Creating a beautiful balance of visual and performing arts, Gwyneth and her husband, Anton van der Merwe, have been engaging audiences and visitors at Starways ever since the early 1990's.

Gwyneth now directs 'East Cape Opera Company', which draws it members from music departments at Fort Hare and Rhodes Universities, as well as local townships. The opera company performs opera recitals, a cappella ensembles and full scale productions. Invariably this includes performances at the Starways Rose Theatre on its annual tours throughout the Eastern Cape, and has even travelled to The Netherlands. The Company is the source of new and exciting Xhosa operas and music dramas, which highlight the fascinating history of the Eastern Cape. With a particular focus on the field of singing and vocal production, Gwyneth uses Starways as a base to teach and lecture, as well as perform vocal repertoire. She runs teaches and runs workshops at Starways with particular focus on the Alexander Technique applied to singing. She also works in nearby East London, and does teaching and workshops in the Eastern Cape, Johannesburg, Pretoria, and Cape Town.

She studied pottery as a hobby while pursuing a career as an opera singer, in London, England, during the 1970’s. Her love for and involvement in pottery was then rekindled when marrying potter Anton van der Merwe in 1989. Having always lent a hand at the starways pottery since its founding in 1992, Gwyneth recently took it up more seriously after retiring from academic work at Rhodes and Fort Hare Universities. Her primary focus is on decorative dinner ware, garden pots, and ceramic jewellery.

Gwyneth has raised funds from Arts & Culture institutions for supporting arts events at Starways, as well as in the local and wider community. Although — like Gwyneth herself — a growing number of her students have gained professional experience and tuition in Europe, the UK and USA, she firmly believes that artists also need to contribute to the survival of their own communities and cultures.