ABOUT BIANCA

Bianca Wesley-Smith is a South African violist based in Glasgow, whose diverse musical experience spans orchestral, chamber, contemporary and cross-genre performance. Since graduating from the University of Pretoria in 2018, she has performed with a wide range of ensembles, festivals and in projects across South Africa and internationally. Her professional experience also includes two years with the Gauteng Philharmonic Orchestra and two seasons at the Immling Opera Festival in Bavaria, Germany.

Her musical journey has taken her to some of Europe’s most renowned concert venues, including the Elbphilharmonie, Concertgebouw and Konzerthaus Berlin, as well as internationally recognised festivals such as the Verbier Festival, Young EURO Classic, Celtic Connections and the Edinburgh International Festival. She further developed her studies at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland as a Graduate Fellowship Awardee, where she studied viola with Duncan Ferguson.

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Alongside her performing career, Bianca is deeply committed to music education and outreach, with a particular passion for creating accessible musical opportunities for young people. From 2016 to 2019, she worked as an assistant lecturer at the Swakopmunde Musikwoche Festival in Namibia, an initiative providing children from disadvantaged backgrounds with the opportunity to learn and make music alongside professional musicians and teachers. Between 2021 and 2024, she assisted as a Senior Ambassador for the Benedetti Foundation, delivering workshops and string-day courses to young musicians across the UK alongside leading music educators, including the Foundation’s founder, Nicola Benedetti. 

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Since moving to Glasgow in 2022, Bianca has continued to establish herself within Scotland’s vibrant freelance music scene. Her work includes performances with local ensembles such as The Glasgow Barons, recording sessions for artists including Del Amitri, and appearances at major events such as the Edinburgh International Festival and Celtic Connections.

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Bianca currently teaches viola, violin and ensemble classes at one of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland’s Music Centres as part of its Junior Conservatoire programme.

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She is also a founding member of Garúa Tango Club, a Scotland-based tango ensemble born from a shared ambition to nurture and expand the tango scene in the UK while fostering a cultural dialogue between Argentina and Scotland. Since its beginnings with an intimate house concert in December 2023, the ensemble has gone from strength to strength, performing to sold-out audiences at venues across Glasgow and appearing at some of Scotland’s major festivals.