Vox Omnes

Cas Schutte (Music in Education, Conservatorium van Amsterdam), graduated with his project Vox Omnes.

For the graduation project Vox Omnes at the Music in Education programme, Cas Schutte established a classical chamber choir without traditional voice groupings, aiming to challenge the gender-binary structure within classical choirs. Together with seven amateur singers, artistic research was conducted into the relationship between voice groups and gender identity. This culminated in a concert at the Jerusalem Church in Amsterdam, where the choir performed repertoire adapted to the singers’ input. The project received positive feedback from participants, who gained insights into the historical and social context of voice groupings, and from the audience, who were enthusiastic about the innovative approach.

The Vox Omnes project highlights the importance of inclusivity in the classical choir world and offers inspiration for contemporary approaches among student choirs and conductors seeking to modernise their practices.

"We live in a world where there are many shades of grey, and where we consciously play with these shades of grey to create a spectrum that suits ourselves. However, I could not find this playfulness in the classical choir world, where the terms ‘male and female voices’ come up almost every rehearsal, and as a singer you are often assigned to a vocal group that you then never get out of."

Cas Schutte

Recommendations:

Dr. Jaco van den Dool, Programme Leader Music in Education, Conservatorium van Amsterdam: “Cas has paved the way for an inclusive and fresh perspective on choral music, voice usage, and rehearsal processes. His work contributes to the accessibility of music education projects and provides tools for music educators to experiment with traditional voice groupings.”

Boudewijn Jansen, Conductor: “Cas’s idea of experimenting with a gender- and voice-fluid vocal ensemble demonstrates a keen sense of the urgency of our times."

A project by:

Cas Schutte