Soweto String Quartet
The story opens with three young boys trundling down Soweto 's dusty roads in the turbulent 60's. Armed with attitude, violins and cellos, targeted with jeers, sniggers and taunts from the locals, the Khemese brothers ventured bravely to music lessons.
Forbidden by their parents to hang out on the hostile streets, the boys cut their teeth in African choral music and took playing “that funny Euro instruments, mastering them with a natural born ease. The seed had been sown.
In 1978 the dusty road began to clear. While the elder Khemese siblings Reuben and Sandile were representing the Soweto String Quartet in Aberdeen, Scotland, their burgeoning talent was spotted, and in 1980 Sandile secured a place to study music at the Dartington College of Arts in England . Mike Masote, leader of the Soweto String Orchestra then, said their greatest day was when they were invited to play for Lady Aberdeen in Haddo House on a Sunday. “This was one of the greatest chances which put the quartet on the map.
During their two weeks visit, the group performed and attended a classical music workshop which was conducted by Professor Alexander Pavlovvich, head of the Department of Music in Belgravia and Deborah Johnson, a well-known classical musician.
He then went on to attend the royal Northern College of Music in Manchester for a period of four years. In 1986, armed with new music skills, cultures, languages and lifestyles Sandile returned to a suffering South Africa – and the Soweto String Quartet was re-born once again, to include boyhood friend Makhosini Mnguni.
The Soweto String Quartet sometimes known as SSQ is a world renowned South African Band. The last few years have seen SSQ performed around the world as ambassadors for the new South Africa . SSQ is not your ordinary classic music band. Their music is not conventional string quartet sound but uniquely African. It is a unique blend of traditional rhythms, township jazz, pop songs, jazz-fusion and strong classical influences. SSQ is made up of three brothers Reuben, Sandile and Thami Khemese and a friend Makhosini Mnguni.
The SSQ displayed their BMW Zebra cars at the entrance and promotions to music videos as well as the month promotional tour of Germany, France, Australia and London. The popularity of these cars grew countrywide, through documentaries and interviews.
This was an inspiration for children learning violins and aspiring to be like the SSQ. This gave rise to SSQ songs played and recorded by most youth orchestras i.e. Baskeid String Project. The SSQ has thus celebrated 25 years of creating quality music and derive sheer driving pleasure of BMW.
