Ten Beau Soleil students participated in the Franschhoek Chamber Music Workshop during the April school holidays.
The participants were (from left to right) Mieke San Giorgio (bassoon), Jaden Campher (flute), Emily-Jane Stevens (flute), Elijah Bouwers (violin & viola), Caitlin Hannibal (violin), Marina Louw (Principal & coach), Therese-Anne Goemans (cello), Esther Thomas (violin & piano), Joseph Thomas (viola & piano), Daniel Tippett (cello) and Abigail Moses (oboe).
A huge thank you to Rob and Liesel Dower for their very generous and unrestricted donation to Beau Soleil Music Centre, which was enabled by the Dower DCAP Advisory Fund.
With the funds we were able to do much needed and long-overdue renovations to our bathrooms and kitchen area. The loft was renovated to create an FET teaching room with sound equipment, digital piano and a projector and screen. We were also able to add a shed for the bins and garden implements and last but not least, we were able to realize a long-held dream of buying a grand piano for the Main Hall!
Mr and Mrs Dower, you have literally made our dreams come true and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts!
We would like to thank Mrs Joan de Castro for her generous donation to Beau Soleil Music Centre from the estate of her aunt, Pat Ellis. This donation of R38 000 has enabled us to do much needed maintenance on our ‘fleet’ of pianos, as well as to sponsor the instrument hire of a disadvantaged learner. Thank you so much for your kind generosity!
Pat Ellis was generous and quirky, loved bargains, church music and compiling strange (but delicious) meals. She stood against injustice and quietly helped and blessed those who crossed her path.
Sandra Kettle-Loubser (piano) hosted a staff concert on Wednesday 28 November 2018 here at the Beau Soleil Music Centre.
Sandra was accompanist as well as solo performer and was joined by staff members: Merlin Macdonald (trumpet), Angus Petersen (trombone), David West (percussion). Past students Catherine Stephenson-Timm (flute) and Shaun Moir (tuba) were invited to perform as well as present student, Isaac van der Merwe (cello) whose own composition ‘Song for Words’ was debuted.