From youth song collections and trial song collections to the songbook of the church: A historical overview of the development of church hymns
In this article, published in Vir die Musiekleier / To the Director of Music in December 2025, Dr Jaco Meyer traces the development of the Liedboek van die Kerk (Songbook of the Church) from the resolution at the General Synod of the Nederduitse Gereformeerde Church...
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Exchanging cold weather for a warm reception
Reported by Ms Rineke Viljoen As part of the ongoing collaboration between NWU and the Royal College of Music in Stockholm (KMH), we had the privilege of hosting three distinguished colleagues from KMH for an academic visit at the end of February. Prof Eva Nivbrant...
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NWU-KMH teaching exchange visit
Reported by Dr Yvonne-Marié Brand, Prof Liesl van der Merwe & Ms Rineke Viljoen (also see NWU-KMH academic exchange programme continues) Our teaching exchange at the end of November last year, hosted by the Royal College of Music in Stockholm (KMH), was a rich and...
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Regreso a Costa Rica*
Reported by Prof Tinus Botha Following my concert tour with Mr Thomas Erlank last year to Costa Rica and Colombia, I returned to the beautiful campus of the Universidad de Costa Rica in San José from 24–31 January 2026 for the 10th Encuentro de Pianistas Costa...
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Final doctoral graduate of 2025
In the death throes of last year, the DMus degree was conferred on Christelle Engelbrecht. She performed two concerts and submitted a thesis titled "The meaning of chamber music concerts for audience members: a comparative case study". In her thesis, Christelle found...
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A deeply rewarding experience
by Sammy Nku (also see NWU-KMH academic exchange programme continues and "Our first month in Stockholm" and "Autumn in Scandinavia") My visit to Sweden was more educational than recreational — as it should be! — but, although the exchange programme was designed with...
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Exploring five professional violinists’ flow experiences during solo and chamber music performances
This article by Dr Carli D'Alebout and Prof Liesl van der Merwe was published in Psychology of Music in November 2025. This interpretative phenomenological analysis looked at how five professional South African violinists experience “flow” — that special state where...
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Autumn in Scandinavia
by Lillian van Staden (also see NWU-KMH academic exchange programme continues and "Our first month in Stockholm") October has been a month of new adventures, making friends, and learning new skills. The time has flown by since our arrival and swept us into a chilly...
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Dr Antoinette Olivier travels to the Netherlands & Sweden
Reported by Dr Antoinette Olivier During September and October, I undertook an academic visit to the Netherlands and Sweden, where I had the privilege of presenting classical singing masterclasses and engaging in professional knowledge exchange at an international...
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More than a decade of research collaboration
Prof Liesl van der Merwe and Prof John Habron-James (Royal Northern College of Music, UK) first met at the International Society for Music Education (ISME) World Conference in Thessaloniki in 2012, where they discovered a shared passion for Dalcroze Eurhythmics,...
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Awards for teaching and creative outputs
At the Faculty of Humanities' annual awards evening on 22 October, Dr Catrien Wentink [above, second from right] received a Faculty Teaching Award and Prof Conroy Cupido [above, right] received a Creative Output Award recognising his musical direction and conducting...
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Looking back on 2025
Prof Conroy Cupido, Director of the School of Music: The 2025 academic year has been both challenging and inspiring for the School of Music. Navigating the implementation of the new Student Information System (SIS) tested our resilience, yet I was deeply moved by the...
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