Nalden2

The UK's Royal Philharmonic Society (RPS) has awarded honorary memberships to Buskaid founder Rosemary Nalden and Aaron Dworkin, the founder of the Sphinx Organisation.

British violist Nalden (pictured) founded Buskaid in 1992 to raise money for a string project in South Africa. Since 1999 she has run a music school in Diepkloof, Soweto, offering specialist string tuition to around 110 young people.

Dworkin, a US violinist, established Sphinx in 1996 to increase opportunities for aspiring black and Latino musicians in the US. The Detroit-based organisation runs a national competition for young string players, and also has an annual series at Carnegie Hall.

The RPS will present the awards at a ceremony in London on 14 May. Alongside Nalden and Dworkin, there are three more new honorary members this year: Armand Diangienda, the founder of the L'Orchestre Symphonique Kimbanguiste in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo; pianist Ricardo Castro, who established a youth music programme in Bahia, Brazil; and Dr Ahmad Sarmast, founder of the Afghanistan National Institute of Music in Kabul.