Braam du Toit


Braam du Toit is a South African composer and choral conductor. He is the recipient of a number of accolades, including a South African Film and Television Award and a Naledi Theatre Award. His film scores include The Endless River, Sew the Winter to My Skin, and Moffie.
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Early life

Du Toit grew up in Swellendam, a town in the Overberg region of the Western Cape, where he attended Swellendam High School and lives to this day. He composed his first piece of music at 16. He studied composition with Peter Klatzow at the University of Cape Town. He received the Priaulx Rainier Award for composition in 2001.

Artistry

Du Toit has cited John Tavener, Hildegard von Bingen, Michael Nyman, Meredith Monk, Claudio Monteverdi, Antonio Vivaldi, and Steve Martland among his influences. He stated he has "always been interested in combining music with other art forms," and that he finds "the reciprocal influence between music, visuals and performance intriguing and exciting."
Du Toit's compositional practice spans film, theatre, and concert music. His concert works have been described as "slow, lush, and atmospheric," with dramatic intensity emerging through dynamic changes rather than aggressive musical gestures. Reviewers have noted his use of music to heighten psychological states, with the Los Angeles Times describing his approach as mixing different musical styles that "atmospherically complement the emotional timeline," while the Chicago Tribune noted his technique of "alternating between enhancing and juxtaposing the tension on screen."

Film

His film scores have earned international recognition including awards at FESPACO, the Monaco International Film Festival, and the South African Film and Television Awards. His score for Moffie directed by Oliver Hermanus received particular international critical acclaim, with reviewers across major publications including The Guardian, Los Angeles Times, Hollywood Reporter, and Variety praising the score's ability to capture complex psychological states through what Screen Daily described as music that heightened the film's "intense introspection."
His earlier score for Sew the Winter to My Skin, which won the FESPACO Award for Best Music, was described by The Hollywood Reporter as "glistening, dreamy, mournful," adding to what the review characterized as the film's "sense of lyrical otherness."

Theatre

Du Toit's theatre work has been recognized with multiple awards including the Naledi Theatre Award for Best Sound and the Fiëstas Award for Best Achievement in Classical Music.
Die Kortstondige Raklewe van Anastasia W, a collaboration with playwright Marlene van Niekerk and director Marthinus Basson, earned him the Aardvark toekenning vir grondverskuiwende werk at Aardklop. The production generated sharply divided critical reactions. Deborah Steinmair in Beeld praised it as "a natural wonder," while Jan-Jan Joubert defended its value as "cultural protest," arguing that confronting "the gruesome barbarity of violence against children" required the production's unflinching approach. However, the production's confrontational nature—which led to audience members walking out at some performances—also drew criticism for what some viewed as its excessive provocation. This polarized reception prompted scholarly analysis, with Leon de Kock and Annel Pieterse examining the work's significance as protest theatre in post-apartheid South Africa in a major article in the South African Theatre Journal.
Balbesit, directed by Jaco Bouwer, featured Du Toit's music described by reviewers as "haunting and powerful." The production won Kanna awards at the KKNK festival in 2013.
Poskantoor, also directed by Bouwer, won Best Production at the Aardklop Arts Festival in 2014. Du Toit won the Fiëstas Award for Best Achievement in Classical Music for the work, with critics describing it as "extraordinary music."
Du Toit also composed music for the Trilogy with director Nicola Hanekom.

Works

Theatre and opera

HUIS Koggelmanderman by Pieter Fourie, directed by Marthinus Basson'n Ander Tongval Smag Saad Verkeer

Dance

  • ''Run!''