To Moer and Gone: Tales from Here, There and Everywhere
Music Performance
NorthSouth Duo | Saxophone by Josie McCLURE (RSA) | Accordion by Kaat VANHAVERBEKE (BE/NL)
All Ages
In To Moer and Gone, the NorthSouth Duo delves into what it means to feel at home. Is it our place of origin, a place where we feel at ease? Is it the people that we surround ourselves with? Is it a mix of all these or none of the above?
Saxophonist Josie McClure, who grew up in South Africa, and accordionist Kaat Vanhaverbeke, originally from a small Belgian village, started the NorthSouth Duo in the Netherlands. After having discovered a creative partnership rooted in shared curiosity and friendship, the duo members had to go their own ways – because of visa regulations. Nowadays, they are working beyond borders to create music that unites through collaborations with young composers from all over the world.
The programme includes new works by South African, American and Angolan composers as well as some classics, such as the famous folk dances of Béla Bartók and Balkan and African folk tunes. Come as you are and get carried away by this musical road trip to Moer and Gone.
Artist Biographies
ACCORDION
Kaat Vanhaverbeke is a versatile accordionist and composer. She works in the field of classical contemporary music and sound art and appeals to a wide audience with her engaging and warm manner of performing. In her creative work, she strives to involve space and listeners. Kaat is involved in various ensembles, including the hybrid Spaceship Ensemble. In 2023, she worked as an artistic researcher at Studio LOOS, where she created new music for an innovative, extra-dimensional way of playing the accordion. Kaat has worked with theatre groups such as Lichtbende (NL), Kunstgreep (NL) and Max Last (BE). In 2025-2026 she will star in the youth opera production Atman! by the National Dutch Opera, Opera Zuid and the Dutch Reisopera. She has performed in many important venues and at festivals in the Netherlands and abroad, such as Korzo The Hague, Klarafestival Brussels, Orgelpark Amsterdam, STUK Leuven, Festival Dag in de Branding, Gaudeamusfestival Utrecht and FIMFA Lisbon.
Website: https://kaatvanhaverbeke.com/
Instagram: @kaat_plays_accordion
SAXOPHONE
Josie McClure is a South African saxophonist based in Cape Town/Stellenbosch. She holds two master's degrees in classical saxophone performance (both cum laude) from Stellenbosch University and, more recently, the Koninklijk Conservatorium Den Haag. Her research focused on exploring South African art music through collaborative commissions with local composers, culminating in the creation of The South African Saxophone Catalogue – a growing digital archive dedicated to documenting works for saxophone by South African composers. Her research and studies were generously supported by Stichting De Zaaier (NL) and the Skye Foundation (ZA), respectively. As a soloist, Josie has performed with the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra, the Namibian National Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Conservatoire The Hague Saxophone Ensemble, and the Free State Symphony Orchestra. She has received several awards, including prizes from the Dubai Yamaha Scholarship Competition, the Mabel Quick Overseas Competition, the International Woodwind Competition, and Fine Music Radio.
Her artistic development has been enriched through masterclasses and lessons with renowned saxophonists such as Lars Niederstrasser, Raaf Hekkema, Arno Bornkamp, and Rob Buckland. Josie enjoys collaborating with other musicians and composers on various projects and compositions. She is passionate about the promotion of South African music for saxophone, as well as contributing to the growth of the classical saxophone in South Africa. Josie is a JLV Paris Ligature brand ambassador. She is currently freelancing, lecturing on saxophone at Stellenbosch University and pursuing her PhD.
Website: www.josiemcclure.com
Instagram: @josiemcclure.saxophone