Instrument(s) / Discipline(s):
Choral Conducting

Period of study at the NWU School of Music / PU for CHE Department of Music:
1996-2001

Qualifications completed at the NWU / PU for CHE:
BMus Honours

Qualifications completed elsewhere:
MMus (UP)

Notable professional achievements:
• Member of UNESCO Ambassador of Goodwill
• World Youth Choir Board Member
• Artistic Director at UP Arts
• Artistic Director of South Africa Youth Music & Arts Development Foundation (SAY MAD)

Current professional position / occupation:
• Artistic Director — UP Youth Choir
• Choral Conductor — St. Albans College and Pretoria Boys High School

Top 5 must-hear music:
1. Ola Gjeilo — O Magnum Misterium “Serenity”
2. Pawel Lukaszewski — Two lenten motets
3. Chopin — Second Piano Concerto, second movement, performed by Lang Lang
4. The Real Group — Count Basie Medley
5. Adrian Johnston — Becoming Jane (soundtrack)

Which personal music experiences are most memorable to you?
• Performing with the World Youth Choir (as singer) — Concerto for Choir by Alfred Schnittke.
• Performing with the University of Pretoria Youth Choir (as conductor) — Sunrise Mass for choir and orchestra.
• Winning three Gold Medals at the Choir Games in Latvia, Riga 2014.

Top 5 must-read books:
1. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
2. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
3. Why Am I So Nervous by Alan Solomon
4. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
5. Wuthering Heights by Emily Brönte

Favourite quote(s):
• “It’s not what the world holds for you, but what you bring to it.” — Kevin Sullivan
• “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” — Maya Angelou

Top 5 must-see movies:
1. Any Pedro Almodovar movie — Volver, Talk to Her
2. Any Woody Allen movie — To Rome With Love, Midnight in Paris
3. Il Postino
4. House of the Spirits — Meryl Streep, Glenn Close, Antonio Banderes, Jeremy Irons
5. The Untouchables

Which television show(s) can you watch over and over again?
The Good Wife and Friends

Favourite food:
Sushi and South African traditional Sunday lunch

Favourite drink(s):
Coffee and red wine

How do you relax?
Cooking and spending time with my three dogs

Family (spouse / children):
Husband, Reynhardt Pitout

Which places would you still like to visit?
Japan, again.

What are your funniest / fondest memories of your time at the Conservatory?
The unique characters that I met — some of the most eccentric people in the world.