Janelize Morelli is an associate professor of music at the North-West University and a member of the MASARA research entity. She teaches undergraduate modules in community music and music education. Janelize holds a PhD in Music Education from NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. She supervises postgraduate students interested in transformative music education and community music. Her research interests include the ethics of post-human music education, music technology and accessibility, and community music.

Michelle Pretorius is a South African singer, actress, researcher and lecturer. She is currently a Senior Lecturer in Contemporary Commercial Music at the School of Music at NWU. Michelle holds a BMus from the University of Pretoria, an MMus from the South African College of Music, a MA Musical Theatre from the Guildford School of Acting in the UK, and a PhD in Musicology from Wits University. She is a passionate researcher within the studies of theatre, audience, celebrity and fandom. In 2024 Michelle also did a TEDx talk at the University of Chester in the UK.

Jaco Meyer is a South African composer, researcher, and lecturer in Composition and Musicology at the School of Music and Conservatory of North-West University (NWU). He earned his PhD under the supervision of Prof. Hannes Taljaard, focusing on expanding Steve Larson’s Theory of Musical Forces through an analysis of Wim Henderickx’s Ragas. He also holds a Fellowship from Trinity College London(FTCL) in Composition and a Master’s in Positive Psychology (MAPP) from NWU.

_{As professional pianist, Waldo has more than 30 years performance experience as soloist, collaborative pianist, and chamber musician. His interest in the art of performance is intricately linked with his work as artist-teacher and includes expert knowledge on deliberate practice and the psychology of performance.}

Piet Koornhof has more than four decades of experience as professional violinist, ensemble player and teacher. He studied with Susan Sauerman, Alan Solomon and later with Dorothy DeLay at the Juilliard School in New York. He founded the South African Chamber Music Society in 1986 which presented top South African chamber music performers in concerts and international recordings. He has recorded for Koch Discover International and Delos. He is also a qualified Master Practitioner of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP).

Pianist and educator Tinus Botha has been the recipient of several awards, including the silver medal at the Hennie Joubert Piano Competition in Wellington, the UNISA South African Music Scholarship, Unisa’s DJ Roode Overseas Scholarship, and the Gertrude Buchanan Prize. He was a finalist and prize winner in the first Nederburg South African National Piano Competition. During his undergraduate studies, he completed three licentiates – teacher’s and performer’s licentiates from Unisa, as well as a performer’s licentiate from Trinity College.

Chris van Rhyn holds the degrees BMus, BMus (Honours) (Composition), MMus (Composition) and PhD (Music) from Stellenbosch University. He teaches Music Theory at North-West University’s School of Music and is the Director of the Research Focus Area Musical Arts in South Africa: Resources and Applications (MASARA). His research focuses on the works of art music composers from Anglophone Africa, especially those of the British-South African composer Priaulx Rainier. Chris is also engaged in artistic (practice-based and -led) research in Composition.    

Liesl van der Merwe is a professor in the School of Music and MASARA at the North-West University, South Africa. Her research interests lie in the fields of music and well-being, positive psychology, music and spirituality, Dalcroze Eurhythmics, and lived musical experiences. Liesl supervises qualitative postgraduate music studies in the field of music education and also teaches research methodology, music education and bassoon. She has published articles in high-impact journals.

Antoinette Olivier studied piano and singing at the University of the Witwatersrand. As an active performer she was engaged in professional performances and productions for Pact Opera, Salon Music, Brooklyn Theatre, Roodepoort Theatre and the Black Tie Ensemble. She appears on three of Salon Music’s CD’s and DVD, “Celebration”. Antoinette performed the world premiere of Hendrik Hofmeyr’s Song Cycle for Soprano and Orchestra (1999).

Mignon van Vreden is an associate professor in music education at North-West University’s School of Music. She completed her BMus, BMus Hons and MMus degrees at Stellenbosch University and received her PhD from NWU in 2014, exploring a conceptual framework for integrating music in grade R. Her main instrument is piano, and research interests include music education in childhood, undergraduate music teacher education, and project-based service learning in higher music education.