More Than Music: Finding My Place at Vox Choir Camp

At this year’s annual Vox Chamber Choir Camp at Makron Lodge in the bushveld, I was ambushed by four species of choral singers. And no, I do not mean the four famous voxtets you may have heard about. We will get to those later.

Next to the flowing Wilge River, I was swept into the strange and wonderful world of the choir. The tenors brought their bright energy, the basses kept things grounded, the sopranos gave moments of lift and beauty, and the altos added a depth that was both powerful and warm. In the middle of all this colour and character, I found myself asking one, perhaps two, questions: Who am I, and where do I fit in? 

The reason I used the word ambush is that an answer was already waiting for me on my chair in the rehearsal room on the Friday of our arrival. The sheet music lay there quietly, waiting for us to bring it to life. And the answer came in the form of none other than a masterful composition by Franco Prinsloo:

SUM

It is worth pausing here, because sum means “I am” in Latin. And although we often think about who we are together, choir camp made me reflect more deeply on who I am, and who I would like to become. 

To explain that properly, I need to step back for a moment to 15 January, when I attended my first choir rehearsal. I was immediately captivated by the choir’s energy, even while trying to make sense of the sorting process. That was my introduction to the Voxtets: Fanny Mendelssohn Memorial Voices, Die Heilige Hildegard Harmoniste, Span Anton (or Slang Tong, as some know them), and Team Sebastian in the Sky with Diamonds.

These groups bring together singers from across all the voice parts, from soprano all the way down to the basses’ lower C. Their purpose is not only musical, but also social: they build teamwork, create connection, and spark a friendly sense of competition among choir members. After a long Saturday of learning notes, rehearsing hard, and pushing through tired eyes, we arrived at one of the great highlights of camp:

The Potjiekos Competition.

To explain the beauty of this event properly, I want to borrow the words of fellow choir member Klaus Jansen van Vuuren, who said, roughly, that we are the most obscure people: functional working adults coming together to dress up, make potjie, and decorate fabulous tables to impress randomly selected judges. And honestly, he is not wrong.

To be part of something so strange and yet so magical makes a person ask: How do I fit into this? And then the realisation came. Sparky the Plug Pretorious had a moment he never thought possible. He realised that, despite the chaos of 40 choristers and their big personalities, he belonged. Not because of what he could do or contribute, but simply because he was himself. For the first time, he felt that he had found his place. 

And so, despite being known by several names such as Sparky the Plug and Tuna-Turner, finding my place in a world I never knew existed is what ultimately made me realise who I am.

I am a human being. I am a creation of God.

I have flaws and quirks like anyone else, but those things have never kept me from the love, laughter, and camaraderie that like-minded people can offer. And so, as we continue this chapter of SUM and keep reflecting on what “I am” means, I feel blessed to be surrounded by music, joy, hugs, and people like me. 

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If you would like to form part of the Vox Chamber Choir, apply for an audition.