For the first 10 years of his life, violinist Samson Diamond grew up in a crime-infested world wracked by violence. A world where the crushing, segregationist fist of apartheid was rigidly enforced; where the streets were so dangerous that at night everything closed down, including public transport; and people were required to carry personal identity at all times.

With the innocence of childhood, and knowing no other life, the youngster thought that the status quo in Soweto, South Africa was completely normal.

Recalling those early days, Mr. Diamond says: "During apartheid, Soweto was one of the most notorious townships in South Africa for black political uprisings. It was dangerous in the sense that the people who were fighting politically were using guns and so on, so the township was patrolled by the army. In the evenings you couldn't walk around, and people had to have an identity document with them.

"Everything was done in the daytime. As soon as evening came, everything was shut; even the transport stopped, mainly because of the crime. You just got used to it. If you are raised in a certain situation, everybody regards it as normal."

Then, in 1994, with the election of a democratic government, everything changed, and life took on a whole new dimension for the young South African lad.

"For most of my life I experienced the transition of change, and it was really good. People were expecting a revolution in South Africa, but it never happened," he recalls. "As soon as Mandela came into the presidency 'peace' was instilled in everyone. He had this campaign for a rainbow nation, where all races and different cultures could live under one roof and one president."

Noting that South Africa has 11 different languages and tribes, including Zulu, Xhosa, Sotho and Setswana, Mr. Diamond says that while all are recognised under the Constitution, the same charter also establishes English as the official language.

The young violinist's journey from the townships of South Africa to the concert halls of Europe began when he grew tired of the traditional activities of tennis and football on offer and wanted to do something more innovative.

"Apart from the fact that my parents couldn't afford tennis lessons, I wanted a bit of a change, and there were new opportunities, so I enrolled myself in a community project," Mr. Diamond says.

Walking into a building with other children heading for their regular music lessons, he grabbed the only available instrument – a violin – and joined in.

The reaction was, 'Wow, you must have played before', and he was accepted.

Shortly thereafter, Mr. Diamond met Rosemary Nalden, a British viola player who visited South Africa from time to time to help with another musical project, before founding and directing her own, the Buskaid Ensemble, in 1997.

It was a meeting which would reshape his future. At the tender age of 12, his talent was such that Samson Diamond became the first leader of the 16-strong string orchestra.

"We were very fortunate to collaborate with a few English musicians who came to South Africa to visit, and the rest is history," is how he sums up the honour.

Meanwhile, Ms Nalden immersed herself in fundraising, getting sponsorship to buy better instruments, maintain them, pay teachers, and run the office. Such were her responsibilities that, in order to ensure the longevity of Buskaid, she moved permanently to South Africa to train some of the ensemble players to become teachers themselves. Eleven years later she is still there.

Meanwhile, the Buskaid Ensemble grew stronger and better – so much so, in fact, that it not only recorded its first CD, but also received invitations to tour abroad, and performed in England, France, Ireland, Holland, New Zealand, and the United States.

"We made five recordings during the six years I spent as leader until 2002, and we did ten international tours," Mr. Diamond says proudly.

The next step was a slightly hesitant one.

"It became evident that I might want to play the violin as a career, although my first instincts were not to become a violinist, but Rosemary suggested I would want to carry on playing the violin. She said that if I didn't want to do it after studying I could do something else, but it would be better to study while I was still young because of the muscles," the musician relates.

With his agreement came a scholarship to the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, England, where he spent five years. In 2007, he completed his Master's degree in performance.

Now nearing the end of his studies, Mr. Diamond has been participating in a professional experience scheme whereby, in a collaboration with the Royal Northern College, he has been performing with orchestras in Manchester. Again, his outstanding talents have been recognised – this time in winning the Charles Hallé Award, which includes work during the concert season and scholarship money.

"It was a very competitive audition process. You compete with your friends from college, and in the end you compete for a prize. I was very lucky," the violinist says modestly.

Today, Mr. Diamond is a freelance musician who works with any orchestra which needs him, although he most often works with the prestigious Hallé Orchestra, Britain's oldest symphony orchestra.

He has a bright future ahead of him but to his credit, the lad from Soweto who first picked up a violin on a whim many years ago, never forgets his roots – which is why he returns to his homeland every three to six months to give back some of what the commmunity gave to him.

"I still work for the Buskaid Ensemble. We do concerts, and I also work with the orchestra," he says. "Buskaid has a huge reputation for its diverse repertoire. We play music from the 1600s to contemporary, so we have a recording of pop music from the 1960s and the 1980s, as well as one of Christmas carols."

Looking back on the influences which have shaped his career path as a professional violinist, Mr. Diamond says ultimately, "it was always up to me".

"It is all based on your preparation, plus many other factors. When I was studying I practised four to five hours a day, but now that I am working, if we have six-hour rehearsals I can only manage two hours of preparation time. The more playing you do the less practise you have," he says. "I am classically trained because all my tuition came from specialist teachers who were all classical. Rosemary is a Baroque specialist, and she plays viola, so that had a huge influence on me. Growing up in Soweto was so diverse that I have played many genres of music, including Kwela, which is South African township music from Sofia, a suburb just outside Johannesburg. Sofia was the only integrated township before apartheid, and the Government demolished it to institute apartheid."

On his future, the gifted young man is quite clear on one point.

"I have an obligation to try and help some of the younger kids in South Africa who aspire to become musicians, which is why I go back every year to work and play, and visit the schools and projects."

And what of post-apartheid South Africa?

"It would be myopic to say that there is no progress," Mr. Diamond begins. "Certainly there has been huge economic growth, and more opportunities for black males over the past 10 years. However, there are other problems which have been neglected: crime and unemployment. I think at the moment (the Government) is dealing with them, which is why the president stepped down. They are working on these sorts of problems, which are looking like a party struggle."

The legendary former South African president, Nelson Mandela, is a fellow countryman whom he admires greatly.

"I had the honour of meeting him and playing at his 86th birthday party, and there have been other occasions as well. He was amazing, in that he would stop and shake everybody's hand, and engage the musicians. He also does the Mandela's Children's Fund, and in South Africa they had a pop concert where, unlike many other people, he actually stayed and watched the whole thing. He is always on time, and he is wonderful."