LISTEN: Roxanne plays first fiddle
RANDPARK RIDGE – Fourteen-year-old violinist wins national competition.
Young, talented and with a passion for music – Roxanne van Rheede van Oudtshoorn is a force to be reckoned with, especially when armed with a bow and violin.
Since the age of four, Roxanne began to play the violin after being encouraged by her grandmother, an accomplished violinist who wanted to see whether she had the talent or not.
Roxanne took to the instrument and was taught by her grandmother and then an Italian maestro, Vincenzo LoCastro, who then built the foundation of her musical talent. She performed in many little concerts, weddings, and eisteddfods.
It was when she turned eight that Roxanne began her solo career. She has performed in an orchestra in the Cape, the KZN Philharmonic, the Johannesburg Philharmonic, and the Johannesburg Symphony Orchestra.
Now at the age of 14, Roxanne has competed in and won the National Eisteddfod of South Africa (NEA). Roxanne’s mother, Colette, explained that they did not know the NEA existed. Having moved up from Durban, they were not familiar with the Johannesburg competitions. “We didn’t even know there was prize money involved,” Colette van Rheede van Oudtshoorn added.
Roxanne won the eisteddfod against all the other participants countrywide from other categories and walked away with a total amount of R15 000 for achieving in her own category and winning the NEA.
Listen to the winning piece, Zigeunerweisen, a musical composition by the Spanish composer Pablo de Sarasate:
Zigeunerweisen, said to be a challenging piece, was a choice inspired by her late maestro LoCastro. Roxanne is now under the guidance of concertmaster for the Johannesburg Philharmonic orchestra, Miroslav Chakaryan.
Roxanne aims to create a small group of musicians to play at weddings in the future as she enjoys performing. “I still get nervous every time I have to perform but I still enjoy doing it. I enjoy the journey music has taken me on. It has really opened many doors. I have been able to touch people’s hearts and bless them with my instrument,” Roxanne said.
While continuing with her home-schooling, Roxanne has completed Grade 8 in violin, the highest grade in music, and works towards the final music exam where she can specialise in teaching or performance.
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