Director

Currently, the Choir is directed by Rudolf de Beer. He started his music career in Potchefstroom, South Africa, where he completed an honours degree in music as well as a higher educational diploma. He also holds a Masters Degree in Choir Conducting at the University of Oslo, and has completed a D-Mus in Choral Conducting through a joint venture between the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in Port Elizabeth and the Academy of Music in Oslo, Norway.

As conductor of the Potchefstroom Chamber Choir, the North West Children's Choir, and the PUK Serenaders, he has toured both nationally and internationally. He also sang bass in two a capella groups - the Singing Club and the Boulevards Harmonists. After two years of teaching at a public school and five years of music administration at the University (where he also run the Division for Choir Directing through the Department of Culture), he visited the USA for an internship in Fund Raising and Choral Music Education at the Universities of Indiana and Butler. Between 1999 and 2006 he was conductor at the Drakensberg Boys' Choir School, where he also conducts most of the major orchestras in South Africa and regularly appears on national radio and television. Apart from local tours he also conducted the choir annually in Europe, the America's and Japan. He was also conductor of the national Youth Choir of South Africa for four different projects, and was Musical Director of the Excelda National Chamber Choir - a project of Jeunesses Musicales South Africa. He is in constant demand for workshops, masterclasses and lectures and also composes and arranges for choirs.

As from April 2006 he has accepted a position of Lecturer in Choir Conducting at the Stellenbosch University. He is also artistic director of the Schola Cantorum Stellenbosch, and conductor of the City of Tygerberg Choir.

From 2003 to 2006, the Choir is directed by Louis van der Watt, Lecturer in the strings department at the University of Stellenbosch. Louis van der Watt started studying the violin with Jack de Wet and made his debut as conductor at the age of 16. He completed a BA degree cum laude , with Greek, Philosophy and Political Science as major subjects. He also obtained a BAHons degree (Philosophy) cum laude at the Free State University. He was a member of the PACOFS Orchestra, chairman of the University choir and a member of the Student Council. He received the university's Dux award for best academic achievement. Louis continued his violin studies at Stellenbosch University with Eric Rycroft and obtained the Royal Schools Performer's- and Teaching Licenciates cum laude. He also obtained a BTh and Licenciate in Theology cum laude. He was Primarius of Majuba men's residence and member of the Theological Student Council. He furthered his studies with a BMus degree from Unisa, with distinction in Harmony and Counterpoint, followed by the BMusHons which he obtained cum laude at Stellenbosch University in 1993. Louis is a former member of the UPE String Orchestra, the SA National Youth Orchestra, the US String Ensemble and the US Symphony Orchestra, the latter of which he was concert master. He has had numerous solo performances with both orchestras. He is also a former member of the Cape Town Symphony Orchestra (ad hoc) and the Libertas Choir. Until 1998, Louis was Head of String Instruments and conductor or the String ensemble and Camerata at the Hugo Lambrechts Music Centre. During 1999 he became Head of Music at Bishops in Cape Town. His students boast a host of achievements: they receive bursaries to further their studies abroad, are chosen as members of the World Youth Symphony Orchestra, win acclaimed competitions in South Africa and perform as soloists at Youth Music Festivals. One of his former students, Sarah Oates, played First Violin in the London Philharmonic Orchestra and became a student of Pinchas Zuckerman. In 1996 Louis was appointed conductor of Canticum Novum, the Stellenbosch Student Church Choir. Since January 2000, he lectures in the strings department at Stellenbosch University and is one of the conductors of the Stellenbosch University Symphony Orchestra.