Kavisha Mazzella

ARIA award winner Kavisha Mazzella 's songs combine the ingredients of earthy ,sensual vocals with deep lyrics that have humourous,poetic,social justice and mystic themes.They take you on an uplifting boundary riding adventure as she visits traditional italian folk and her own well crafted songs that ring with echoes of celtic,fado and gypsy influences. Many people listen to Kavisha 's music when they're  going through personal changes .Whether they are getting married, having babies, or while they're dying, It strikes a deep chord within.

Born in London, England, to an Italian father and Anglo- Burmese mother and migrating to Australia in the early sixties, Kavisha comes from a musical family. Her maternal Grandmother played old folk tunes on banjo and sang in the church choir , her mother played guitar and sang and was her first guitar teacher.Her paternal uncle Isidoro Mazzella is a singer of the Neopolitan Bel Canto tradition and her daughter Kiki Wilmot is becoming a fine singer with her own style.Her Brother Marco Mazzella, a deaf musician  has written many beautiful songs such as One Day and another brother Giri Antonio Mazzella is a fine actor , clown doctor and has a background in classical singing having been a child soloist at Saint Mary's Cathedral Choir in Perth.

Born amongst a family of singers , it was her destiny to sing.Whilst studying fine art at Claremont Art School ,Kavisha started playing at a local winebar to pay for her paints and got carried away by music! In 1987 She met up with John Reed and formed Rich 'N' Famous .They were joined by Lee Buddle , Gary Burke, Rueben Kooperman, and Peter Grayling in Fremantle .In 1993 she migrated to Melbourne embarking on her solo career.

ITALIAN FOLK. Since the late 80's she has  also been exploring her  musical heritage of  Italian Folk Roots music and is one of Australia's finest exponents of the Italian Folksong Tradition. She also sings from time to time with her brother Giri Antonio Mazzella  in the Commedia Academy of Australia's The Black Nonnas Music Theatre and with i Viaggiatori (the Travellers) Italian Folk Band.She also leads the Melbourne Italian Women's Choir "La Voce Della Luna"

MEDITATION. Brought up in a strict but loving Catholic family, Kavisha loved singing in the choir and was fascinated by stories of the saints but eventually rebelled against going to church. When Kavisha was 17 years old , her spiritual search  led her to doing  a 10 day Vipassana  course with John Coleman. It's life changing effect whetted her appetite for deeper spiritual experience and she did several Vipassana Courses including one in Dharmagiri India with Goenkaji. At age of  21 she came across Osho Rajneesh ,  and soon after became a sannyasin being given the name "Dharma Kavisha" meaning The Path of the Goddess of Poetry.  Kavisha has also explored  Dzogchen in Tibetan Buddhism , Advaita Philosophy with Sailor Bob and is currently a student at the Wu Wei Tai Chi School .Kavisha brings all these influences into her choir teaching , ecstatic singing style  and exploration of silence through meditative singing in Empty Sky Kirtan.

ACTIVISM  & SOCIAL JUSTICE Kavisha has been heavily involved in Refugees Rights singing and organising many benefits and being involved in co writing plays ( "Kan Yama Kan "and " I Came without my mother's Hand") to promote freedom and a humane attitude to refugees.This is close to her heart as her mother (who was her first guitar and voice teacher)and maternal Grandmother(who sang in the church choir and played banjo) were  refugees from Burma.

CHORAL COMPOSITIONS Kavisha has been commissioned  by the Victorian Government to write  a choral piece to commemorate The Eureka Stockade Rebellion  of 1854 with her 12 minute suite "Tunc Justus"(Thus Justice) based on the words of italian writer Raffaello Carbone and The Women's Anthem " Love and Justice " by the Victorian Womens Trust to commemorate 100 years of Suffrage in Victoria.Other projects include Sing for Water in which Kavisha conducted a 600 voice choir for the Melbourne Commonwealth Games in 2006 to raise funds for clean water in East Timor.Kavisha also sings with The Charcoal Club an initiative by Film maker and social activist Richard Frankland to promote awareness of Australian Indigenous Issues.

HEALING THROUGH SONG  in Empty Sky Kirtan....Kavisha together with guest musicians including Jarek Czechowicz runs a Meditation, Song and Silence group once a month  at Northcote Uniting Church called" Empty Sky "in which  meditative chants and songs from different sacred world traditions are sung interspersed by periods of silence.This is held every third Sunday of the month  from 5pm-6pm.Donation is $10.

CHOIRS .Kavisha also  leads a multifaith multicultural choir at Manningham Arts Centre called the United Nations Of Song which  is open every term to new members.Here we explore the  common ground in culture and faith in a fun relaxed atmosphere. Also Kavisha runs a choir for friends,family and those on their healing journey from mental Illness.Kindly  sponsored by the Mental Illness Fellowship Victoria this is called The Moon's A Balloon Choir.

FESTIVALS. Since 1991, Kavisha has performed at  many Australian Folk Festivals  such as Toodjay Folk festval,Maleny, Fairbridge,Port Fairy and Woodford and International music festivals that include Australia -Ireland Festival Dublin,Cork Arts Festival Ireland, Edinburgh Fringe Festival Scotland,Calgary Folk Festival Canada,European Union Broadcasters Festival Miscolc Hungary, Femme Funk festival New Caledonia... and Whare Flats festival New Zealand. In July 2011 Kavisha was invited  as a singing mentor in EthnoHistria festival  in Slovenia EU.

Mavis Goes To Timor Choir 2001 photo© Jon Greene