ARCO Prince Albert - Arco Project

ARCO Prince Albert in collaboration with Prince Albert Community Trust (PACT) officially launched its instrumental teaching lessons in February 2025. Over seventy young children between the ages of 4-13 have started to learn the violin, viola, cello and double bass at the POP Centre in the heart of the North End of Prince Albert. Royal Birmingham Conservatoire graduate and cellist Elliot Tingley heads up pedagogical and day-to-day lessons assisted by PACT’s Creative Arts Team Leader and musician Waldon Ewerts.

It has taken eighteen months to set ARCO up in Prince Albert. We are incredibly grateful to PACT for the use of their beautiful music room as our main teaching venue. In addition, ARCO now has a music instrument storeroom in the POP building. Thanks to PACT Founder and Executive Team Leader Ingrid Wolfaardt, Azuke Ntapane, Naaim Briesies and Anolisha Paulsen.

Preparation has included Elliot undertaking a course in string instrument repair and restoration as well as a training course in the Finnish pedagogy method we will be using called “Colourstrings”.

ARCO has invested substantially in over sixty-five instruments, almost all having made their way to South Africa from the UK on two separate journeys made by private jets (long story). These consignments include 30 violins, 11 violas, 16 cellos and 7 double basses, most of them mini instruments constructed specially for small children to play! This investment has been made possible by a generous donation from The Tertis Foundation, a Registered Charity in the UK, 1099084. ARCO sourced most of its instruments from Stringers of London with many thanks to violist and General Manager Ian Byrne-Brito and his staff. Heuer Pianos in Stellenbosch have provided most of the violins and the music-stands. Many thanks to Derek Sale and Hans Heuer. In addition ARCO has invested in 15 hardy orchestral music stands, Colourstrings teaching books, spare strings, accessories and simple percussion instruments and teaching aids.

In addition ARCO has invested time and resources into beginning research into the music of the Karoo. This includes Riel Music, Apostolic Church Organ Hymnals, FAK Sangbundel 1 and 2 and talking with members of the local community. Although ARCO are using a Finnish methodology to teach technical and visual instrumental skills we are exclusively utilising South African melodies, specifically Afrikaans music as the primary content for teaching repertoire.

Alongside the day-to-day teaching ARCO is embarking on a major Research Project in partnership with Nelson Mandela University (NMU), Gqeberha. David Bester, violinist, Senior Lecturer and Programme Leader for the BMus in the Music Department, NMU is our principal contact and researcher Penny Alder our principal researcher and data collector based in Prince Albert. ARCO is awaiting ethical approval before embarking on data collection, identifying interested parents, students and teachers to constitute the focus groups and planning to begin research from Phase 2 onwards at the end of March 2025.

Waldon Paul Ewerts

Ian Byrne-Brito

Elliot Tingley

David Bester

Penny Alder

Waldon Paul Ewerts, a 34 year old musician from Prince Albert, Western Cape, South Africa. As the Creative Arts Leader at the Prince Albert Community Trust Centre, he empower young minds through music and arts.

A sound engineering graduate from the College Of Audio Engineering (2011) he’s been crafting his music skills since 2006. His a multifaceted, artist-singer, songwriter, producer, composer, and rapper. Self-taught in guitar, ukulele, keyboard, percussion, and bass. He is always eager to expand his musical horizons.

In his words “music is a sanctuary where emotions flow honestly. Since 2023 I’ve focused on creating music that nourishes my soul, rather than chasing external validation.

Ian is a versatile musician, educator, and entrepreneur with a passion for the viola and a love of sailing.
He holds degrees from the Royal Conservatoire of The Hague and London's Royal Academy of Music, and enjoys a dynamic career as a chamber musician and General Manager of Stringers, London's renowned string instrument shop.
As an orchestral violist, Ian has toured extensively across Europe, China, and Japan, performing in iconic venues such as Suntory Hall (Tokyo), the National Centre for the Performing Arts (Beijing), and London's Royal Festival Hall and Barbican Centre.
Dedicated to nurturing young talent, Ian serves as a trustee of London’s Youth Music Centre, supporting innovative educational initiatives and charities that broaden access to string playing. At Stringers, he advises the wider string playing community in London and beyond, with a particular focus on young musicians and their instrumental needs.

Born in Hereford, England in 2000, Elliot began playing cello at the age of 7 with Oona Hall at his local music service before joining Yorkshire Young Musicians in 2013 where he learnt with Tim Smedley and later Peggy Nolan. At the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire he studied with Eduardo Vassallo. He has also participated in many masterclasses with renowned cellists such as Nicholas Trygstad, Hannah Roberts and Julian Lloyd Weber to name a few.

Elliot has been involved in and performed with many orchestras and chamber music festivals in the UK. A few include West Yorkshire Symphony Orchestra where he was principal cellist for 3 years, Ryedale Music Festival, Pro Corda North Chamber Music Course and most recently the CBSO Youth Orchestra and the Young Musicians Symphony Orchestra in London.

Now, after graduating from RBC, Elliot is teaching music to the local kids in Prince Albert, South Africa, and helping set up ARCO to give long lasting music lessons to the community. He has also joined a local band, Karoo Blues, as their new bassist and will be performing with them in many concerts in and around Prince Albert.

Award-winning violinist David Bester is active as a soloist, chamber musician and recording artist. He has performed with the Cape Town-, KwaZulu Natal-, Gauteng Philharmonic- and Eastern Cape Philharmonic Orchestras (ECPO) and regularly plays as a member of the Chamber Orchestra of Namur and the Amici Quartet. As the Concertmaster and Artistic Director of the ECPO, David helps develop and showcase music by local composers. David is passionate about discovering new music and exploring the creative ground where styles and genres intersect.

After obtaining his BMus (cum laude) and MMus (cum laude) in music performance from Stellenbosch University under Suzanne Martens, David furthered his studies in Belgium. Here, he obtained a second MMus (cum laude) from the Royal Conservatoire of Antwerp under the tutelage of Alissa Margulis. During his studies, David received master classes from acclaimed violinists Pavel Vernikov, Ivry Gitlis, Barnabás Kelemen, Ilya Gringolts, Priya Mtichell, Daniel Rowland and Frank Stadler.. These players and pedagogues have influenced his own approach to playing and teaching. David’s studies abroad were made possible by generous grants from the Oppenheimer Memorial Trust, National Arts Council of South Africa, as well as the Oranje-bursary awarded by the Dutch Consulate in Antwerp in 2017.

Currently the head of strings at Nelson Mandela University, David supervises postgraduate students. Through the NMUSE group, and regular workshops presented for string teachers, David has invigorated string teaching and playing in the Eastern Cape while creating opportunities for young string players to work closely alongside professional musicians. As a scholar, David’s PhD research focuses on embodiment and how string teachers enact embodied knowledge when they teach. David has won several Creative Output Awards for his artistic research endeavours.

Penelope Ann Alder was born on 15 December 1947 in Durban, South Africa. She matriculated from Northlands Girls High School in 1964 and studied for a Bachelor of Arts in English, Afrikaans-Nederlandsin 1967 at the University of Natal, Durban Campus.

In 1968 Penny initially joined a multi-national advertising agency in Durban (SSC&B:Lintas) and trained as a Qualitative Research Executive on behalf of Agency Client Brands. Penny then worked for Unilever: multi-national marketer of FMCG: (Fast-moving Consumer Goods = Grocery Products) and also SA Breweries: Carling Black Label beer; Stellenbosch Farmers’ Winery (SFW) and Bakers Biscuits.

In 1978 she moved to the SSC&B: Lintas Johannesburg Office and in 1985 left the ad agency context to form a specialist qualitative agency with another qualitative researcher from a corporate research house, supplying qualitative research to multi-national marketers throughout South Africa. All of the above work place during the apartheid years since the government put no restrictions on the necessary business activity of multi-national marketers. Penny (along with other qualitative consumer researchers) were allowed free access to all communities across the country.

In 1997 Penny moved to Prince Albert as a solo freelancer and continued supply qualitative research to multi-national marketers across South Africa. Penny retired as Covid hit in January 2020 at age 73. She is a huge music-lover of Classical, Jazz, Ethnic and Pop and adores travel and different cultures.

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