About

When I was young, I dreamt of teaching Malagasy to foreigners and share our songs and dances. I have always loved the Malagasy language and put a lot of effort in delving deeper into its intricacies at school. Who knew that that dream would become a reality?

When I first moved to New Zealand, the first thing I wanted to do was sing in a choir. Unfortunately, I wasn’t welcome as I couldn’t read music. I felt lost and it made my settling here that much harder. But I was fortunate to belong to a church and did as much singing there as I could. I joined the worship team and joined the Christmas choir.

Forward a few years, and I got accepted to join my first regular choir in Dunedin singing with the Sunnyside up gospel choir and then joining a Madrigal choir in Auckland once we moved up there. In 2010, our family moved to Wellington and that year started my love affair with the Wellington Community choir, and developing my work as a song leader in a New Zealand context.

I have always led people into song and to be welcomed invited to do it in Wellington was wonderful. After years of singing in a choir, learning from other song leaders and creating my own style and flavor as a community song leader, with my own Malagasy flavour and authenticity and embracing my African heritage, I am very proud of where I come from and excited about where I am heading.

Currently I lead two community choirs: the Wellington Community Choir and Kotaba Voices- a women’s choir I started in 2020 for all who identify as women. I also act as a guest director for various choirs in Wellington sharing songs from Madagascar and other parts of the world. I work for the New Zealand Choral Federation as a mentor and as a workshop facilitator training teachers on song leading in schools. I am of of the tutors for Village Harmony in the US and teach universities online and have co-led singing camps in Madagascar and South Africa. I love working with people of different skills, ethnicities and background and bringing joy to people one song at a time.

You can also find me performing with my 3-piece band at concerts and festivals singing the songs of Edith Piaf and other French chansons singer greats including Jacques Brel, Charles Aznavour and Yves Montand.