The Research Director of MASARA, Prof Chris van Rhyn, successfully spearheaded its upgrade from a research niche to a focus area during his first term. Agreeing to serve a second term, the challenge ahead is to ensure a smooth academic, operational and administrative merger of MASARA and ViNCO, in liaison with Dr Annemi Conradie-Chetty, to create a multidisciplinary arts entity with members from at least three subject groups (Music, History of Art, and Graphic Design) across two schools (Music and Communication).

His own research focuses on the works of South African and other African composers, as well as practice-based research in composition. He expects to do more collaborative practice-based, cross-/trans-/inter-/multidisciplinary work, such as a recent book chapter co-authored with Dr Moya Goosen from Zayed University about their photography and soundscape project on abandoned spaces in the United Arab Emirates. As such, his own compositions currently focus on soundscapes of electronic music, and he will soon move on to another project based on Dr Goosen’s photographs of an airplane wreck outside Dubai which they visited a while ago and where he made on-site field recordings.

Due to the renovations at the Conservatory, Prof van Rhyn is working from home more than usual. He therefore appreciates the times during the week when he is actually at the Conservatory and can interact in person with colleagues and students. Also, his spouse, Mr Morné van Heerden, is a part-time clarinet and music theory lecturer at the School of Music and it’s quite fun for them to teach simultaneously in adjacent lecture rooms!

Probably only a handful of people know that Prof Chris is an avid Lego set builder. So far, he has focused on their Architecture series, but there is a Lego flower bouquet set that’s waiting to be unpacked. When he is in the mood, he also likes to cook (construct?) complicated dishes.