St Johns learner stuns crowds with his violin playing
SANDTON – Andrew Gilbert from St John's College, is one of the youngest to pass the Licentiate violin exam.
Andrew Gilbert of St John’s College has stunned his family, friends and peers by becoming the youngest person in the new history of South Africa to pass his Licentiate violin exam from the Associated Board of the Royal School of Music (ABRSM).
This achievement is the equivalent to a bachelor’s degree, and all of this at the age of 17.
When asked where his passion for music began, Gilbert said, “My passion for music began when I was five years old. I heard music playing on the radio and felt intrigued by the sounds. I became interested in one particular instrument, the violin.
“Ever since my godmother gave me a violin at the age of five, it was the beginning of my musical life, and I have never gone by a day thinking to give up. My biggest inspiration has always been my parents though. Never have I seen a day which they have not pushed me to try harder.”
Gilbert’s daily routine includes at least one-and-a-half hours of violin playing. “I should be practising at least three to four hours per day on my programme theoretically, but realistically, it doesn’t seem achievable but I try my best to put in the amount of practice that suffices with me.”
When asked what advice he could offer to other young aspiring musicians, he said, “Keep working through the hard times, push through the beat downs and never give up. Everything will come in time and once it does, you will never want to stop working on it.”
