagogue. He later continued his violin studies at Royal University College of Music in Stockholm with Leo Berlin and David Takeno.

In 1996, he made his solo-debut with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and as a result, was invited as a soloist performing across Europe. Three years later, he worked with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra as a concert master and principal player, where he had the opportunity to work with renowned conductors such as Claudio Abbado, Gustavo Dudamel and Daniel Harding.

In 2005, he commenced his conducting studies and a year later, was awarded the first Sixten Ehrling Prize for Young Conductors. More recently, Burstedt conducted ‘Swan Lake’ with the Norrlands Symphony Orchestra and worked with Västerås Sinfonietta and the violinist Karen Gomyo.

National Youth Orchestra Tutors

Duke Dobing (United Kingdom)

Duke Dobing made his debut at the age of 18, when he performed with the English Chamber Orchestra and participated in a number of Aldeburgh Festival concerts and recordings conducted by Benjamin Britten. He was Principal Flute of the English Sinfonia and the City of London Sinfonia, where he made over 80 CDs in 25 years. In 2000 he became the Orchestra’s Development Director, then Head of External Relations at Aldeburgh Music and is now Director of Development with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment.

Roxane Steffen (Netherlands/South Africa)

Roxane Steffen started to play musical instruments from a young age and found her passion in the Double Bass at the age of 14. She later studied at Rotterdam and The Hague in Netherlands. During her studies, Steffen was part of the NYO of the Netherlands (principal and sub principal player), the Jeunesses Musicales World Youth Orchestra (principal) and the European Union Youth Orchestra (tutti) and done tours across the globe.

In 2003, Steffen came to Cape Town to play with the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra and never left. She is currently studying Exercise Science, which enables her to learn more about fitness and how it can benefit and improve a musician's performance. Further, she is a lecturer at Stellenbosch University and coach the bass section of the Cape Town Youth Orchestra.

“I am coaching the bass section of the National Youth Orchestra at the Summer Course, because it's fun to work with enthusiastic young bass players and push them out of their comfort zone – as coaches have done with me when I was playing in youth orchestras,” she said.