The FSSO funds specialised individual tuition for talented disadvantaged young musicians through our Cadet Programme.

Our Cadets are indentified through the Mangaung String Programme, which falls under the Free State Musicon.  Peter Guy is the director of the Mangaung String Programme. The programme provides group tuition for over three hundred young aspiring musicians from previously disadvantaged communities.

There is a pressing need for the FSSO Cadet Programme as disadvantaged students cannot afford the high cost of individual tuition, which is essential to the development of musicians. In addition to fees for individual tuition, young musicians need good quality instruments, transportation, exam fees and theory lessons. The FSSO funds all the musical needs of our Cadets; from the strings on their instruments, to the accompanists’ fees for their exams. There are currently 25 FSSO Cadets.

Our most advanced Cadets perform alongside their teachers in the FSSO. The initiative promotes transformation of the FSSO, and is a resource for other orchestras in South Africa.