Hello Cape Town October 2021

Supporting the Arts

The CPO beats on Surviving Covid-19 has been yet another challenge in the life of the 107-year-old Cape Town Philharmonic but commitment, dedication and hard work relate its inspirational story.

in Summer

STREAMING 1) Nov 4-8 | 11-15 | 18 - 22 The CPO performing a concert for the Health Care workers at Groote Schuur Hospital

When the Covid-19 pandemic forced South Africa into lockdown at the end of March 2020, the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra – Africa’s oldest and most active multifunctional symphony orchestra – went into survival mode and suspended all its packed public concerts for the year. Nearly two years down the line, the Pandemic’s impact has had severe financial repucussions for the future of the CPO and the orchestra has yet to return to live audiences.

The Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra has developed in shape and size several times since its inception in 1914.

Previous Boards and the City Council initially had to adapt to make the organisation viable and dynamic enough to weather the storms of two World Wars, a depression, the turmoil of Apartheid and the changed expectations of a young democracy.

A BEACON OF HOPE For the past two decades, Africa’s oldest and most revered orchestra has been much more than just a symphony 16

l Hello Cape Town October 2021

2) Nov 25 – 29 | Dec 2-6 | 9 – 13 w w w.cpo.org.za

orchestra. It plays a pivotal role in the cultural transformation of local communities. The CPO has identified music as an important game changer and changed its image from an elitist cultural organisation, performing symphony concerts, opera and ballet to a diverse, fully-fledged training and transformation facilitator in education and performance.

The impact of the orchestra’s youth projects is unequalled in South Africa. The continuous year-round training projects offer healthy extramural alternatives to young people. The CPO’s impact on the community cannot be underestimated. More than a third of its operational funds goes to training, the transfer of skills and transformation through education.

If Cape Town’s permanent, professional orchestra is forced to close down, it will be very difficult to resurrect. Unlike large cities in the western world, there is not enough parttime work for musicians to make a decent living. Gathering a different group of musicians for each concert will drastically affect standards. Eventually, professional musicians (as well