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The world's first all-black symphony orchestra, was founded in December 1994 by the group's conductor and former airline pilot, Armand Diangienda. Based in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the group is Central Africa's only symphony orchestra and the city's population number among the poorest inhabitants on the planet. The orchestra's members are dedicated, talented musicians who are mostly self-taught and often play on home-made instruments. Their work, which includes performing music from the core classical repertoire such as Beethoven's Symphony No.9, promotes peace and hope in a country torn apart by war and poverty. Diangienda recently received honorary membership from the Royal Philharmonic Society, which is awarded in recognition of services to music. Previous recipients of the award include Felix Mendelssohn, Igor Stravinsky and, more recently, Sir Mark Elder.