CREATIVE TEAM
John Woodland – Founder and Director
John is the founder and director of VOX Cape Town. Inspired by the diverse musical traditions of the Cape, John’s background as an organist led to a passionate interest in choral music. For three years John directed the University of Cape Town Choir (2010-2012), firmly establishing the group in the musical life of the university, after which time he joined the St George’s Singers under Barry Smith. John currently works as a chemical biologist at the Holistic Drug Discovery and Development (H3D) Centre at UCT, having completed his doctorate in the Department of Chemistry at the same institution. He has volunteered for Fine Music Radio since 2006 and can be heard presenting the broadcasts of the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra’s symphony concerts, for which he also shares the pre-concert talks. When not occupied with molecules or music (or reading about them), John can be found on the squash court or on the trails of his beloved Table Mountain.
Kyle Paulssen – “Imanagineer” *
Kyle is responsible for coordinating VOX and its major events from both logistical and financial perspectives, mediating between different parties and organising most non-musical aspects of the group. Kyle volunteers as a presenter on Fine Music Radio and is currently a medical officer in Paarl in the Western Cape.
* A combination of ‘manager’ and ‘imagineer’. The latter is a portmanteau of ‘imagination’ and ‘engineer’ and was coined by the Walt Disney Company to describe its creatives who bring its drawing-board ideas to life – something that we think describes Kyle’s role perfectly, as many of the visual elements that augment our performances (from the artwork and lighting to other visual effects) are his brainchild!
Previously on the VOX Creative Team...
Fi Smit – Community (2020–2021)
Fi is responsible for keeping her finger on the pulse of the social aspects of VOX Cape Town’s life. She places tremendous value on community and relationships, and believes that the quality of the bonds between singers translates directly into the quality of the aural experience for the listener and the performer alike. The Social/Community Committee draws on the talents and aptitude of other singers for support to develop a strong internal community through social events within the choir, as well as building bridges between VOX and the greater community in Cape Town. Community collaboration and outreach projects are an important part of VOX’s overall vision as a choral collective, aiming to facilitate the magical and transformative things that happen when people create music together. Our goal is to bring our passion for choral music into novel settings by performing for community events and causes, and building lasting relationships through cultural exchanges with communities and groups with whom we collaborate. VOX believes in the advancement, preservation and evolution of local musical culture, and the Social/Community Committee is tasked with raising awareness about the value of choral music to our society today. Fi holds a Master’s degree in Landscape Architecture and practises in the Cape Town area as an independent consultant and part-time lecturer at CPUT and UCT.
Simon Hartley – Community (2020)
Bernice Taljaard – Money Manager (2019–2020)
From 2019 to mid-2020, Bernice was responsible for the financial side of VOX Cape Town, including handling the group’s cash and financial reporting. As a registered NPO, VOX is responsible for submitting a set of annual financial statements each year, for which Bernice is responsible. Bernice holds degrees in accounting and law.
Elinor Driver – Community (2018–2019)
For 2018 and 2019, Elinor was responsible for developing novel ways for VOX to interact with its community. She worked with both the development of a strong internal community through social events within the choir, as well as building bridges between VOX and the greater community in Cape Town. While the former creates stronger bonds amongst singers, resulting in a more cohesive sound, the latter is an important part of VOX’s overall vision as a choral collective. The primary goal was working within a variety of different settings to build lasting relationships that can raise awareness of choral music and the incredible transformations that can occur when creating music with a group of people. Elinor has a degree in Fine Arts and Anthropology and, during her tenure on the Creative Team, was busy expanding her understanding of the human being through a Bachelors in Education specialising in Waldorf Education.
Stephanie Pulker (2018)
Michael Marchant – Policy | Strategy | Finances (2017–2018)
Michael was responsible for developing the internal policies of VOX and ensuring its sustainability through partnerships and other strategies between 2017 and 2018. A tenor in the group, he also played an important role in the musical development of the group by acting as a liaison between the singers and the Creative Team. Michael is a Research Associate at the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation, working on issues of economic crime and human rights violations. He is also studying towards an LLB through UNISA.
James Rink – Art | Development | Analytics (2016–2017)
James was responsible for VOX’s art design and the continued development of VOX’s web-presence, including SEO, digital marketing, and web-analytics, between 2016 and 2017. James supported VOX with a range of creative and analytical skills from a diverse academic background and enjoys a history of collaboration with John on art direction for musical projects. James currently works in web development and studies psychology at UCT.