About

Emma Steenkamp, a student at Wells Cathedral School, will be playing a selection of relatively unknown and very underrated South African classical works and sharing their meaning and significance – both culturally and personally. She will shed light on the lack of access to music tuition in third world countries and the importance of development projects in combating this. She is a keen fundraiser for one such project, Muzukidz.

Emma will discuss the positive effects and influences that diversity and inclusion can have on the classical music world with specific focus on South African culture, and the importance of sharing the joys of classical music with everyone!

Emma Steenkamp (17) was born and raised in South Africa and began learning the violin at the age of five. Since then, she has won several national competitions and has performed as a soloist with South African orchestras on eight occasions as part of various concerto festivals.

Emma is also deeply passionate about orchestral playing and was invited to join the South African National Youth Orchestra's baroque chamber tour in 2022, before she began attending Wells Cathedral School, where she has continued to explore her love of solo, ensemble and orchestral playing. She has performed two baroque concertos with orchestra, and was selected as one of the top 50 instrumentalists in the BBC Young Musician of the Year in 2024.

Alongside her passion for performance, Emma is deeply committed to making classical music more accessible in her home country. In the future, she hopes to build a platform to help bring musical opportunities to young South Africans from under-resourced communities.