LA Voce Della Luna is an intergenerational Italian Women's choir founded in Melbourne in 1996 by Kavisha Mazzella.
They are a sassy group of women who sing the Italian popular and folk tradition. Their performance- lyrical and rhythmic,raucous and sweet,earthy and heavenly bring together the harmonies from a group of Italian migrant women who have made Australia their home.
The choir's recordings and performances contain songs from a 500 year old repetoire that traverse the length and breadth of Italy.
La Voce Della Luna have performed to full houses at Festivals throughout the country such as the Port Fairy Festival, Brunswick Music festival, Festival of Voices in Tasmania,and the National Folk Festival in Canberra.
They have sung for new Australian theatre shows such as " Emma Celebrazione!" by Graham Pitt,"Mavis Goes to Timor" by Angela Chaplin, Katherine Thompson and Kavisha Mazzella and " Kan Yama Kan" by Carmel Davies, Arnold Zasble and Robyn Laurie.
La
Voce Della Luna (The Voice Of The Moon) is a Melbourne-based women's
choir from first, second and other generations of Italian migrants, who
passionately sing, songs that explore and express their Italian
history and culture.Our repetoire which ranges from the 1500's to the present day is made up of
Popular, and folk Songs from all regions of Italy, that
have been passed down over generations, through singing by
mothers and fathers to their children in fields,
streets, factories, in protest, at public events and community
celebrations. Our lively songs chart the human journey from seduction
to marriage,work ,protest and from the cradle to the grave ...our songs
traverse the length and breadth of Italy and have come from a 500 year
period to present day.We have 2 albums to date both produced by Paul
Petran of ABC Radio National "Stepping Out " and "Luna Yarra".
Founder & Choir Leader Kavisha Mazzella has a passion to learn songs remembered and sung by the Italian migrants to Australia. She began
collecting these songs . Sitting in women's kitchens and workplaces with
a cassette tape recorder ,she then formed" Le Gioie Delle Donne " Joys
Of The Women "choir in 1990 in Fremantle Western Australia to keep these songs alive and and also to learn
from the women. This story was told in an acclaimed documentary" The
Joys Of The Women"(1992) by Franco Di Chiera and seen nationally on the
ABC and Cinemas.
In 1995 at the request of Playbox Theatre in
Melbourne she formed a second choir on the condition it went for 8
weeks for the duration of the play. The Play " Emma Celebrazione! by
Graham Pitts has gone on the become part of the Australian Theatre
canon and the choir has continiued to sing til the present day.
"La Voce Della Luna "in Melbourne and Le Gioie Delle Donne "in Perth both continue to perform
regularly.
Phil Carroll,
of "Global Grooves", accompanies the choir on accordian and flute as
well as Kavisha who plays guitar accordian and tambourine.
The audience responses we’ve had at Festival (such as Woodford Folk Festival; Port Fairy, the National Folk
Festival in Canberra, Castlemaine, Bendigo, Daylesford, and the Sydney
A Cappella Festival) have always been warm and encouraging so we carry on amazed and happy to share the songs we love so well.
Recently (2006-7) For the Darebin Music Feast,the choir sang the sound
track for a 1925 silent movie by Angelo Drovetti " Dall 'Italia All'
Australia"
stumbled upon by jounalist Tony Di Bolfo from the archives
of the Bologna Silent Film Festival.
This film was really enjoyed by the people,many of them having
relatives that migrated to Australia on this boat. Others
wept,re-living the emotions of their own journeys to Australia whether
they were italian or not.
OTHER MEMORABLE GIGS
The choir has also participated in Theatre
productions for example---the 2000 Murga
production of The Colour of Water; benefit shows for East
Timor," The Big
Sing" Benefit Concert in aid of Asylum Seekers & Refugees;
the Boite World Music Cafe productions at Melbourne Concert Hall;
the Darebin
Music Feast; the production of "Kan Yama Kan"(Once upon a time) at
Trades Hall and in the famous Spiegel Tent; Deckchair Theatre's
"Mavis Goes to Timor"(2003).
We sang at the
"International Confederation of Free Trade Unions Conference" in
Melbourne’s Carlton Crest when Prime Minister of New Zealand: Helen
Clark, was guest of honour; the Opening of the Italian Film
Festival,(2005) at Palace Cinema (Como) when Pupi Avati—Italy’s best director
"Oscar" winner for 2003 was guest.
We’ve sung at the "Carnevale on Lygon" and at the official opening of
"Piazza Italia" in Carlton; at the "Melbourne International Flower and
Garden Show"; at retirement villages/homes such as "Casa Elda Vaccari",
"Centro Assisi", "The Old Colonists Association of Victoria---Clifton
Hill"; in public libraries, halls and tents, town halls, parks,
vineyards, clubs and churches—just about anywhere and everywhere
and---with performers/musicians of all colours and creeds from all over
the world!
For "The Sounds of Freedom and Hope
Festival" celebrating the Eureka Stockade in Ballarat (December 2004),
Kavisha Mazzella and "La Voce della Luna" were ‘commissioned artists’
by the Victorian Government, for which Kavisha wrote an original score:
"Fire, Fire in the Streets"to Raffaello Carboni’s words "Tunc
Justus"---
It was given a standing ovation and later recorded by Paul
Petran of ABC’s "Music Deli " who, incidentally also produced La Voce Della Luna’s first
CD: "Stepping Out" in 1997.This is a lively recording of rarely heard songs these
days: evocative and raucous renditions of popular and traditional
material, complemented by the lovely bazouki instrumental playing by
John Norton. It is available in CDS and cassette and for purchase at
Gigs, ABC shops, Mondo Music and Readings Books and Music ,BlackMarket Music or by request directly from
the choir.
In
2008 La Voce Della Luna are proud to announce Open Community Rehearsals
that will be followed a week later by an end of term concert
featuring special guests. On 22nd of June we had an Italian Solstice
Concert complete with Fire, Candles and Brule`(mulled wine)Our special
guests were Irini Vela and Gianni Marinucci, Ronny Ferella and
Tom Lee of GONaBANDA.Our concert was opened by Mayor of Moreland and
Multicultural Commissioner Joe Caputo. Grazie to all!!! it was
FANTASTICO!
MEMORABLE GIGS...Choir appeared on OCT 6th 2007 in Ballarat at the Sovereign Hill Music Festival ....
The music that made us as a nation was celebrated with the newest
festival in the Victorian calendar. From Oct 5-7th 2007 Ballarat's living
museum hosted some of Australia's best musicians,storytellers and
performers.
La
Voce della Luna was invited to honour the history
of Italian Migration and acknowledge the important italian connection
to the Eureka Stockade. Raffaello Carboni, the famous linguist and
amatuer writer who wrote
the eye witness account of the Eureka Stockade in 1855 was
celebrated in
the passionate spirit of the traditional songs of the choir.
While Raffaello hoped to strike it rich in the goldfields,he never did
,instead he became a translator for the foreign miners and a right hand man
to Eureka Rebellion leader Peter Laylor. In his disgust at all the lies
and rumours about the rebellion ,he wrote his classic book ' Eureka
Stockade" which he published himself.Famous in Australian history ,he
died a few years after leaving Australia as unknown in
Italy despite helping to advance the cause of Italy's
Independance movement with Garibaldi.
Below are the pertinant lyrics of Raffaello that wisely say" Listen to
me ,the lie, like a whirlwind,cleasr itself a royal road,either in town
or country,through the whole face of the earth. The fool in his heart
says "there is no God!" The truth, however slow,step by step, like a
little child,someday at last finds a footpath to light. Then the
righteous flourish like a palm tree!"
Mendacium sibi sicut
turbinus viam augustam
in urbe et orbe terrarum apperuit
Mendacium sibi sicut
turbinus viam augustam
in urbe et orbe terrarum apperuit
Stultus dicit in corde suo
" Non est Deus! "
Veritas vero lente
Passu passu sicut puer
tandem aliquando
janunculat ad lucem
Veritas vero lente
Passu passu sicut puer
tandem aliquando
janunculat ad lucem
Tunc justus ut palma florescit
*"Joe"was a code word meaning Joe Hotham the then Victorian
Governor. When the brutal governor's troops were searching the
tents hunting for liscences,
the miners would whisper and warn each other with the words" Joe!
Joe!"
*Joe Joe !!!the hunt is on
this cruel law is all wrong
Ue Raffaello!
why must we bow and scrape?
and resign to bitter fate
Ue Raffaello! Ue Raffaello!
We're poor , but we must take a stand !
for ev'ry woman, child and man.
let's lend a hand
forge our demand
to end this cruel command
The viscious prosper at our cost,
Our children hunger, we are lost
if we do nothing!( nothing )
We sew til dawn our fingers bleed
and from our blood a flag is born
It's really something!(something!)
instrumental!
Sing out strong one and all
Down Government's dusty hall
Our song of freedom!
we may be dead but were not gone
our spirits living on and on
They give us strength to go on !
Ue- Raffaello! Ue- Raffaello!
We're poor , but we must make a stand
For ev'ry woman child and man
we'll use our voice
and we'll rejoice
as We the people
make our choice!
Latest CD "Luna Yarra"
"Luna Yarra" which was officially launched last St Patrick's Day (March
17th 2007) at the Brunswick Music Festival by 3 Godfathers!They are Ivano Ercole of RETE ITALIA (Italian radio in Melbourne) Author and storyteller Arnold Zable and Paul Petran of Radio National's Music Deli. The Town Hall was packed to the rafters with happy smiling toetapping people which had Brunswick Music Festival Director John McCauslan smiling. The CD's of the choir are to be distributed by John Durr of Blackmarket Music. You can also buy the cds from Reading Books and Music and Mondo Music Italian Music Specialists in Lygon Street Carlton. Buon Ascoltare! Read more...
