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International opera singer and UFS lecturer earns PhD in Vocal Studies

07 December 2023 | Story Anthony Mthembu | Photo SUPPLIED

Albertus Engelbrecht: Lecturer in Singing and Coordinator of Vocal Studies at the Odeion School of Music.

The University of the Free State (UFS) is gearing up to honour a new group of graduates during the upcoming graduation ceremonies on 7-8 December 2023. Among the distinguished individuals set to grace the stage is Albertus Engelbrecht, Coordinator of Vocal Studies at the Odeion School of Music and an internationally recognised opera singer with a career spanning over two decades.

Engelbrecht has achieved a significant milestone, completing his PhD thesis titled “The Journey of a Versatile Singer”. On 7 December 2023, he will formally receive his qualification, marking the culmination of a seven-year academic journey. Reflecting on this achievement, Engelbrecht expressed his relief, stating, “It’s all still so surreal, but I think that the moment I walk onto that stage, then, will it only sink in.’’

The journey of a versatile singer

His thesis is an auto-ethnographic study that delves into the preparation and performance of five different styles and genres of Western art music. This unique approach includes a practical component, as he actively participated in five different concerts or performances, ultimately contributing to his research. He shared his motivation, stating, ‘’I was investigating how it would be possible to sing different kinds of Western art music styles and genres. The idea came from my professional experience, where I found that to become a successful opera and concert singer, it’s better for one to be able to do different styles and genres.’’

Looking ahead, Engelbrecht envisions his research making a meaningful impact on the development of emerging singers. He aspires to shape the future of vocal education, stating, “I hope that my contribution leads to new knowledge not only for singers but for their teachers and vocal coaches. This is so that they can approach music in the way it is written, and to find ways which make the music speak the best way it can. In this way, singers can be more versatile.’’

Future plans

Post-graduation, Engelbrecht has ambitious plans to further his growth within the industry. Expressing his goals, he said, ‘’I would like to grow not just as a performing artist but as a researcher too.” Currently collaborating with his former supervisor on a research project focusing on performance analysis, Engelbrecht aims to delve deeper into the research aspect of his profession. Additionally, as a Lecturer of Singing at the UFS, he looks forward to engaging in more performing projects with his students.

In recognition of Albertus Engelbrecht’s remarkable achievement, the UFS community congratulates him on this significant milestone. His dedication to the field of vocal studies and commitment to fostering versatility in music is truly commendable.

News Archive

Expert in Africa Studies debunks African middle class myth

2016-05-10

From left: Prof Heidi Hudson, Director of the Centre for Africa Studies (CAS), Joe Besigye from the Institute of Reconciliation and Social Justice, and Prof Henning Melber, Extraordinary Professor at the CAS and guest lecturer for the day.
Photo: Valentino Ndaba

Until recently, think tanks from North America, the African Development Bank, United Nations Development Plan, and global economists have defined the African middle class based purely on monetary arithmetic. One of the claims made in the past is that anyone with a consumption power of $2 per day constitutes the middle class. Following this, if poverty is defined as monetary income below $1.5 a day, it means that it takes just half a dollar to reach the threshold considered as African middle class.

Prof Henning Melber highlighted the disparities in the notion of a growing African middle class in a guest lecture titled A critical anatomy of the African middle class(es), hosted by our Centre for Africa Studies (CAS) at the University of the Free State on 4 May 2016. He is an Extraordinary Professor at the Centre, as well as Senior Adviser and Director Emeritus of the Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation in Sweden.

Prof Melber argued that it is misleading to consider only income when identifying the middle class. In his opinion, such views were advanced by promoters of the global neo-liberal project. “My suspicion is that those who promote the middle class discourse in that way, based on such a low threshold, were desperate to look for the success story that testifies to Africa rising.”

Another pitfall of such a middle-class analysis is its ahistorical contextualisation. This economically-reduced notion of the class is a sheer distortion. Prof Melber advised analysts to take cognisance of factors, such as consumption patterns, lifestyle, and political affiliation, amongst others.

In his second lecture for the day, Prof Melber dealt withthe topic of: Namibia since independence: the limits to Liberation, painting the historical backdrop against which the country’s current government is consolidating its political hegemony. He highlighted examples of the limited transformation that has been achieved since Namibia’s independence in 1990.

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