To honour the memory of Mike and Dot Hall, members of the Hallé Orchestra have set up this fund to raise money for Soweto Strings.

After a very successful concert with the Hallé conducted by Sir Mark Elder on the 10^th February, we have in total raised nearly £20,000. Our target was to raise around £10,000 to send a really good fiddle to be used by one of the outstanding students at the Soweto Strings Project in Diepkloof, . In the event, due to the unbelievable generosity of members of the orchestra, audience members and especially Mike and Dot’s families and friends, we have raised double that, and the money has continued to come in even today, nearly six months after the concert.

Just after Easter members of the orchestra went, with Permanent Guest Leader Paul Barrit, to the violin shop owned by Paul Ayres, one of Mike’s dearest friends and climbing partners; their friendship was such there was nowhere else we would have even considered. Paul Barritt heroically waded through all the violins in the price range over the course of three hours whilst we all sat at his feet in wonder!  It was a truly blind test; we did not know what any of them were or how much they cost, so we were focusing only on the sound. We quickly reached a shortlist of six which he then played again until we all agreed on a shortlist of three. To help us choose the one, we then asked Paul Ayres for the prices and had the most enormous shock – all the violins were around £6,000…..which means the fund has been able to buy all three so that three students can benefit. We would have been happy spending all of the money on just one violin, but we are all convinced that each of these three are good enough to take a student through music college and into the profession. Two were made in in 1840 and 1850, and the third is brand new and made by Paul Ayres’ assistant, Dave Slight, whose work is becoming highly valued in the Northwest. They’re all strong, healthy and well made violins and we are sure they will cope well with the rigours of the South African climate.

On top of this, we have purchased three cases and three bows to go with the violins, and one wooden music stand which will bear a plaque to the memory of the Hallé’s other great and recent loss, John Adams, who was principal viola for many years.

 

We were astonished at what we achieved that morning, but more was to come. Paul Ayres’ contribution to the fund was, on the final invoice, to have given us a 10% discount. With that, we will also be able to send over to a cello...... 

If you have already donated and are returning to this page to check on the fund’s progress, then thank you very much! We have been overwhelmed by the level of support from family, friends, colleagues, and the general public, and are thrilled that so many people seem to have felt that supplying instruments to help Buskaid’s pupils in is a suitable way in which permanently to celebrate Mike and Dot’s lives.

If you are new to the page, then please read on for more information about the project and about Mike and Dot. Donations are still extremely welcome – we hope to maintain the link between the Hallé and Buskaid and to continue to support their work.

 

Mike and Dot were wonderful, talented and energetic people with a real zest for life and we still miss them enormously.  They were both widely respected within the musical community not only as string players but also for their commitment to music education.  They had undertaken education projects around the world, and Dot was also a great fundraiser for CAFOD.  To honour their memory we wish to provide an excellent violin to help the educational work of the Soweto Strings Project in South Africa.

Soweto Strings, supported by the charity Buskaid, is an initiative offering high quality string tuition to impoverished youngsters at its in .  It was founded in 1992 by viola player Rosemary Nalden in response to an item on the BBC's Today programme highlighting the difficulties of a group of young string players in Diepkloof, . The first fundraising event which Rosemary organised was a simultaneous ‘busk’ at sixteen British Rail stations, involving 120 of her distinguished professional colleagues.  Today, Soweto Strings strives to fund itself by revenues from its own CD sales and performances by the flagship Soweto String Ensemble, but also relies heavily on sponsorship and charitable donations.

In 1997, in response to passionate requests from many of the youngsters Rosemary had taught when visiting the original string project, she established the Buskaid Soweto String Project, formed from the younger members of the original project.  At that stage there were just 18 students, taught in a dilapidated church office, or outside under the trees. Now housed in its own purpose-built in Diepkloof, the Project currently offers specialist tuition to some 80 youngsters aged between 4 and 25, a teacher training programme and an in-house instrument repair workshop.  The Ensemble has performed with great success in the , , the , and , as well as at important South African state occasions, and recorded five acclaimed CDs.  In July 2007 the Ensemble appeared at the BBC Proms, and in January 2008, Soweto Strings - a documentary following two years in the life of the - was broadcast on BBC4.

The Hallé already has a strong connection with Buskaid; one of the first pupils to leave Soweto and continue his musical education in England was Samson Diamond, who progressed through the Hallé Professional Experience Scheme whilst at the RNCM, won the Charles Hallé Award and undertook regular freelance work, and has now returned to South Africa with the intention of setting up his own string ensemble. Hallé Leader Paul Barritt has also spent time coaching at Buskaid; he speaks very highly of what is being achieved there.

Having decided that the Memorial Fund should support Buskaid, we asked them how precisely we could best help. Rosemary felt that at this stage what was needed was a fine violin to be loaned for several years to one of their senior players; the school has enough instruments for the younger students, but a really good violin that will help a more experienced player develop and fulfil his or her potential will inspire not only the musician but also give those less experienced a taste of a sound to which they can aspire. The violin will bear a label of dedication to Mike and Dot.

Thank you for your donation.  Your generosity will help young musicians in unlock their full potential.