Years of watching her mother play the piano have developed Inge Lubbe’s love for classical music. At the age of five, Inge 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 musical industry but also to the vast world of opportunity that lies ahead of me,” Inge told Rekord. Since joining the orchestra, she has received a medal for obtaining the highest grade 8 mark in the country for her violin exam.
This bright young artist has great aspirations to study music abroad and perform solo concerts across the country. After being chosen among the 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 Inge are promising.
Inge will be performing with the National Youth Orchestra this December, as they will be hosting three concerts in Johannesburg, Pretoria and Sasolburg. She is particularly excited about the Pretoria leg of the tour as it will be hosted by her current high school, St Mary’s Diocesan School for Girls. The concert will take place on 15 December in Unisa’s ZK Matthews Great Hall at 15:00.
“I’m definitely looking forward to performing 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 said. “Since the last concerts were held in June, we look forward to seeing what the conductor and young musicians have in store for us this December. It gives us great pride as an organisation to invest in the development of young people, helping to shape their musical careers for the better,” said sponsorship manager for Sasol, Richard Hughes.
The Sasol concerts are a highlight on the classical musical 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.
