Masi Violin Outreach has officially launched the Legacy Tour 2026 – An Alumni-Led Community Tour, a new initiative that will bring live music, education and community engagement to venues across Cape Town.
The tour is proudly supported by the City of Cape Town through its Grants-in-Aid programme and aims to create meaningful professional opportunities for the organisation’s alumni while making music more accessible to diverse audiences.
Running from July to December this year, the Legacy Tour will visit 12 community venues, including schools, retirement homes, healthcare facilities and community organisations.
Masi Violin Outreach is a non-profit organisation that gives free violin lessons to kids in the Masiphumelele township.
Community impact
The project helps youth build confidence, stay out of trouble, and connect with other musicians.
Rather than staging conventional concerts, the programme has been designed to foster participation through live performances, interactive workshops and opportunities for audiences to engage directly with the musicians.
The tour celebrates the journey of seven Masi Violin Outreach alumni who first began learning the violin as children in Masiphumelele.
Having developed into accomplished performers, educators and role models, they now return to communities across Cape Town to share their skills, inspire young people and demonstrate the transformative power of music.
The seven alumni leading the tour are: Ayabonga Tshemese, Onke Mbopha, Sikholiwe Hlahla, Thembelihle Teyisi, Busiswa Qaba, Sokhululeka Vukuvi and Milisa Ndlebe.
Lasting legacy
Collectively, they represent more than 80 years of musical experience through the Masi Violin Outreach programme.
Many of the musicians started their performance careers by busking in shopping centres and appearing at local community events.
Today, they perform professionally at functions and events across Cape Town while also teaching the next generation of Masi violinists.
Through the Legacy Tour, they are extending their impact beyond the concert stage by bringing music directly to communities where it can offer joy, connection and inspiration.
Confirmed and proposed tour partners include Fish Hoek South African Association of Retired Persons (FHSAARP), Carlisle Lodge, Bridges for Music, Sinethemba, Oakley House, Hokisa and the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital.
Additional tour dates and venues are currently being finalised.
Musical journey
Masi Violin Outreach founder Nadiah Mony said the initiative represents an important milestone in the organisation’s development and reflects its long-term commitment to creating sustainable opportunities for young musicians.
“The Legacy Tour is about so much more than performances. It’s about creating meaningful professional opportunities for our alumni while using music to bring people together. Watching these young musicians return to communities as confident performers, teachers and role models is one of the proudest moments in Masi Violin Outreach’s journey,” she said.
Alumnus Sikholiwe Hlahla described the tour as an investment in the future of young musicians.
“We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the City for its generous support of our tour and its continued investment in the development of young people through the Masi Violin Outreach programme. We hope this opportunity will inspire the next generation of participants to remain dedicated to learning and performing the violin, growing from enthusiastic young musicians into confident young adults and accomplished artists.”
Fellow alumnus Onke Mbopha said the Legacy Tour demonstrates that the programme’s impact extends well beyond music education.
“Being part of the Legacy Tour as an alumnus of Masi Violin Outreach is a reminder that we are not simply products of a programme, but members of a family that continues to grow across generations. This tour is about giving back, building bridges between different worlds, sharing experiences, and creating opportunities both financially and professionally. Above all, it reflects Ubuntu – the understanding that our success gains meaning when it uplifts others alongside us.”
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