The room was a-buzz with energy at last night’s Aurik Business Accelerator event. Brilliant entrepreneurs and small business owners from diverse backgrounds and industries converged for the award evening at the prestigious Michelangelo Hotel.
True to entrepreneurial flair, networking never stops. So while performing violin over the dinner service, a couple of unabashed entrepreneurs networked with me. Song of the entrepreneur!
A client had this to say regarding a Marketing Awards event last night :
“I really enjoyed the Lady in Red / Carpet Electric Violin – wow – was an awesome touch!!!”
As a sort of musical tour-guide for an event themed “Around the World in 80 Minutes” at the Hyatt, Dar-Es-Salaam, my brief was to perform a repertoire of songs that would take the audience on a journey around the world.
The guest list included dignitaries and business leaders from across the globe so finding repertoire that would be relevant was a bit challenging!
I meandered through some Western Classical to American Jazz and blues, to some Spanish rhythms and Jamaican reggae to finally round off the journey theme with a laser violin performance of the theme song to “Caravans “.
I have played violin at various times of the day for different events. This morning though, I was dressed in glamorous red by 5h30 am to perform for the Pick n Pay store opening in the new Menlyn Grocery Avenue. It was amazing to see the queues of people lining up that early to snap up the opening specials!
These laser tech guys are always tinkering about and today Munki and I tried out a new concept, the Butterfly Bow for the Laser Violin act. The effect is a wide butterfly-shaped arc on either end of the bow which washes over the the audience as I performed violin to a mesmerizing house track. The crowd all had their phones out trying to capture the laser show, but this is the kind of act that you have to experience live!
As early morning light shone through the tree-shaded patio of Klein Kaap Boutique Hotel, a surprise Bubble awaited the guests wafting in for breakfast.
In such an enchanting setting I just had to include some classical numbers in the violin repertoire like Pachelbell’s Canon in D.
While my stop in and out of Tanzania was short, I was there long enough to experience that Dar es Salaam is indeed a vibrant and friendly city! I was there to perform electric laser violin for a 4G launch.
Travelling with lasers and electric violins is an interesting experience as airport security staff are concerned by all wires and gadgets. So I usually offer to play them a tune on the violin to show that I am actually travelling with a real musical instrument.
On Wednesday, an otherwise uneventful and unlit section of Rivonia Road was punctuated by the glimmer of white lights illuminating a muscular line of Aston Martin roadsters on the showroom floor of Aston Martin Sandton. From the sleek silver Vanquish to the red-trimmed black Vantage, these cars look like they’re ready to spring into action even when in repose. Playing classical violin against this backdrop made for an interesting juxtaposition – elegance meets power.
Sharply-dressed Sandton businessmen congregated on the floor of the dealership, displaying their sartorial savoir-faire whilst engaging in lively discussions about the evening’s event. The reason for this gathering? To witness the unveiling of Roi Kaskara’s new collection of bespoke suit designs. Roi Kaskara is the go-to tailor for many of the city’s high-flyers – known for their meticulous attention to detail and finely-crafted menswear.
Violin meets Hip Hop at the Bisquit event in Sandton, Mar 2015. Free-styling with club DJ’s is a great experience!
Inspired by the St Patrick’s Day theme for the Investment Conference Event at Sun City , I wrote this limerick:
A fiddler on Sun City’s Green
Played jigs and reels to the keen
Investors who danced
And brokers who pranced
To let off some conferencing steam
Being an ‘Irish’ fiddler is so much fun as the music is just so playable for the violin. It is wonderful to see how guests from all walks of life tend to respond with a smile or a jig!