FOLLOW THAT STAR
A TRAVELLER’S COMPANION TO CHRISTMAS (2025)
Have you ever longed to wander the old byways of Advent and Christmas, back to the rustic folk melodies and tales that shaped the carols we cherish today…?
On Friday 5 December, St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church will be transformed into the setting for a globetrotting musical journey that follows a traveller’s meanderings through a trove of familiar and half-forgotten songs of the season. As the stars emerge and the scent of pine welcomes you into the warmth, you will be handed a map that charts our minstrel’s path—one that winds through lands, languages and carols as diverse as In dulci jubilo, Ríu, ríu, chíu, Maria durch ein Dornwald ging, What Child Is This?, I wonder as I wander and The Carol of the Bells.
This shared celebration marks the culmination of VOX’s tenth anniversary. Arrive half an hour before the tale begins to raise a hearty glass of ale or cider with us! We are deeply grateful to Friends of Orchestral Music Cape Town for generously sponsoring the musicians who will bring this story to life.
Friday 5 December 2025 at 8 PM for 8:30 PM (until 9:45 PM)
St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, De Waterkant
Inscribe your name on our travellers’ roll on Quicket! (R280/R250)
VOX Cape Town + Here be Dragons: Lente Louw (mezzo-soprano), Jessica Daniels (recorder), Annien Shaw and Odile Burden (violins), Emile de Roubaix (viola, nyckelharpa), Graham du Plessis (cello), John Pringle (percussion), Uwe Grosser (theorbo), Jan-Hendrik Harley (viola, mandolin, arrangements, direction), John Woodland (direction)
Here be Dragons is an early music ensemble specialising in historically-informed performance from the 15th to the 19th centuries. Their name hails from the age of exploration and the tantalising warnings on old maps that cautioned travellers not to stray into the unknown…
As our minstrels begin to gather and tune their instruments for next week’s globetrotting musical journey, cast your mind back to our first staging of this unique tale in December 2021!
'Looking Up' on Fine Music Radio 26.11.2025
A Folk-Inspired Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols
The Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols is a cherished order of service that traces the story of salvation from the fall of humanity and the ancient promise of the Messiah to the radiant birth of Christ. Each December, VOX Cape Town offers its own local expression of this beloved tradition at St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, continuing the legacy of Barry Smith and the St George’s Singers.
This year, the voices of VOX will be joined by the early music ensemble Here be Dragons whose folk artistry will bring a fresh sparkle to this much-loved service. The musical items, many of which have been especially arranged for this collaboration by Jan-Hendrik Harley, will include In dulci jubilo, Gabriel’s Message, Ríu, ríu, chíu, Maria durch ein Dornwald ging, What Child Is This?, I wonder as I wander and The Carol of the Bells.
This service forms the sacred counterpart to the programme presented two nights earlier on Friday 5 December—Follow That Star: A Traveller’s Companion to Christmas—but here the music unfolds in a liturgy imbued with light, hope and promise. After the service, linger with us over mince pies as we share the joy of the season together. Although entrance is free, booking is essential; you are warmly encouraged to make a donation to support the musicians.
Sunday 7 December 2025 at 11 AM
St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, De Waterkant
Reserve your spot on Quicket
