Episode 221: Authentically South African with Michael Barrett

The music of South Africa is not unlike its people. It is built on layers. Layers of complexity, all rich with meaning, and difficult to understand from the outside. Michael Barrett loves his country and its music. His work proves it.

I have long been a fan of Michael Barrett, as well as an admirer of the way the South African people have vigorously pursued social progress in my lifetime. So, this episode was a double whammy of excitement for me.

In this episode, I sit down with Michael Barrett, a leading voice in South African choral music, to dive into both his personal journey and professional experiences. We explore how his love for music began with his mother, a concert pianist, and his time with the Drakensberg Boys Choir, which paved the way for his academic career at the University of Pretoria. Michael reflects on the importance of hard work and dedication over talent alone, and we discuss the unique challenges facing choral music education in South Africa, from generational shifts to the lingering impact of apartheid. We also dig into the role of cultural integration and music’s power to bridge divides, including Michael’s experience with arranging African music for choirs and navigating cultural sensitivity. This conversation offers a rich blend of personal stories, insights on choral conducting, and the importance of music in fostering cultural appreciation and unity. It’s a chance to really get to know Michael and the world he navigates in choral music.

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Dr Michael Joseph Barrett is the conductor of the University of Pretoria (Tuks) Camerata and a senior lecturer in Choral Conducting in the Department of Music. He was a member of the Drakensberg Boys’ Choir from 1992 to 1997. He obtained the degrees BMus in Performing Arts (cum laude) in 2005 and MMus (Performing Arts), specialising in choral conducting, in 2008, both from the University of Pretoria. He holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education (PGCE) and a Performance Licentiate in Singing, both received in 2008, from Unisa. In 2017, Michael was awarded a Doctorate of Music degree (Performing Arts) in Choral Performance by the University of Pretoria.

Michael’s choirs have won numerous national and international awards, as well as choral competitions all over the world, including the Grand Prix of Nations (Latvia, 2017); the 8th World Choir Games (Latvia, 2014); the St Petersburg Choral Competition (Russia, 2013); the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod (Wales, 2012); the Krakow International Advent Choral Competition (Poland, 2012); Europe and its Songs (Spain, 2010); and the International Youth Music Festival (Slovakia, 2010). In 2017, Tuks Camerata was invited to perform at the World Choral Symposium in Barcelona, Spain. The choir has released three CDs, which were all nominated for South African Music Awards. 

Michael is an active composer and arranger whose music is published internationally by Santa Barbara Music Publishers and Walton Music. He is regularly invited to present workshops and adjudicate choral competitions both locally and abroad. He is also the executive director and co-producer of Capital Singers, South Africa’s largest community choir project