A unique cross-continental musical friendship is coming to Bath and London
This August, Ensemble Hesperi joins forces with members of the Johannesburg-based Buskaid Soweto String Ensemble in Baroque Bridges – two very special concerts bringing together period-instrument performance and traditional African music.
Buskaid, founded by British viola player Rosemary Nalden MBE, runs a music school for disadvantaged young people in the Soweto township, Johannesburg, which offers its 85 students string tuition of the highest standard, as well as employment opportunities as performers, teachers, and instrument repairers.
▶Recorder player Mary-Jannet Leith worked as administrator of Buskaid UK for just over a decade, and in 2019, along with harpsichordist Thomas Allery, headed to South Africa to visit the Buskaid music school. They spent nearly 10 days with the students, including, in Tom’s case, supporting them with aural tests for their upcoming ABRSM exams! When they heard in 2025 that ten members of the renowned Buskaid Soweto String Ensemble had been invited to teach and take part in the 2026 ESTA summer school, it seemed the perfect opportunity for a cross-continental collaborative project.
Mary-Jannet is excited for the project to get underway: 'This will be the very first time we all perform together. Both our ensembles share a passion for high-quality music education, and we are sure this project will be a wonderful learning experience for all of us. We’re so grateful to have received a grant from the Continuo Foundation for this unique collaboration, which simply couldn’t have been possible without its support.'
▶Mary-Jannet Leith talks to Simon Mundy about Baroque Bridges on the Continuo Connect Podcast
The joint programme features familiar favourites and lesser-known gems for strings, recorder and harpsichord by Bach, Bologne, Handel, Purcell, Rameau, Sancho and Telemann. The concert will end with Buskaid performing Kwela music, an improvised genre of street music with roots in traditional African township music, arranged and performed by members of the Buskaid ensemble themselves.
Two performances of Baroque Bridges will take place: on Tuesday 18 August in Bath and Thursday 20 August in London. Ensemble Hesperi's project Baroque Bridges is supported by a grant from Continuo Foundation.
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