Since matriculating from St John’s, James Geldenhuys (Fleming 2019), has continued to pursue music passionately and is currently completing a Master’s degree in Composition at the University of Cape Town. His creative and academic work focuses on integrating African compositional methodologies with contemporary classical techniques to forge a uniquely South African sound world.
James credits St John’s unrivalled music department as a formidable launchpad for his journey. The depth of training, performance opportunities, and inspiring mentorship he received there laid the foundation for all he does today.
A particularly meaningful recent project for James has been a large-scale choral commission from the College itself: Missa S. Ioannis, a full setting of the Anglican eucharistic mass for choir and organ, written for regular weekly use in the College Chapel. The final version was completed earlier this year, and the full premiere of Missa S. Ioannis will take place in the St John’s College Memorial Chapel in the coming year.
In other exciting news, James has been awarded a composition residency at the Conservatoire National Supérieur Musique et Danse de Lyon (CNSMDL) in France. He will be based in Lyon from September 2025 until February 2026, composing a new opera and collaborating with leading composers, dancers, choreographers, dramaturgs, and performers as part of their LabOpera project. His dream is to bring the opera back to South Africa for performances with Cape Town Opera the following year.
James’s music has recently been performed across South Africa and internationally, including in Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban, Stellenbosch, London, and Berkeley (CA, USA). Most recently, his orchestral work Kingdom of Scars was performed by the KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestra in collaboration with World Slam Poetry Champion Xabiso Vili.
In addition to composing, James lectures part-time for Aural Studies at UCT’s South African College of Music and co-teaches across Music Theory and Analysis. He also serves as Co-founder and Vice-Chairman of the Cape Young Composers’ Society (CYCS)—a platform dedicated to nurturing and connecting emerging South African composers.
St John’s has remained a vital part of James’s musical and personal foundation, and he is deeply grateful for the formative influence it continues to have on his journey. He is also proud to witness the ongoing musical excellence at the College and credits the culture of trust, support and pursuit of excellence among both staff and students for keeping St John’s at the forefront of the creative arts.