an exercise in compassion, health & hope
James Venables
Jamie is 13 years old and is in Grade 7 at St John’s Prep. He loves listening to a variety of types of music and plays the violin and the electric guitar.
Jamie is currently preparing for his Grade 5 ABRSM violin exam and he plays in the school Symphony Orchestra. He sings in the Schola Cantorum and in the Senior Choir.
Jamie enjoys an audience, whether delivering a speech as part of the inter-school Chatterbox Festival, or acting on stage. He is rehearsing for the school production of “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” in which he plays Neville Longbottom.
Jamie has a great imagination and enjoys immersing himself in books or online skirmishes on his Playstation. If he is not a professional musician when he is older, he thinks he might make an excellent professional gamer!
Ryan Hoffmann
Ryan Hoffmann is thirteen years old. He is a pupil at St. John's Preparatory school, Johannesburg.
Ryan has been playing the violin for seven years and has passed the Grade 5 Trinity violin examination. He is a music monitor in the school choir and was awarded a 50 percent violin scholarship for St. John's College.
Earlier this year Ryan sang in J.S.Bach's Saint John Passion at Saint Mary's church and at Saint John's College.