On June 1, 2014, Elizabeth Njoroge sat tensely on the grounds of the Kenyatta International Convention Centre, her eye on the youthful orchestra performing at the annual Groove Awards ceremony.
It was the ninth edition of the awards, which celebrate gospel music and its artists, but it was the first time the orchestra was performing in public since being founded in April.
In white shirts and black trousers, the strings, woodwinds, brass and percussion sections were in perfect unison as they read and played the music. Occasionally, they looked up at the conductor as he kept the beat and guided the tempo in front of a packed audience.
After the orchestra’s performance, the crowd, which had been sitting silently and listening intently, erupted into cheers and applause. They then stood up as the Safaricom Youth Orchestra (SYO) and the Safaricom Choir played the National Anthem.
That was 10 years ago, and when Elizabeth reflects on it now, it’s a moment she remembers with much joy.
“I am so happy that we have made it this far. Ten years is quite something. I still remember the passion with which it was started,” says Elizabeth, the Director of The Art of Music Foundation, which birthed SYO.
Throughout the decade-long journey, music has been SYO’s universal language, bringing gifted and passionate kids from privileged and underprivileged backgrounds to make music together.
They’ve performed with their musical heroes, such as the iconic Jambo Bwana band singers Them Mushrooms, played at their own SYO concerts, the Safaricom International Jazz Festival, amongst other celebrations, and experienced the joys, laughter, and fun of rehearsals every week.
“A friend of mine once said, ‘Music is the one language that everybody can speak. It doesn’t matter where you are from. The notes are the same.’ And so, the kids, no matter where they’re from, from whatever walk of life, when they come to play together to make music, they are one, and they’re speaking one language. And that, to me, is very special,” she says.
On March 24th, the Safaricom Youth Orchestra held its 10th graduation ceremony held at the Woodcreek Schol auditorium. It was a milestone event in the orchestra’s journey, honouring a decade of music-making and its members’ commitment to growing their musical skills and contribution to the classical music landscape in Kenya.
Over 200 members have so far graduated since the first class of 2014.
The Safaricom Youth Orchestra was launched by the late Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore, who loved jazz and played the saxophone. The orchestra, which unites kids from different backgrounds, is instrumental in nurturing the children’s musical talents and exposing them to Kenyan and international seasoned professionals in classical music.
Under the tutelage of music directors Dr Duncan Wambugu and Levi Wataka, Elizabeth has watched orchestra members blossom and move on to pursue further studies abroad. Some alumni have become music teachers, while others have gone back to the music programme as tutors.
Together, the team has celebrated many highs and lows, but the achievements overshadow any unpleasant memories.
The kids have performed alongside world-renowned artists at various events, most notably the Safaricom Jazz International Festival. For example, in 2018, when Polish composer JIMEK headlined the Safaricom Jazz International Festival, the kids got to perform a hip-hop medley with him, together with the Ghetto Classics children.
Fast-forward to 1 June 2022. The orchestra got a special opportunity to perform at the State House for an occasion that was part of the Madaraka Day celebrations.
And even when the world changed, and everything came to a screeching halt in 2020 because of the pandemic, SYO still found innovative solutions to keep the music alive through virtual rehearsals and lessons.
“During Covid, we went online. We have since gone into a hybrid system where, for three weeks of the month, a child learns online, and then the fourth week, they come in person. That has been a very big challenge because some kids lose focus, and some of them lose interest because the reason they want to come is to be next to their friends and laugh with them,” says Elizabeth.
She continues, “When they come in person, they’ll play their instruments, then have lunch together and chat. And then together, go into a big room and make music. That really is what musicians love and what we want. And so, my prayer and hope are that we can move more and more into full in-person training,” she says.
As the Safaricom Youth Orchestra looks to the future, Elizabeth dreams that the orchestra will branch out to other regions where musical excellence is untapped and make a difference the way it has in Nairobi.
She spoke about SYO’s musical journey in the video below.
