“Hopefully bringing meaning and joy to other people”: mindfulness and intentionality in VOX Cape Town choir in relation to emotion, space and society

Cape Town has a rich choral culture and choir singing, as in the rest of South Africa, continues to be a popular activity for all ages. Established in 2015, VOX Cape Town have found their niche in adding value to the musical life of the city by providing innovative, immersive, multi-sensory choral experiences for different audiences and intergenerational singers. This qualitative case study phenomenologically investigated perceptions of the musical director and choralists about place in relation to emotion, space and society in their lifeworld. Our research contributes to the understanding of emotional geography in a Capetonian choir, more than thirty years after democratization, when place and stratum barriers continue to impact racial representation of choir membership and audience profiles. It confirms the benefits, values and meanings of group singing as an activity for all, together with insight into practising mindfulness and intentionality within the choir family, towards audiences, the choir community, wider society and environment. The article forms part of a bigger project “Exploring choir leader and chorister perspectives on teaching, learning, and performing in amateur, independent, non-profit community choirs in the Cape Town Metropole”. The dataset including non-participant observations, questionnaires, an interview and online information was thematically analysed. • Choirs may be mindful about nature, environment, sustainability and ethical issues. • Nurtures caring culture for each other, audiences, other choirs and wider society. • Innovative, multisensory performances gain new audiences for choral music. • Choiring brings emotional fulfilment for singers making music together. • Emotions include admiration, contentment, empathy, gratitude, hope, joy and pride.