ARCO Prince Albert
The first and inaugural ARCO Project was founded almost eleven years ago in 2015 at the Morris Isaacson Centre for Music in Soweto. The project began the set-up process for its second project in Prince Albert towards the end of 2023, with teaching beginning in February 2025.
2025
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 began their journeys learning the violin, viola, cello and double bass. Royal Birmingham Conservatoire graduate and cellist Elliot Tingley led the pedagogical direction and day-to-day lessons from February until December 2025 assisted by PACT’s Creative Arts Team Leader and musician Waldon Ewerts.
Preparation for this role included Elliot undertaking a course in string instrument repair and restoration as well as a training course in the Finnish pedagogy method 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 was 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 provided many of the violins and music stands. With thanks to Derek Sale and Hans Heuer. The project also invested in 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.
ARCO is incredibly grateful to PACT for the continuing use of their beautiful music room in the PACT Youth Centre as one of the main teaching venues, in addition to the use of The Showroom every weekday afternoon, an art-deco theatre owned by the trust in the centre of town. ARCO’s specially created instrument storeroom is also situated in the youth centre. Heartfelt thanks to PACT Founder and Executive Team Leader Ingrid Wolfaardt and Team Leader Governance and Compliance Azuke Ntapane for their collaborative and creative leadership.
Alongside the day-to-day teaching ARCO embarked 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 formal data collection, identifying interested parents, students and teachers to constitute the focus groups and conducted to phases of informal research through 2025.
2026
The ARCO Project and Prince Albert Community Trust (PACT) are delighted to announce the new title of their partnership, the ARCO - PACT Strings Project. The newly-named project kicked off in January 2026 in Prince Albert with 109 learners taking lessons on violin, viola, cello and double bass.
The project welcomes recently appointed full-time teacher, Tiaan Uys from Gqerberha as its principal teacher, PACT intern, Aiden Stalmeester as Assistant Teacher, Ben Oosthuizen and Danie Verster as theory, singing and musicianship teachers and in February, Belgian music student, Sander Maris. The ARCO-PACT Strings Project provides instrumental, theory, singing, music appreciation, chamber music and orchestra for learners at the Blink Begin Early Childhood Centre, Prince Albert Primary School, Kweekvallei and Albert College every weekday.
The ARCO - PACT Strings Project is a dynamic string teaching initiative dedicated to expanding access to high-quality music education, fostering creativity, and nurturing the next generation of musicians through innovation, equity, and collaboration based in Prince Albert, Western Cape.
The projects’s mission is to create a community of curious, inspired, committed, innovative, passionate young musicians empowered by learning an instrument and the life-changing activities associated with this journey. For learners based in a remote Karoo-town mobility is vital. Music offers an opportunity to explore the world outside of their environment, opening their minds and imagination to a bigger and better world through performances, attendance at festivals and concerts both regionally and nationally. In addition to delivering two instrumental lessons a week in groups of two or three children, ARCO runs weekly orchestral rehearsals for its now numerous string orchestras. The project is not bringing European Western Art Music into Prince Albert, but through the skill of learning a traditional Western instrument it is using the heritage and sounds of the Karoo to offer an alternative educational experience and opportunity for young learners in the region. The project hopes to exponentially expand to De Rust, Klarstroom and Leeu Gamka.
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.
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. From March 2025 ARCO has embarked on informal data collection. This has involved identifying interested parents, students and teachers to constitute the focus groups and planning to begin the research informally.
Our People
ARCO India
In February 2021 ARCO India was launched - a partnership between RBC and Chennai’s Sunshine Orchestra. The Sunshine Orchestra was founded by two-time academy award winner Dr A.R Rahman in 2008, just two years after the A.R Rahman Foundation was established. The foundation exists to create opportunities for people from low income communities through music education. The Sunshine Orchestra is the flagship project of the A. R Rahman Foundation. Through the ARCO Project, RBC string students and staff have been delivering weekly online 1:1 lessons to the members of the Sunshine Orchestra. This includes 4 violinists, 4 violists, 4 cellists and 2 double bassists.
Members of the Sunshine Orchestra are aged 18 and over, and music is their full- time occupation. The ARCO Project provides these players with their first and only experience of 1:1 lessons.
AMBASSADOR
Anish Franklin
Louise Lansdown and Tony Alcock met Anish in September 2019 whilst working with the Sunshine Orchestra in Chennai. Anish joined the Sunshine Orchestra (SO) thirteen years ago, and it was in February 2021 that Anish along with other members of the orchestra started having weekly 1:1 online lessons from RBC student teachers and staff. Anish has played concerts and made recordings across the world with AR Rahman. He also loves arranging music, music technology, composing and producing music and writing poetry. He has even written a novel that is available on Amazon Kindle.
Anish is currently studying for a Postgraduate Diploma at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire (RBC) supported by the Allan and Nesta Ferguson Trust, RBC and the AR Rahman Foundation. He is studying with ARCO teacher and Section Leader Double bass of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra Tony Alcock.