Sarah Evans

Sarah Evans, pictured here at work with some of her pupils, is our full time strings teacher.  She is a BMus graduate from the University of Stellenbosch, and currently plays viola in the Eastern Cape Philharmonic Orchestra.  She finds that teaching on the project is extremely stimulating because the students are a constant challenge to her creativity. "It's a job that keeps you flexible." she says, "You are forced to learn to diagnose and solve problems in new and imaginative ways with every encounter".  Besides teaching violin, viola,piano and the occasional 'cello, she enjoys directing ensembles at two of the project's teaching venues.

Mario Verster

Mario Verster, full time brass teacher to the ECPO Music Investment Project, is also the Eastern Cape Philharmonic Orchestra's bass trombonist.  He enjoys teaching for the aspect of watching youngsters grow from shy introverts to confident musicians.  His young brass players grasp at every opportunity to make music, and the enthusiasm and dedication of his more advanced students is a testament to his strong mentoring of their development.  Sicelo Gangxa, one of his trombone learners, was recently selected to play in the MIAGI Youth Symphony Orchestra and Big Band,  Besides teaching individual lessons, Mario is also the conductor of the Project's Bloemendal Youth Orchestra which, made up of more than 50 young musicians, rehearses every weekend and performs regularly to their community with great success.

Michael Alley

Michael Alley is a man with a deep passion for classical music.  Having long cherished a dream of promoting music in Port Elizabeth's previously disadvantaged areas, he is delighted to be living and working in pursuit of a meaningful ideal.  As the day-to-day manager, he is the project's "multi-tasker" who keeps things together - a task which can present many challenges, as teaching happens at a different venue each day of the week and at times even at more than one venue per day.  Nine recorder groups blossom under his guidance, he offers piano tuition and in addition to this he directs junior and senior choir at two of the project's school venues.

Four part-time music teachers join the three full-time teachers every week.  Alet-Marie van den Berg adds to the brass instruction, Isabel van der Linden teaches 'cello,) Janette du Mont handles the additional violin pupils, and students are expertly taught the rudiments of Music Theory by Charles Jantjies.