The Boite-Los Ninos-Program 2024 by Pressroom Partners

The 2024 Boîte Schools Chorus

2oth

Anniversary LOS NIÑOS The Children

The Boîte acknowledges and pays respect to the past, present and future Traditional Custodians and Elders of this nation and the continuation of cultural, spiritual and educational practices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Artistic Director/ and Choir Director: Stella Savy

Music Transcription: Dave Clark

Stella Savy

Rehearsal Recordings by

Stella Savy and Mishael Gyabeng

House Band:

Kofi Kunkpe - Percussion

Harri Dale - Guitar and Uke

Bonnie Prenc - Percussion

Special thanks to:

Shiree Pilkington, Sarabjit Kaur, Judy Shelley and Henry Kaniki

Narration: Ina Yillian

Translated by Djetcha Zeta Thomson – Yorta Yorta

Extract from the support publication, ’Nyernila Listen Continuously’ - Aboriginal Creation Stories of Victoria.

Printing: Pressroom Philanthropy

Boite Director: Zulya Kamalova

Boite Schools Chorus Project Manager: Bec James

Programs: Therese Virtue OAM Promotions and Marketing: Ellen Chan

Office Manager: Claudine Edwards Administration: Leah Healy

Publicist: Midnight Snack - Elle Young

The Boite Committee 2024

Chair: Anthony Schulz

Deputy Chair: Michael Martinez

Secretary: Spira Stojanovik

Los Niños

The Boite Schools Chorus, an eagerly anticipated annual event, has captivated students and audiences since 2004. Bringing together school and community youth choirs from across Victoria, this un-auditioned choir experience has seen over 11,000 students participate in 45 concerts statewide.

In 2024, we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Boite Schools Chorus, a milestone marking two decades of musical and cultural exploration. Students have delved into global music traditions within their schools, eventually joining voices in a grand concert that unites peers, families, and friends.

Central to the Boite Schools Chorus is the philosophy of inclusivity and participation. Regardless of musical background, students and teachers engage in this immersive project, developing new skills, building confidence, and fostering a sense of community. Guided by passionate musical professionals, these young performers experience the thrill of standing on stage in a professionally presented concert.

Los Niños 2024 is an especially exciting

channelling their energy and creativity into addressing vital environmental issues. Through integrated educational sessions and community engagement, the program aims to inspire action and foster a sustainable and inclusive future.

Uniting over 780 students, Los Niños represents a powerful, all-inclusive Arts project. The concerts at Melbourne Town Hall are part of a broader series across Victoria, designed to boost confidence, broaden horizons, and enhance interpersonal and performance skills. By focusing on climate change, these events showcase musical talent while highlighting the pressing need for environmental action.

As we mark the 20th anniversary of the Boite Schools Chorus, we look forward to an unforgettable celebration. This landmark event connects students with accomplished musicians, exposing them to vibrant musical traditions and diverse cultural narratives. Los Niños emphasizes the urgency of climate change, empowering students to raise their voices and foster awareness and empathy through the transformative power of music.

A note from Artistic Director

Stella Savy

I take great pleasure in curating a program for the Boite Schools Chorus, especially when selecting songs that align with this year’s theme. Climate change is a pressing issue that impacts us all, urging us to unite as a global community in efforts to create a sustainable future for our planet and ourselves.

I am thrilled to announce that this year’s Boite Schools Chorus will be showcasing songs in eight different languages from various corners of the globe. Each composition carries a unique narrative advocating for environmental stewardship or celebrating the profound connection to different parts of the world. Given the complex nature of combating climate change, it is essential to adopt a multifaceted approach. Collaborating with esteemed colleagues such as Valanga Khoza, Mal Webb, Su Hart, Michael Martinez, Mishael Gyabeng and our talented band members Kofi Kunkpe and Harri Dale has been a delightful experience.

This project of the Boite Schools Chorus is always near to my heart because it’s a project that is not a competition. It’s a project that builds strength and resilience. It’s a project that brings children together from lots of different schools and lots of different backgrounds. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, I believe it is crucial for us as a community to engage in activities together such as singing, sports, and music. The projects by The Boite, including the Boite Schools Chorus, encompass these elements, and I am honoured to serve as this year’s Artistic Director.

Los Niños

SONGS from across the globe

The ARTISTS

Stella Savy

Artistic

Director

and Choir Director

Stella is a seasoned vocal coach with over 25 years of experience. She has collaborated with numerous groups, including Sweet Mona’s Choir, the Mini Mona’s Choir, Creswick Chorus, and the Thursday Night Community Choir. Stella runs Cocosounds, a local music school in Ballarat, and has been involved with The Boite on various choir projects over the past two decades, such as Freedom Road, Mai Fali Eh, Coco de Mer, Windrush, Haven, Akoma, Maiem, and now Los Ninos! This year, you can also participate in the Boite Voices adult choral project and sing Maiem.

With her dynamic and enjoyable approach, Stella has worked with choirs and groups across the globe, engaging both children and adults in her sessions. Stella is also an active performer, regularly showcasing her talents in bands across Australia, where she plays percussion, sings, and plays guitar in a variety of styles. She currently serves as the Artistic Director for CresFest, a boutique festival held in Creswick on the first weekend of April each year.

While Stella is involved in numerous musical ventures, her favourite remains the Boite Schools Chorus.

Koﬁ Kunkpe

Kofi Kunkpe is an Ewe master drummer and multi-instrumentalist from the Volta Region of Ghana.

As a child Kofi studied a wide range of instruments at Peter King College of Music in Elobo, Nigeria. At 16 he returned to Ghana to study traditional drumming and dance with Agoro Theatre Company in Cape Coast. He became a professional member of the group in 1998.

Working with Agoro ,Kofi travelled throughout West Africa, promoting, performing and teaching traditional culture. Since this time he has performed and taught with a wide variety of Ghanaian and international companies including Asanti Dance Theatre (Ghana/Australia), African Footprints International (Ghana) and Wild Moves International (Australia).

In 2012 Kofi moved to the Yarra Valley in Warburton, Victoria, Australia. Since this time he has performed and taught extensively throughout metropolitan and regional Victoria and New South Wales. He conducts regular classes in his hometown of Warburton and works as a percussionist with many of Melbourne’s best African performers. Kofi is also a skilled bass player who plays regularly with some of Melbourne’s best African and contemporary musicians.

Harri Dale is an Australian performer, recording artist and producer. His passion for music has seen him work on various projects from Rock to Country & folk to Soul. Harri mostly performs as a guitarist and vocalist with over a decade of experience performing around Australia. Whilst also spending a lot of time in the studio creating and producing music.

Bonnie Prenc

Bonnie Prenc is 14 and has been around music her whole life. She has been playing percussion since she was 8 and is a multi-instrumentalist who sings, plays the guitar and drums.

Harri Dale

SONGS

Ehara

Ehara is a traditional Maori song from New Zealand and talks about the importance of the land being our health, and listening to our elders for assistance in caring for our place. It translates as, Not the thing of recent times, is love, But by the ancestors it has been, passed down, passed down, From the land, the land, comes the well-being of the people, by the ancestors it has been, passed down, passed down.

Tongo

Tongo, which means mangrove, is a traditional canoe song from the Solomon Islands in Polynesia. Its echo format of mostly non- translatable vocables is meant to illustrate people communicating from canoe to canoe as they travel between islands and in the mangroves. Mangroves are an important part of coastal preservation as well as being some of our fish stocks’ baby nursery.

Oh Pesser

Written by our Choir Director Stella Savy who has Seychelle heritage. The song asks the fisherman to use hand lines instead of big nets, as the big nets scrape the bottom of the ocean and take everything including the coral and all the things we need to keep an ocean healthy. Pesser means fisherman.

DRASTIC PLASTIC

Written by Su Hart. Residing in England, Su Hart is a dynamic choir leader and singersongwriter who has performed and taught internationally for over 20 years. Since 1992 she has made many visits to the African Rainforest in Cameroon, to sing and live with the Baka Pygmies. The collective spiritual singing of the Baka women has informed and inspired her musical development.

This led to the creation of the internationally acclaimed World music band Baka Beyond in 1993, melding African rhythms with Celtic melodies. Living sustainably has been on Su’s agenda since working with the Baka Pygmies and songs like this one are proof of Su’s commitment.

Olitas, Olitas

Michael Martinez wrote this next song especially for us and this performance He has been performing live for over 25 years in a range of settings with his band Los Locos and was raised in a Spanish home in Geelong, with over 25 years working in the multicultural space. Michael is currently on the board of The Boite and he also loves surfing, so when he was asked to write a song for the environment of course it had to be about his love for the ocean.

The song translates as Olitas, Olitas (little waves, little waves).

On the golden beach, where the sun shines brightest, The waves dance, to the beat of the beat. With her soft song, and her embrace of salt, The ocean invites us to dream without end.

Ma Oman Ho Haiw

By Mishael Gyabeng

from Ghana.

This song was adapted from a kids’ song called Dwin Oman Ho Haiw.

Mishael Gyabeng has written the lyrics because of his concern about the rubbish that chokes the gutters from plastics in Ghana. Mishael uses this song to let Ghana and the whole world know how horrible it is, and how we the people make the problem so we can fix the problem. Much of the rubbish in Ghana is not just from Ghana. 85% comes from Europe and America, such as electrical appliances and clothing.

It’s important to note that Ghana has taken steps to address the issue of waste management and illegal dumping. Efforts are being made towards improving waste collection systems, establishing proper recycling facilities, and enforcing regulations to mitigate the environmental impacts of rubbish dumping.

Mere Desh Ki Dharti

(lit. ‘My country’s soil’)

Is an Indian Hindi song from the Bollywood film Upkar (1967). The lyrics of the song were written by Gulshan Kumar Mehta, and the music was composed by Kalyanji–Anandji. This is a patriotic song, and was picturised by Manoj Kumar in the film.

The song glorifies the land of India, the lyricist’s motherland. He says the land of his country grows gold, diamond, and pearl. Here he compares the crops grown by the farmers of the country as expensive gems.

Bike

Written by Mal Webb.Mal Webb sings his songs about all manner of stuff, using all sorts of vocal techniques, guitar, mbira, slide trumpet, trombone, chromatic harmonica and a loop recording pedal called Derek.

It’s a lip to lung journey through the physics, physiology and frivolity of all the sounds a face can make. Sideways yodelling, beatbox, harmonics, throat singing, uvular fluttering, advanced clapping. He’s like Bobby McFerrin, Aphex Twin and Cole Porter playing scrabble. He has travelled the world playing and singing in bands and he’s written music for TV shows and movies.

This song began as a Conga line theme for “The Adventures of Lano and Woodley” TV show. This song is a nice, fun reminder we can improve our air quality by simply riding a BIKE!

Tiko

Valanga Khoza charms his audiences with humour and wit, telling stories of his life growing up in South Africa and his travels across the world as a refugee.

VValanga left South Africa in 1976, exiled along with many other young people because of their struggle against apartheid.

The music and stories he has since created reflect the places he has been and the people he has touched throughout his journey.

Valanga has worked with The Boite for many years and has also been Artistic Director for the Boite Schools Chorus with the show Limpopo. Valanga works a lot in schools across the country and he is very funny!

Valanga has written this song especially for us to sing, it’s called Tiko, Our Beautiful World. The word Shonga means to shine and beautify.

Yinyarrr Mulana Winyarr

A proud Yorta Yorta Woman, Maddi ColvilleWalker is an inspiring musician hailing from the Echuca/Moama region who has performed at events throughout Victoria and New South Wales such as the Land of Plenty Festival and Tamworth Country Music Festival.

Armed with a lifelong passion for music, Colville-Walker hails from an extremely musical family. It would take Colville-Walker learning a handful of guitar chords from her mother to jubilantly open the floodgates, going on to play a festival in her hometown of Moama alongside the headline act, and one of Colville-Walker’s own pivotal musical inspirations, Archie Roach.

From her first-ever official live performance to recently performing with her fellow Singing Our Futures peers, Colville-Walker’s passion and intrinsic ability for music continues to shine ever brightly. We are so proud and pleased to be singing Madi’s song Yinyarr Mulana Winyarr about mother earth, it highlights the importance of all of us to listen to nature, being at one with our surroundings.

Los