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PSO’s Buskaid Soweto String Ensemble virtual concerts continue

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Princeton Symphony Orchestra (PSO) presents the third installment of its “Buskaid – A Musical Miracle” series showcasing South Africa’s Buskaid Soweto String Ensemble, on demand Friday, March 26 to Sunday, March 28.

The concert, “A Lark and Diverse Dances,” features Buskaid-trained violinist Kabelo Monnathebe performing Ralph Vaughan Williams’ “The Lark Ascending” on a dance-infused program including Georg Muffat’s “Passacaglia” from Armonico Tributo, the first and final movements of Edvard Grieg’s “Holberg Suite, Op. 40,” and an arrangement of “Modest Mussorgsky’s Hopak” by Michael Pilkington.

There are also buoyant pop and kwela songs. Buskaid founder and Music Director Rosemary Nalden conducts.

PSO Executive Director Marc Uys said, “People have been watching the virtual Buskaid concerts from around the world. Partnering with Buskaid during the pandemic has enabled us to broadly share the sheer joy of performance exhibited by this amazing ensemble.”

Each Buskaid soloist and all the musicians making up the Buskaid Soweto String Ensemble received rigorous, multi-year training at the Buskaid Music School in Soweto before joining Buskaid’s touring ensemble.

Monnathebe is a Soweto-born violinist whose uncles were founding members of the Soweto String Quartet. He is a freelance violinist and violin teacher in Johannesburg, playing for the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra and the Johannesburg Festival Orchestra. He is also a member of the Resonance String Quartet, Kamva Quartet, and Urban Strings.

Access to each concert in the series is $5 per unique device link, and includes on-demand viewing of the concert over the course of a three-day weekend. Look for a new Buskaid on-demand concert each month. To purchase, call 609-497-0020 or visit princetonsymphony.org.


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