Mark Schonau

Mark Schonau (August 23, 1962 – October 6, 2024) was an internationally travelled busker and a well known and loved 'Maritzburg resident who played for the Hairy Legged Lentil Eaters, a folk band that kept the town entertained for 28 years.[1]

Schonau was born in Pietermaritzburg and attended Alexandra High School,[1] trained as a history teacher, switched to music teaching and then (in 1988), began a career as a full-time fiddler, playing in a variety of occasions.[2] Long before the "busking economy"[3] emerged as means to gain influence and fame on Instagram, Mark made a living from playing his violin at the Pietermaritzburg Royal Agricultural Show, Hilton Arts Festival and Art in the Park.[4] His reputation as an entertainer led him to international events in Scotland, Dublin and Spain.[5] For Schonau, busking was a way to radiate his passion for people and for music.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c Kunene, Nompilo (2024-10-17). "Obituary: Mark Schonau (August 23, 1962 — October 6, 2024)". The Witness. Retrieved 2025-02-06.
  2. ^ Wilson, Philip (2014-05-28). "Why the Royal Show rocks". IOL. Retrieved 2025-02-06.
  3. ^ Cameron, S. (2020). "Busking as a source of income". In Bille, Trine; Mignosa, Anna; Towse, Ruth (eds.). Teaching Cultural Economics. Edward Elgar Publishing. pp. 122–128.
  4. ^ de Boer, Heinz (2006-06-11). "The fiddler on the hoof". IOL. Retrieved 2025-02-06.
  5. ^ "The life of a wandering busker". The Witness. 2008-01-08. Retrieved 2025-09-22.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.