Workshop Descriptions and Facilitator Bios
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Anthea Sidiropoulos
Anthea is an award winning singer/songwriter from Melbourne. A daughter of the Greek diaspora, she has devoted her life to supporting community advocacy and assisting others through her music, singing, and performing. Anthea has composed music to poetry, prose, and storytelling by Greek-Australian self-published writers. Anthea has been featured in music compilations and collaborations and is the recipient of the Victorian Governments Multicultural Award of Excellence in the Arts and is also an UNESCO ‘Ambassador of Peace’.
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Songs from the Olive Grove
Singer-songwriter Anthea Sidiropoulos presents singing workshops that empower and enrich though song. In this case, Greek song! Join us for a workshop of fun, music and learning some unforgettable Grecian melodies.
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Avi Misra
Melbourne via New Delhi singer songwriter and producer Avijit ‘Avi’ Misra is a rare vocal talent capable of singing classical music from Indian as well as Western traditions. His true passion, however, lies in writing and producing contemporary music that draws from the rich oral storytelling of folk and the technological innovations of electronica. He has released four albums independently. Besides music, Avi has enjoyed a career as a writer, having worked with the BBC World Service Trust and is also a trained Sivananda Hatha Yoga Teacher.
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Find Your Voice with Hatha Yoga
Join Avi each morning to kick start your the Festival day with a positive Yoga and chanting session. Share a lived experience of finding diaphragmatic breath and mask resonance as applied to sing-ing technique through the practice of Hatha Yoga. Participants need to wear loose clothes, come on an empty stomach and BYO yoga mats and a water bottle.
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Bonnie Smith & Ria Soemardjo
Bonnie Smith is a singer, composer, piano player and guitarist who studied music at the VCA and in Canada, the United States, Australia and Spain, under the likes of her teacher Rhiannon and Bobby McFerrin (US). She is a world music extraordinaire, singing in several languages including Spanish, French, Portuguese, Turkish and English. She is the lead singer and composer of “Reflejos” and one of the lead singers in the all-female Mariachi band “Queen of Hearts”. She teaches at Melbourne Polytechnic and is also the lead facilitator of a vocal singing practice called “Circle Singing”, which explores the art of improvising in the moment.
Inspired by many years of immersion in the rich cultural traditions of Javanese and Balinese traditional music and dance, Ria’s fascination for music education has led her to train with master teachers in Indonesia and around the world including Glen Velez (frame drum) and the Gundecha Brothers (Dhrupad classical Indian vocal training). She is passionate about sharing TaKeTiNa as a unique collective learning process, enabling individuals to reconnect with their innate rhythmic intelligence. She is also a qualified Alexander Technique teacher and brings a sophisticated understanding of the interconnection of intention, imagination, breath and movement to her vocal training.
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The Voice in Rhythm
Join Bonnie and Ria using circle singing and vocal river essentials as well as a taste of TakeTina to explore the cross cultural elements of different vocal tone qualities, singing with a drone, exploring eastern scales, utilizing small hand-held and body percussion. A singing and voice intensive that moves between structured rhythmical exercises and improvisational frameworks, exploring the voice in RHYTHM! Develop your vocal confidence, creativity, rhythmical knowledge and intuitive flow!
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Iaki Vallejo
Born in Colombia and a bit of a globetrotter, singer and composer Iaki Vallejo has truly understood what human differences can mean. She now brings a message of unity and peace through her music and lyrics. Mixing Afro-Colombian traditions with jazz, soul, salsa, afro-beat, funk and reggae, her compositions and arrangements are a living example of differences coming together to enrich one another and create something beautiful.
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Colombian Songs and Rhythms
Calling on the intensely rhythmic songs of her Colombian heritage, informed by her travels around the globe, and bringing her inspiration as a songwriter, Iaki Vallejo, invites singers into the world of songs in Spanish. She will teach songs and rhythms from Colombia, helping participants to feel the rhythms from the soles of their feet upward. Everyone is welcome. No experience of singing or music required.
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Kofi Kunkpe
Kofi Kunkpe is an Ewe master drummer and multi-instrumentalist from the Volta Region of Ghana. Kofi studied a wide range of instruments at Peter King College of Music in Elobo, Nigeria and has travelled the world promoting, performing and teaching traditional culture. In 2012 Kofi moved to the Yarra Valley in Warburton. Since this time he has performed and taught extensively in Australia.
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Rhythms of the Volta
Join Ewe multi-instrumentalist and Master Drummer, Kofi Kunpke on a journey to learn and explore the rhythms, sounds and rich diversity of history and culture to be found in his home in the Volta Region of Ghana. No experience needed and drums supplied.
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Sello Molefi
Singer-songwriter, music composer and arts leader from Kroonstad, South Africa. Sello studied at FUBA Academy in Johannesburg and Wits University Music School. His career as a vocalist landed him a role in Disney’s The Lion King, with which he toured internationaly and onto the West End in London. He is an accomplished composer, working in both stage and screen and most significantly co-wrote the theme song for the movie Elephant Tales. He also composed, directed and performed his original show Mantswe at the 2009 Melbourne Fringe Festival and his first EP Mamelang was released in 2016. In 2016 Sello fulfilled a life long dream of opening the Bokamoso Arts Centre. He is now living in Melbourne and working on a new EP.
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VOICE
With musical influences coming from a long history of choral music in South Africa, to a keen interest in voices of the world through his travels and influences, Sello will led you in an exploration of music through VOICE. using simple melodies, harmonies and some what more complicated rhythms. Call and response will divide singers in to two choirs who will ultimately come full circle to create one VOICE. This will be a very high energy fun workshop.
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Stella Savy
Stella has been a vocal coach for over 20 years, conducting groups such as Sweet Mona’s Choir, the Mini Mona’s Choir and Thursday Night Community Choir. Stella has worked with The Boite on many choir projects over the last 10 years, Freedom Road, Mai Fali Eh, Coco de Mer, Windrush and Haven. Stella has worked with choirs and groups all around the world and has an energetic and fun approach to facilitating her sessions. Stella also performs regularly in her bands, playing percussion, singing and guitar. Stella and her husband Mishael Gyabeng conduct cultural tours to the Seychelles and Ghana every year, giving visitors a personal, musical and educational holiday experience.
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Freedom Road Plus
Come and Join Stella Savy for a taste of Freedom Road! In 2021 the Boîte will once again be presenting the very popular Freedom Road: The Story of Gospel in one of regional Victoria’s premium performance venues the Ulumbarra Theatre, Bendigo. In this workshop you will have a chance to have a sneak peak into the songs from this uplifting show along with some of Stella’s other musical gems.
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Suzette Herft
Growing up on a diet of BBC hits in Sri Lanka, and then gravitating to her father’s cowboy song collection when they emigrated to Melbourne, Suzette Herft has emerged as a captivating troubadour in her own right with her award-winning original songs, and her gift for facilitating singing and songwriting sessions. Winner of the 2019 Folk Victoria Award for her contribution to Folk Music, Suzette is a powerful and engaging stage performer, who shines with a natural grace and presence.
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Songwriting 101: Finding Your Voice
In Suzette’s workshop, you will learn about the basic structures and tools of the songwriting process; discover ways to unleash your truth and inspiration; and ways to make your melody or words seem more exciting. Suzette will share her knowledge and learnings in the songwriting workshop and help you discover your ‘own voice’ as you develop your craft.
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Ximena Abarca
Sensational Australian-Chilean singer-songwriter with significant career highlights including winning the TV show Protagonistas de la Musica, performing at the Festival de Viña del Mar, and recording and touring extensively under Warner records. In Australia since 2010, she has been performing, recording and teaching. Her most recent project – Huanchaco – is a World Fusion band who draw influences from a wide spectrum of sounds including Flamenco, Folk, Jazz, Gypsy, Classical and more. She leads Voices Unbound, The Boite’s young singers’ choir, since the start of 2019.
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Songs of the World
Even though our borders are closed the joys of exploring other languages is still possible. Join Ximena in exploring classic tunes from three of the great romance languages of the world: Spanish, French, or Portuguese. Ximena will lead you on an exploration of pronunciation, meaning and history with a sprinkle of melody and harmony in your travels.
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Choirs Stream
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Macedonian Women's Choir
Since 1984, the Macedonian Women’s Choir has been bringing the richness of Macedonian folkloric traditions to Australian audiences. Under the musical directorship of Margarita Vasileva, and with a repertoire that includes traditional songs of love, war, patriotism, joy, sadness and village life, the choir has thrilled Melbourne audiences with its performances.
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Vox Chops
Led by jazz vocalist Jolene Moran, Vox Chops is a vocal jazz ensemble that thrives on intricate harmony and nurtures aspiring soloists into being. With repertoire covering barbershop, bebop, doo wop, soul and neo soul, the choir performs both a cappella and with band accompaniment, featuring some of Melbourne’s most acclaimed jazz musicians.
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Yarra Gospel
Led by Yvonne Giltinan, Yarra Gospel community choir sing inspiring arrangements of traditional gospel songs and spirituals. In the last 2 years they’ve had sell-out concerts featuring the gospel songs recorded by Elvis Presley and then Aretha Franklin. The Franklin concert raised $2,500 to help build toilets so teenage girls in India could stay at school.
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Zing!
Led by Jeannie Marsh, Zing! is an un-auditioned community choir and band formed in 2016, who sing in Dutch. From folksongs to cabaret, hip-hop to waltzes, 16th Century “golden oldies” to children’s songs, boppy current pop songs to retro classics – Zing! sings them all.
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