Years of watching her mother play the piano developed Inge Lubbe’s love for classical music. At the age of five, Inge ( pictured) attended her first violin class and knew from that moment on that she wanted to be a professional violinist. Ten years later, she plays the violin for the South African National Youth Orchestra.
“Joining the National Youth Orchestra in June last year not only opened my eyes to the music industry, but to the vast world of oppor- tunity that lies ahead of me,” says Lubbe.
Since joining the orchestra she has received a medal for obtaining the highest grade 8 mark in the country for her violin exam (92 percent).
This bright young artist has great aspirations of studying music abroad and performing solo concerts across the country. After being chosen among a select few to tour South Africa with the Zurich Chamber Orchestra this year under the baton of renowned conductor Sir Roger Norrington, there is no doubt that the future prospects for Lubbe are promising.
She will be performing with the National Youth Orchestra this month as they host three concerts in Joburg, Pretoria and Sasolburg.
She is particularly excited about the Pretoria leg of the tour as it will be hosted at her high school, St Mary’s Diocesan School for Girls.
“I’m definitely looking forward to per- forming in front of my peers and sharing my passion and love for classical music. I’m also looking forward to playing with the National Youth Orchestra as we have the opportunity to receive master classes with one of Europe’s finest violinists, Fredrik Burstedt,” she explains.
“Since the last concerts were held in June, we look forward to seeing what the conductor and young musicians have in store for us. It gives us great pride as an organisation to invest in the development of young people, helping to shape their music careers for the better,” said sponsorship manager for Sasol, Richard Hughes.
The Sasol concerts are a highlight on the classical music calendar. The National Youth Orchestra celebrates its 50th anniversary next year, and through the support of Sasol, the foundation is able to host top quality orchestral courses to fine tune the skills of some of South Africa’s best young musicians each summer.
The concert programme includes a variety of compositions including works to cele- brate the centenaries of Richard Wagner (Siegfried’s Idyll) and Benjamin Britten (including his Sinfonietta Op 1 and the Courtly Dances from Gloriana.)
Listen to Lubbe perform in one of three concerts:
JOBURG: Thursday, December 12, at 6pm, Gordon Institute of Business Science, Illovo. Tickets: R200 a person (including food). Bookings: www.gibs.co.za/ forums/concert; e-mail: [email protected] or call 011 771 4390.
SASOLBURG: Friday, December 13, at 7pm, Etienne Rousseau Theatre, Sasolburg. This concert is sponsored by Sasol. Tickets: R50 at Computicket.
PRETORIA: Sunday, December 15, at 3pm, ZK Matthews Great Hall, Unisa, Pretoria. Tickets: R60 to R130 at Computicket. E-mail [email protected] or call 083 272 2117.