The Cultural Trophy, Orpheus with his Lyre, for Term 1 2017 is awarded to CarinDonson
Would CarinDonson come onto the stage please?
Carin has an unquestionable commitment to the school, to hermusicand to the excellence she pursues as a top young musician. As Head of the Concert Band, the Orchestra and the Brass Ensemble, she not only works to master her own performances, she is actively involved in the support, encouragement and teaching of her peers. While the French Horn is Carin’s first instrument, it was because the Jazz Band needed a trumpeter that Carin rose to the challenge and quickly became a skilled performer on this instrument. As one of Wynberg’s senior musicians, she has performed for the school this year on our Open Day, the V&A Band Slam competition, the 2016 Grade 8-11 Prize Giving ceremony and as a member of the Combined Concert Band has performed at Sunset Concerts at the John Baxter Open Air Theatre, at the annual Windworx and the Endler Hall in Stellenbosch in 2016.
Apart from the commitments to the bands and music groupings at school, as a member of the Cape Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, she regularly performs on one of the extraordinarily prestigious events she performed at in February was the Fiestas awards – an event which enabled her to share the stage with some of the country’s most talented artists, and an event which was screened live on national television.
During the April holidays, she was part the “gifted young musical talent” invited to perform at the Franschhoek Chamber Music Festival and will be performing in the Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival later this term – an event which aims to provide talented young South African musicians with the opportunity to study, perform and be inspired by chamber music and orchestral playing at an internationally recognized and professional standard.
Perhaps amongst one of the most exciting achievements was Carin’s being approached by Freshlyground this year to make a recording with them on of a new release, Party Girls. On 2 February this year, not only was she part of the audio track of this piece, she was also filmed with them for the video. There is very little doubt that she is a young musician who will go very far, and that she is a worthy recipient of the Cultural Trophy.
1 | Page