Playing Bach to hippopotamuses

There are no longer enough musicians for the Bulawayo Philharmonic to perform symphonies; the organ in St John’s Cathedral is in a poor state of repair; the choir that once sang ‘Messiah’ and ‘Dream of Gerontius’ long forgotten. But Michael Bullivant has no plans to wind down his post as Bulawayo’s chief musical impresario. He tells me that his GP and book-keeper are both 80: ‘We have no financial alternative but to carry on working — so that means I’ll be promoting concerts and festivals, and keeping an eye on the musicians’ training at the Academy for a long time yet.’

He explains that perhaps the biggest improvement in recent months has been the legalisation of hard currency in Zimbabwe. Now teachers’ fees and bills for violin strings and piano hammers can be paid for in US dollars or South African rand. As we say our farewells, Michael Bullivant gives me a gift that well illustrates his point — a ten trillion dollar Zimbabwean bank note, issued in January. At home later, I tap the figure into a currency converter. It’s worth precisely 2.7 pence.

Two fund-raising concerts for the Zimbabwe Academy of Music take place on Thursday, 30 April at St Peters Church, Eaton Square, London SW1 and on Wednesday, 6 May at the Guildhall School of Music. The 7th Bulawayo Music Festival is scheduled to run 19–23 May 2010.