The Beau Soleil Music Centre was started in 1982 by the Western Cape Education Department to meet the needs of specialized instrumental music tuition in the Cape Town area, the first of its kind in the country. From the initial 100 pupils, the Centre has grown to its current capacity of more than 400 pupils. Tuition is provided by 6 full-time members of staff and 35 part time instrumental specialist teachers, drawn from the top performing instrumentalists in Cape Town.
Several Beau Soleil past pupils are currently pursuing highly successful performing careers, both locally and internationally. Many past pupils have also returned to join the Beau Soleil teaching staff, carrying the proud tradition forward.
The Music Centre has an extensive ensemble training programme which includes four Wind Ensembles, four String Ensembles, a Percussion ensemble, a Brass Ensemble, a Wind Quintet, two String Quarteta, a Saxophone Quartet and a Jazz Band. Since 1999 Beau Soleil has been actively involved in a variety of developmental projects including the highly successful IFIDYOLI String Project, and in 2003 established the Beau Soleil Music for Africa Trust to support the Centre’s main activities, by creating music opportunities for the learners that could not otherwise afford to attend.
For more information check out the Beau Soleil website {here}
