I attended Dr Ribeiro Goan School. One Saturday my dad returned from an auction with a violin that he purchased for 12 shillings and 50 cents. My musical career kicked off the next Monday when dad arranged for me to be tutored by A.R. Da Costa who was the choirmaster at St. Francis Church.

Sometime in 1957, Dr Ribeiro Goan School Ex-Students awarded me a bursary together with the Diana D`Souza, Rudolf Gonsalves and Leandro Saldana to study music at the East African Conservatoire of Music where I initially was coached by Nat Kofsky and then Anthony Alvares, a brilliant violinist.

Following that, I won at the Kenya Festival of Music the best violinist under the age of 16 and was very proud to be presented with the trophy by the Governor-General Sir Evelyn Baring.

Dad would make me practice 5 hours a day come whatever, so by the age of 18 was pretty good. Having completed school in 1957, I played as a second violist with The Nairobi Orchestra and in the orchestra at various musical plays brought up by City Players.

I had the pleasure to get to know prominent Goan Musicians well known to the Nairobi musical circles. They were Anthony Alvares, Anthony Noronha (better known as Oboe ), Albert Rodrigues (Viola), Luis Pires (Violinist), Guilherme Pires (Bass).

On July 20th 1966, a farewell recital was organized for Anthony (Oboe) Noronha at the residence of J. M. Nazareth Q.C. Oboe had sacrificed so much of his time promoting music within the Goan community. For years, he conducted the junior orchestra. At this farewell recital, nearly every known Goan musician took part. Oboe soon left for the UK where he, unfortunately, passed away.

In 1984, I was running my own video business. On this particular day a woman, unknown to me, walked into my office, asked me if I was Walter, then asked me if I would like to take part in a movie that was going to be shot in Nairobi. I said yes, after which she asked me if I could arrange for a Goan drummer and pianist. I arranged for Clifford D`Souza who is an excellent pianist and Ronny Coutinho, drummer. It turned out to be Out of Africa with Merle Streep and Robert Redford. This movie won 9 academy awards.

Walter Fernandes

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The Ex-students Present Kenya Music Festival Artists

(Source: The Goan Voice, Nairobi, Kenya, Date: circa 1958?? )

The Dr. Ribeiro Goan School Ex-Students' Association presented last Sunday all the Goan participants in the recent Kenya Music Festival in a concert at the Goan Gymkhana. This concert provided heartening evidence of the fact that there are many young men and women amongst us who indulge in performing classical music.

Beethoven and Schubert seem to be great rivals to the latest “top ten tunes" and rock n' roll. There could be no greater evidence of this than hearing that well-known local dance band musician Steve Alvares performing Schubert's famous "Serenade" so expressively on his alto saxophone. Beethoven and Schubert seem to be great rivals to the latest “top ten tunes" and rock n' roll. There could be no greater evidence of this than hearing that well-known local dance band musician Steve Alvares performing Schubert's famous "Serenade" so expressively on his alto saxophone.

It would be an act of injustice to the talents of the artists by selecting only a few for mention. They all performed extremely well and provided those present alas, so few with a delightful evening's entertainment. The performances of the young pianists, Amata Rebello, Carol de Mello, Olympia Rebello, Maria Fernandes and Diana de Souza were imbued with that freshness and simplicity that becomes so naturally only to young children such as them. The same quality was also strongly in evidence in the singing of Joanita Fernandes, Maureen Pacheco, Imelda Pires and Cynthia Price. Goans have always regarded the violin as a national instrument and they like to hear nothing better than a violin beautifully played. Those old-timers like the writer who fear that this instrument is losing favour with the present generation can now safely rid themselves of this fear for, in the young violinists, Luis Saldanha, Leandro Saldanha and Walter Fernandes, we see the star performers of tomorrow. Their performances of Walter in the technically difficult and musically exacting Beethoven's "Romance in G”, of Leandro's exhuberant playing of the “Admiral's Horn Pipe"; little Luis' playing of the "Serenade" by Sammartine augurs well for the future musical life of the Community.

The adult artists, naturally provided the audience with accomplished performances. The beautiful and expressive singing of Sylvia da Cunha was a sadly missing in the programme. Albert Rodrigues' rendition of the "Vagabond" by Vaughan Williams; the duet by the two sisters Christina and Euphemia Fernandes who later joined Albert Rodrigues and Tolley Barreto in a madrigal, were memorable performances. Luis Pires and Ethel Price combined together to give a musicianly account of the Sonata in A major by Brahms.

The Ex-Students' Association is to be congratulated for bringing to the notice of the Community the wealth of talent that exists within it. One would have liked to see, however, more people at this concert if for no other reason than encouraging these young artists to further endeavours of musical progress and success. It would appear that the publicity concerning the concert was rather scattered and this may have been the reason for the poor attendance a little extra publicity would have helped considerably especially since the concert was held in aid of the Association's Music Bursary Fund.

In these days of racial tensions and domestic strife, activities such as these can exert a beneficial influence and can be conducive to harmonious relationship. The more such activities we have, the more prolonged and lasting will such an influence be until, ultimately, we will have that peace and unity for which we are all so anxiously striving for. The Ex-Students have a great responsibility in this respect for they have the potential of being a great cultural force in the Community they have a flair for organizing cultural activities as their many previous concerts have proved and it is in the field of culture that they can serve the Community best and earn its highest tributes and gain its lasting reward.

So, Ex-Students, how about more such concerts and, as often as possible.

-ORPHEUS.

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