Orchestras worldwide are faced with challenges relating to sustainability; orchestras in South
Africa are no exception. In addition to their core business of performing across diverse genres,
South African orchestras have a role to play in ensuring social transformation as well as
promoting inclusivity and equality. In response to the withdrawal of government funding until
these goals were incorporated into their business plan, the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra
(CPO) established the Cape Town Philharmonic Youth Orchestra (CPYO) in 2003. The CPYO
subsequently became one of five programmes of the CPO’s Youth Development and Education
Programme (YDEP), whose goal it is to enable transformation and diversity in the CPO.
The main focus of the research was to investigate to what extent the YDEP has contributed to
enabling transformation and diversity in the CPO. The secondary focus included an investigation
into economic empowerment within the YDEP and the role of the YDEP in the Western Cape.
Elements of five research designs were used in order to gain the most relevant data. These
designs included the case study, ethnographic and evaluative research, secondary data analysis
and survey-based research. Data was collected by means of semi-structured interviews,
observations and questionnaires.