In January 2024 Louise Lansdown, Tony Alcock and members of the Prince Albert Community Trust (PACT) including Ingrid Wollfhardt, Naaim Bresies, Waldon Ewerts and local musicians will found ARCO Prince Albert. An initial phase of online teacher training will take place in December 2023. The project will begin with early years music classes for children aged 4-6 years from schools across the Swartberg area of the Karoo. At the same time a few older students will begin violin, viola, cello and double bass lessons. Louise and Tony, along with members of the Prince Albert community will be creating makeshift instrument fingerboards made of broom handles, plasticine and bath sponges to serve as the starting point for developing basic instrumental skills, alongside using doodle bows! A fundraising drive to collect instruments will be launched early in 2024.
Louise and Tony along with renowned South African pianist Elna van der Merwe have founded the Swartberg Music Salon, a chamber music festival and course that will take place in Prince Albert from 1-4 August 2024. The festival will feature Karoo flavoured concerts alongside a high level chamber music course for advanced scholars, university students and professionals from across South Africa.
The ARCO Project has just become a registered non-profit organisation in South Africa and has recently been the recipient of support from the Mzansi National Philharmonic Orchestra and the Tertis Foundation. ARCO is just about to order violins, violas, cellos and double basses to begin their journey in Prince Albert.
