THE BIRTH AND DEATH OF STARS
World music favourites MZAZA have created a theatrical musical experience like no other Sitting comfortably between music and theatre, the show is brought to the stage by a powerful collaboration of creative minds featuring director Benjamin Knapton, writer Pauline Maudy, Finnish animator Laura Matikainen, and design consultant Alison Ross.
The Birth and Death of Stars is a show that invites us to leave the daily world behind to contemplate our place in the universe. Based on the album of the same name,the show draws inspiration from history’s philosophers and astronomers, leading us on a surreal voyage through the ether to explore what links us to each other and the world around us in ways that are poetic, moving and at times funny.
This production has received critical acclaim, premiering at Brisbane Festival before undertaking Australian national touring of venues and arts festivals, including Darwin Festival (NT), New Annual Festival (NSW), North Australian Festival of Arts (QLD), and more.
It is accompanied by a very popular community engagement workshop program. Workshops can be customised to suit diverse groups such as primary and high schools, emerging artists of all ages, adult music groups, language learners, cultural groups, groups with a lived experience of mental health or disability, and seniors.
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer & Creative Producer Pauline Maudy
Stage Director Benjamin Knapton
Producer Greta Kelly
Audio Visual Laura Matikainen
Set & Costumes Alison Ross
Audio Visual System Freddy Komp
Sound Engineer Marco Foxlee
Music from MZAZA’s The Birth and Death of Stars album
Performers MZAZA
awards
Folk Artist of the year (solo) 2023 Australian Folk Music Awards
Finalist Best Contemporary Folk Album 2021 Australian Folk Music Awards
Winner Best Song (World) 2021 Queensland Music Awards
Finalist Best Song (World) 2020 Queensland Music Awards
Winner Best Song (World) 2016 Queensland Music Awards
Winner Best Song (World) 2015 Queensland Music Awards
For all national and international touring enquiries email admin@mzaza.com or connect via this button
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MZAZA also performs in concert format for festivals, outdoor events and venues.
Biography
“Punchy, energetic and suffused with joy…” ★★★★ – Songlines Magazine
Led by French-Australian singer Pauline Maudy (2023 Australian Folk Artist of the Year), who sings with ease in an array of languages, MZAZA are a six-piece band with a line-up of talented musicians from around the globe, and an aesthetic said to recall the free-spirited romanticism of Lhasa de Sela or redoubtable France-based collective Lo’Jo. Their songs draw inspiration from the cultural heritage of their members and collaborators, predominantly from France, Spain and the Balkans.
This multi-award winning group has connected audiences across extensive Australian and European tours, and supported acts such as Baba Zula (TUR), the Violent Femmes (USA), andYasmin Levy (ISR). MZAZA’s third album ‘The Birth and Death of Stars’, described by Songlines Magazine as “a supernova of an album”, received a Queensland Music Award for Best Song, and spent two months in the Transglobal World Music Charts.
The band’s accomplished multi-instrumentalists play violin, shah kaman (Persian spike fiddle), guitar, double bass, accordion, darabuka, cajon, and drum kit.