Kirsten Pienaar is the personal assistant to Magdalene Minaar, the artistic director of Cape Town Opera (CTO). Prior to attaining this role, Kirsten studied music at the University of Stellenbosch, receiving her Bachelor’s degree in 2020. When she’s not working with CTO, much of Kirsten’s time is spent working towards her Master’s degree with a research focus. She also enjoys crosswords, knitting, and reading fiction in her spare time, particularly fantasy and sci-fi. Her favourite piece of opera is Mozart’s Così fan tutte.