Despite not being musically trained or even knowing how to read music, Armand did the unexpected.
After he was laid off from his job as an airline pilot in DR Congo, he formed a classical orchestra.
Residing in the chaotic capital of Kinshasa, the lay musician gathered the little resources he could muster,
learned how to read music, offered up his home for a place to practice on a nightly basis, and put together a full orchestra which made its debut in December of 1994.
At the start, Armand said they didn’t even have enough working instruments.
“We tried to find substitutions for some instruments,” he said. “For example, we didn’t have a place where we could buy strings, so we used bicycle cable for the strings.”
Despite the scarce resources of this french speaking capital, the “Orchestre Symphonique Kimbanguiste” has come a long way. With the help generated from a German Documentary on the orchestra, Armand and his band of musicians are now in their second decade and stronger than ever.
The strength of the orchestra – which plays the classical greats – comes from the people who rise above obstacles, such as having to share instruments to practice.
“I love music,” says violinist Pauleth Masamba, who’s been in the orchestra since 1995. “It makes me feel good — I can say music is one of the things that comforts me, takes off the stress, and makes me happy.”
Violinist Pauleth Masamba
Read the full story on CNN about the “Orchestre Symphonique Kimbanguiste,” and check out the below clip of the orchestra’s rendition of Handel’s Messiah.
– Stew
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