Pauline
Lead Vocalist, Writer, Artistic Director & Workshop Facilitator
Pauline Maudy is an accomplished Australian songwriter, performer, and creative who strives to create work that promotes human connection. Over her career she has written and performed across genres in her native French and in English. Through bold artistic vision, Pauline embraces the development of multi-disciplinary projects and the opportunity to connect with audiences internationally.
Pauline won the Australian Folk Music Awards Artist of the Year 2023 Award for her contribution to Australian folk music, and received Queensland Music Awards for her compositions and co-compositions with ensemble MZAZA, including the Best Song (World) Award in 2015, 2016 and 2021. She has been awarded funding to undertake music study in France and Greece and international residencies including Nufolk in Italy. Pauline has a wealth of experience performing at key venues and festivals in Australia and Europe and an appreciation for inter-cultural collaboration, and is a passionate mentor and community engagement practitioner.
Greta
Strings, Vocals, Creative Producer, Workshop Facilitator & Community Engagement Coordinator.
Greta Kelly is Brisbane based musician and producer of cross-cultural music and theatre works. She plays shah kaman (Persian spike-fiddle), violin and theremini with live looping. For over 15 years she has collaborated with renowned artists from Iran, France, Iraq, Türkiye and Lebanon. Greta studied Eastern European folk music in Prague and shah kaman (Persian spike-fiddle made by luthier Peter Biffin) in Greece and Türkiye, studying classical, folk and sufi music. She was also awarded funding to study, facilitate workshops and perform music in Iran in 2011 and 2019.
Greta has co-produced and performed in a number of large scale, multi-arts productions in her role as producer at Human Symphony, DeepBlue and Corrina Bonshek & Collaborators. She is a founding member and co-manager of award-winning, internationally touring groups Mzaza and DeepBlue. Greta also programs and facilitates music workshops for community musicians, emerging artists, migrants and refugees.
Goran
Double Bass, Vocals & Workshop Facilitator.
Goran Gajić is a Bosnian-Australian instrumentalist and composer with many years’ touring experience in both Europe and Australia. After studying a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Bass at the Queensland Conservatorium he is the founder of the ARIA-nominated instrumental trio East of West in which he plays double bass and composes music that draws from the musical traditions of the Balkans and Mediterranean, as well as European jazz music traditions.
Goran plays double bass and composes for award-winning contemporary folk/world music band MZAZA, undertaking two Europe tours and a number of Australian tours with the ensemble since 2014. Goran has also performed with Salseros Latin Ensemble, Čardak, the Joe Chow Quartet, Sam Hewerdine Trio and was Music director for the theatre production, Kučibaba (2017). Some of his Australian festival highlights include Brisbane Festival, Woodford Folk Festival, Mona Foma, Cygnet Folk Festival, the National Folk Festival, and the Blue Mountains Music Festival.
John
Guitar, Vocals & Workshops Facilitator.
John Robertson has a passion for Latin and Spanish music and since 2006 he has performed in world, folk and rock groups, and choirs. He studied of flamenco guitar at Taller Flamenco in Seville, with Carmen Romero in Canada, undertaken masterclasses with Chicuelo and Jose Luis Monton in Barcelona, Spain and Spain and studied flamenco and classical in Australia with Miguel de la Bastide, Andrew Veivers, and Cameron Ford. He regularly performs with flamenco dancers, singers and percussionists at festivals nationally and internationally.
John has performed with MZAZA on guitar and backing vocals since 2014, undertaking 6 national and 2 European tours and performing on two albums – ‘Ghosts’ and ‘Journey Over Skin’ and co-composing the song ‘Love on TV’. John has extensive experience as an educator and facilitator with expertise in working with diverse participants from CALD backgrounds. He has co-facilitated dozens of workshops around the country in his time touring with MZAZA.
Malindi
Darabuka, Cajon, Tapan, Cymbals and Workshop Facilitator.
Malindi Morris is the percussionist for the ARIA-nominated trio East of West and is also an emerging composer with influences from the Mediterranean, Balkans, Türkiye, and Iran. She has studied and performed in Australia and Europe, with bands such as Mzaza (Australia) and founded the project Lastovka (Slovenia) with performances at European festivals such as Plavajoči Grad (Floating Castle) in Slovenia.
Past projects in Australia include The Transbalkan Express, Dastan Sufi group and the Hikayat Ensemble, with performances at folk and multicultural festivals such as the Woodford Folk Festival, Scheherazade Festival, and the Queensland Multicultural Festival.
Malindi is an experienced workshop facilitator, having delivered workshops to children and adults for Brisbane City Council for over 9 years and delivered music workshops with MZAZA since 2020.
Ricardo
Accordion, Vocals and Workshop Facilitator.
Brazilian virtuoso accordionist Ricardo Bona has taken Australia by storm since he settled in Brisbane in 2017.
Born in Brazil, he began his trajectory with the accordion with a local forro band in São Paulo, and since then has studied at The University of São Paulo and through Kodály Australia.
He has performed with many acclaimed artists in Brazil and world-wide playing choro, jazz, tango, Balkan, French, Latin and Brazilian popular music and has performed with MZAZA since 2020.
Ricardo is one of the most sought-after accordion players in Australia, which was his inroad to be granted his permanent residency through a distinguished talent visa. He has been inspiring a new generation of musicians around the country through his constant touring and featured appearances in festivals including Woodford Folk Festival and Canberra International Music Festival.
