The Voces Libres Chamber Choir was formally established in 2023 and is known for its captivating performances and dedication to musical excellence. Voces Libres encapsulates the idea of a chamber choir characterised by its freedom of expression and artistic interpretation. The choir meets every second Thursday of a month in Sandringham, Johannesburg, from 17:30 to 19:30 at the Jabula Recreation Centre.

Our Conductor – Christelle Engelbrecht

Christelle Engelbrecht is a choral conductor, accompanist, and aspiring chamber musician. Throughout her time in Potchefstroom, she served as conductor of the North West Children’s Choir, the Potchefstroom High School for Girls Choir as well as the Hoërskool Volkskool choir. Christelle also worked as a collaborative pianist, accompanist, concert series organizer, and arts administrator at the North West University School of Music and Conservatory while pursuing her academic career as a chamber pianist and researcher, researching parental motivation in choral settings as well as meaningful concert experiences.

She has received masterclasses from amongst others, Antonio Pompa-Baldi, Nicolas Philips, Mūza Rubackytè, Carolina Oltmans, Robert Auler, and Petronel Malan. Christelle is currently busy with her Doctorate in Piano Performance at the NWU under the guidance of Dr Truida van der Walt and teaches voice and piano at Jeppe High School for Girls. She was the conductor of the Colla Voce Youth Choir (previously known as the South Gauteng Youth Choir), the Colla Voce Chamber Choir, and is currently the conductor of the Jeppe High Preparatory Junior and Senior Choir, Jeppe High School for Girls Choir, the Cantare Children’s Choir and the Voces Libres Chamber Choir. Christelle regularly presents workshops for conductors and choristers. She was the resident conductor for the CCNF UDUMO 2023 Project Choir where she conducted 350 children’s voices.