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Eugene Skeef (FRSA[1]) (born 1950) is aSouth African bornpercussionist,composer, andeducator. He has lived inLondon since 1980 and worked throughout the world. Eugene is a Fellow of theRoyal Society of Arts.
Skeef's roots are firmly established in his cultural work withSteve Biko, the late South African civil rights leader. As a young activist, he co-led a nationwide literacy campaign in schools, colleges, and communities across apartheidSouth Africa.
Skeef collaborates with other artists including Anthony Tidd,Brian Eno,Bheki Mseleku,Tunde Jegede, and Eddie Parker. Skeef has brought his extensive experience as an advisor to the Contemporary Music Network. He has developed the education programmes for some of the major classical orchestras in theUnited Kingdom, including theLondon Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO), theLondon Sinfonietta, and theRoyal Scottish National Orchestra.
Eugene is part of the internationalpeace-building initiative called Quartet of Peace, initiated byBrian Lisus, a South African luthier. He composed "uxolo" (meaning forgiveness, in theZulu language), specially commissioned for Brian’s string quartet of instruments in honour of South Africa's four Nobel laureates,Nelson Mandela, DrAlbert Luthuli,F. W. de Klerk and ArchbishopDesmond Tutu.
In 2012, Skeef performed at Orchestra In A Field, a classical/popular music cross-over festival situated inGlastonbury Abbey,Somerset. The event was televised byChannel 4.
In June 2008, Skeef and Richard Bissill's "Excite!", an orchestral commission by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, premiered at theRoyal Festival Hall at Southbank Centre, London.
His choral work "Harmony" was performed atWestminster Abbey in March 2007 before the Queen and Commonwealth High Commissioners to promote global tolerance and understanding.
In the winter of 2006, he was awarded anArts Council England Fellowship to theBanff Centre for Arts and Creativity in Canada to spend three months developing In Memory Of Our seasons, a multi-media commission from theLondon Sinfonietta.
In March 2005, Skeef performed with his AbantuEnsemble atBuckingham Palace and was presented to theQueen as part of the historicMusic Day to celebrate the diversity of culture inBritain.
