TREE OF LIFE

Many of VOX’s performances this year have been unified by music inspired by the splendour of the natural world and the biodiversity of the Cape region. This series of recitals was entitled “Tree of Life” to highlight the interconnectedness and ephemerality of all living things.

This diversity was also reflected in the range and style of choral sounds, which had a strong South African compositional component and spanned the Renaissance to the current decade. Adding to the multisensory experience was the presence of greenery on stage and in the venue, and the plantable programmes embedded with indigenous seeds that guests could take home with them. Our two flagship recitals, in Hermanus and Kalk Bay, respectively, were preceded by an open rehearsal at the Baxter Theatre in Rondebosch in May and a “warm-up performance” at the Oude Westhof Retirement Village in Bellville in June.

The special tree motif was originally designed by Emily Hallinan and adapted by James Rink for our Trust the Silences performances. This concept of the tree was also contained “within” the music, with references to our musical roots (presenting some of our favourite pieces that we have sung over the years) all the way up to figurative ‘branches’, in which we look to the future – exemplified by the new music we presented for the first time at these performances.