VIOLINIST, Jennifer Sugden (85) is determined to combat Covid-19 concerns at the Twilanga Retirement Village where she lives.
Sugden, who is the oldest member of the Durban City Orchestra, was spotted spoiling her friends to a violin solo recently.
She uses her electric wheel chair to visit her neighbours and make sure their day starts off on a good note.
She decided to start playing requests for her neighbours as a way to make use of her instrument.
“It’s a very large complex, so I stop at every door and ask what they would like to hear. I’m very lucky that I can play by ear,” said Sugden.
Although she was a school secretary by profession, music has always been a part of her life and Sugden has been playing for her church choir ever since she moved to uMhlanga in 2010.
“I’ve always played in amatuer orchestras,” she added.
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Sugden says her music uplifts the other residents at Twilanga.
“Music definitely has therapeutic qualities. It has touched people, I’ve seen tears brought to people’s eyes when I play a song they remember from their wedding or sometime in their life. It has brought back happy memories during this trying time,” she said.
Sugden has been playing the violin since she was 10 years old. She encouraged her children to pursue music and her daughter, Nina Watson is a professional musician who plays the cello and the piano. Watson was a member of the KZN Philharmonic Orchestra for some 20 years and is now head of music at Crawford College North Coast.
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