Saturday, November 14, 2009

Samson Diamond, Head of BUSKAID Soweto String Ensemble, Plays For Nelson Mandela


[Samson Diamond and Nelson Mandela]

South Africa National Youth Orchestra
My NYO Experience
“Invited to play for Nelson Mandela
19 September 2009
Samson Diamond, violin tutor at this year’s Sasol National Youth Orchestra Course, and Sophia Welz, SANYOF Chief Operations Officer, were invited to visit Nelson Mandela on 15 September. What an honour to be in the presence of our very own Madiba and for Samson to play for him! Samson performed Meditation by Jules Massenet from the opera Thais and IV Toccata from the Partita for violin solo by Vytautas Barkauskas. Madiba’s smile and enthusiastic applause said it all and the Nationals Team has been on Cloud 9 ever since!

“Samson Diamond is a graduate of the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, UK, where he obtained both his Bachelor’s (2006) and Master’s (2007) degrees in music with distinction. Samson’s first taste of music came from Rosemary Nalden in Johannesburg. He also studied under the tutelage of Richard Ireland, Pauline Nobes and the French violinist Philippe Graffin. Awards won during his studies include the Charles Hallé Award, the RNCM Eric Nicholson Bow Prize, the RNCM Major Entrance Award, the Edward Heaton Scholarship and the RNCM Philip Newman Violin Prize.”

“As the leader of the Buskaid Soweto String Ensemble, Samson is privileged to have performed at the 2007 BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall with the English Baroque Soloists and the Montiverdi Choir conducted by John Eliot Gardiner.” [Full Post]






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