Philharmonic Orchestra and Cape Town City Ballet collaborate for special lockdown video

The Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra has released a video in collaboration with Cape Town City Ballet in which they perform the Lockdown Waltz.

The latest video is part of the Covid-19 series that was created to share musical experiences after the pandemic forced the cancellation of the orchestra's autumn sessions.

Conductor Bernhard Gueller said music can be a medium which articulates emotions, instead of words during these unprecedented times.

“In these times of necessary yet difficult social distancing and isolation, we cannot let music education suffer,” said Gueller. “Music offers a feeling of self-worth, brings confidence, and brings a sense of community.”

Watch video below.

Gueller said that in lockdown, the music academy and the orchestra's musicians have been losing out from not rehearsing and performing.

“Moreover, the young musicians are losing out on the tuition that they receive at the hands of Brandon Phillips and Faan Malan and a number of specialised teachers,” he said.

“We see that young people from the townships and other disadvantaged areas are given the chance to learn to play an instrument, to perform in public and in so doing are offered something positive for their after-school hours. They can and do bask in a sense of achievement and self-worth that spreads to their families and into their communities.”