Last updated: 8 hours ago
The Soweto String Quartet emerged during the late 1980s around the nucleus of the three Khemese brothers -- violinists Sandile and Thami, and cellist Reuben. The sons of a conductor father and a choral-singing mother, the Khemese siblings attended their uncle's township music school, with Sandile and Reuben later serving as violinists with the Soweto Symphony Orchestra. During the early half of the 1980s, Sandile continued his studies in the UK, including a four-year stint at Manchester's Royal North College of Music; after returning to South Africa he taught at the Madimba School of Music, forming the Soweto String Quartet in 1989. Completing their roster with the addition of viola player and longtime family friend Makhosini Mguni, the ensemble initially faced criticism at home for their adherence to traditional European instruments, but in the years to follow their music increasingly absorbed native African rhythms and intonations, even experimenting with guitars, keyboards and drums. Increasing national popularity resulted in a nine-month residency at the once-infamous Sun City resort, where the Soweto String Quartet was discovered by BMG Records producer Grahame Beggs; their label debut, Zebra Crossing, appeared in mid 1998, followed a year later by Renaissance. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi
Monthly Listeners
9,626
Monthly Listeners History
Track the evolution of monthly listeners over the last 28 days.
Followers
14,388
Followers History
Track the evolution of followers over the last 28 days.
Top Cities
1,645 listeners
1,212 listeners
691 listeners
428 listeners
145 listeners
Related Artists
Reuben Khemese
Thami Khemese
Sandile Khemese
Makhosini Mnguni
Grahame Beggs
George Van Dyk
Coll
Geissman
Junior Venter Group
Jerry Ragovoy
Amaryoni
Dumisani Ramadu Moyo
Bruce Cassidy
Tananas
African Cream Freedom Choir
Tananas Wide Ensemble
Afro Tenors
Lalela Cape Town Choir
Umoja
Black Umfolosi
Mahube
