Juliet Wootton

BIOGRAPHY

Juliet Wootton is PhD Music candidate at Stellenbosch University, under the supervision of Prof. Stephanus Muller. She graduated with her BMus in composition in 2020 at the South African College of Music. In 2023, she completed her MMus with distinction, under the supervision of Prof. Hendrik Hofmeyr. Her MMus studies centred on the composition of the art song, and how orchestration and timbral colours can be used as means of textual expression. Her compositional interests lie in writing for the voice, specifically in the form of the art song and opera. As such, many of her works are programmatic in nature, or are inspired by written texts. Her compositions range from orchestral, to chamber, to works for solo instruments.

RESEARCH

Project title:

Modernisms in the Symphonic Works of three 20th-Century South African Composers

Project description:

Juliet’s research investigates modernisms in the orchestral compositions of three prominent 20th–century South African composers: Arnold van Wyk’s Second Symphony (Sinfonia Ricercata) (1952), Hubert du Plessis’s Musiek by drie skilderye van Henri Rousseau, Op. 24 (1962), and Graham Newcater’s First Symphony (1962–64). Despite the status of these composers as significant contributors to South African orchestral music, these works have received limited in-depth academic attention. This study takes the orchestral scores as the primary lens of inquiry, proposing detailed analysis to explore how modernism manifests in these compositions within the broader context of apartheid South Africa. By tracing all aspects of musical composition in these orchestral works, this research aims to contribute to a more global understanding of musical modernism.