WINDHOEK - The Youth Orchestras of Namibia (Yona) as well as the Orchestra of the Helmholtz Gymnasium Karlsruhe performed their side-by-side concert at Windhoek High School on November 10. 

During the concert at the Windhoek High School (WHS) Auditorium, Namibian and German children and teenagers showed their talents and made it a wonderful evening for the audience with music by Beethoven, Mozart and other composers. This joint concert was a most fitting framework for Ellen Gölz, Deputy Head of the German embassy to hand over an instrument donation to Yona. The embassy donated seven violin outfits and four extra bows worth N$19,000. In 2017, Yona received a sizable donation of string instruments from the Goethe-Institut Namibia. As the children grow, they need bigger instruments, and therefore the current donation is a very fitting gesture of the embassy’s commitment to the sustainability of the programme. 

The youngsters of Yona have been learning string instruments, percussion and recorder since March 2017. Members of Yona hail from diverse backgrounds, and one of the aims of the programme is to reach economically and socially vulnerable children. In addition, Yona provides many community outreach concerts such as playing at the Susanne Grau Heim, the Katutura Old Age Home and at the inauguration of the new offices of the Down Syndrome Association of Namibia (DSAN).

Yona has been growing very fast in the two years since the project was started. This September, Yona had an intake of eight violin beginners and five new cellists. The instruments provided by the German embassy will help Yona to grow further and bring much joy to the children playing them.