Folksongs Tell Tales: Zara Ballara & Iola Shelley

“We read to know that we are not alone” - CS Lewis

So do we not also sing in order to do the same? To know that we are not alone, and use our music to make connections. Regardless of the style or genre, songs are the vehicles we use to share our experiences, from joy to despair, in the most real hope that someone else can feel it with us.

This recital celebrates Folksong Arrangements from the turn of the century to modern day. We often view folksongs as simple, little ditties easily passed from one generation to another. However, this significantly diminishes the rich tapestries layered deep within the memorable melodic lines. Folksongs offer the listener a glimpse into the past, reflecting the changing societal landscapes, as the retelling of these narratives and folklore capture our shared histories and “…serve as a window into the cultural heritage of a community, providing insights into their values, customs, and belief systems." (Folk: The Voice of the People 2024) The folksong arrangements featured in this recital we've chosen to demonstrate an array of compositional styles, techniques and components which noted composers such as Copland, Britten and Bonds have used in their folksong arrangements. From a performance perspective, discovering why these choices have been made and how they are applied to the original folksong will provide important insights as my research moves into reimagining the accompaniments of 18 Māori Waiata.

After a 16-year career of performing as a solo artist and teaching in London, Zara returned to Ōtautahi, Christchurch in 2012. For the past nine years, she has led the Classical Voice Programme at the University of Canterbury, supporting all tertiary levels. Last year, she began a DMA (Doctorate of Musical Arts) with her research focused on the reimagining of Māori waiata as classical hybrid art songs. She believes songs are the caretakers of our stories - treasured taonga.

Although trained as a classical opera singer Zara has an interest and appreciation of all musical styles and genres. Her current degree programme at UC creates tailor-made recital programmes, which use an eclectic mix of genres and styles from pop to opera and art song to musical theatre. Students are actively encouraged to perform programmes that reflect their individual tastes while also discovering repertoire outside their comfort zones. This helps them grow as singers and also to create their own personalised musical journey.