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Exploring personality traits of orchestral conductors: associations with musical leadership in South Africa
Thesis (DMus (Performing Arts))--University of Pretoria, 2025.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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University of Pretoria
2026
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| _version_ | 1867613694564761600 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author2 | Barrett-Berg, Michael |
| author_browse | Barrett-Berg, Michael |
| author_facet | Barrett-Berg, Michael |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | © 2024 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. |
| description | Thesis (DMus (Performing Arts))--University of Pretoria, 2025. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/108053 |
| institution | University of Pretoria (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:40:13.301Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| publishDateRange | 2026 |
| publishDateSort | 2026 |
| publisher | University of Pretoria |
| publisherStr | University of Pretoria |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository |
| spelling | oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/108053 Exploring personality traits of orchestral conductors: associations with musical leadership in South Africa Barrett-Berg, Michael sj.vandermerwe@up.ac.za Van der Merwe, Schalk J. UCTD Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Personality traits South African orchestras Orchestral conductors Musical leadership Leadership Thesis (DMus (Performing Arts))--University of Pretoria, 2025. This study explores the relationship between personality traits and musical leadership among conductors with proven experience leading South Africa’s professional orchestras. In a country characterised by inequality, limited infrastructure, and cultural diversity, conductors must navigate complex musical, interpersonal, and organisational challenges. Despite growing international interest in conductor leadership, there is limited research on how conductors’ personality traits influence their leadership styles. A mixed method convergent parallel design was used in this study. Thirty-one conductors provided quantitative data via the Big Five Inventory (BFI-44). A selected respondent subgroup participated in semi-structured interviews, yielding qualitative insights. Quantitative results indicated high levels of Openness, Conscientiousness, and Agreeableness, as well as low levels of Neuroticism, and varied levels of Extraversion among conductors. Qualitative data revealed that participants viewed personality traits as a means to adapt their leadership approaches to the cultural and interpersonal contexts in which they operated. Lower-order traits, such as imagination, emotional intelligence, and warmth, are essential in South African orchestras due to cultural and socioeconomic expectations. The research contributes to the literature on personality-based music leadership in postcolonial, resource-constrained settings. The findings provide practical guidance for conductor training and self-reflection and lay the groundwork for future research in diverse orchestral contexts. Music DMus (Performing Arts) Unrestricted Faculty of Humanities None 2026-02-10T19:58:08Z 2026-02-10T19:58:08Z 2026-04-30 2025-08-31 Thesis * A2026 http://hdl.handle.net/2263/108053 10.25403/UPresearchdata.31305037 en © 2024 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. application/pdf University of Pretoria |
| spellingShingle | UCTD Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Personality traits South African orchestras Orchestral conductors Musical leadership Leadership Exploring personality traits of orchestral conductors: associations with musical leadership in South Africa |
| title | Exploring personality traits of orchestral conductors: associations with musical leadership in South Africa |
| title_full | Exploring personality traits of orchestral conductors: associations with musical leadership in South Africa |
| title_fullStr | Exploring personality traits of orchestral conductors: associations with musical leadership in South Africa |
| title_full_unstemmed | Exploring personality traits of orchestral conductors: associations with musical leadership in South Africa |
| title_short | Exploring personality traits of orchestral conductors: associations with musical leadership in South Africa |
| title_sort | exploring personality traits of orchestral conductors associations with musical leadership in south africa |
| topic | UCTD Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Personality traits South African orchestras Orchestral conductors Musical leadership Leadership |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/2263/108053 |