Francesca Fagan is a Wellington born soprano of Polish descent. She’s just back from Poland, where she took third place in the 20 to 25-year-old category of the Stanisław Jopek International Vocal Competition held by Poland’s prestigious Mazowsze National Folk Song and Dance Ensemble, one of the largest folkloric groups in the world.
She is studying classical vocal performance and composition at the Te Kōkī New Zealand School of Music. Raised in the heart of Wellington’s Polish community, she can’t help but love Polish folk songs.
Misha Mojicevic first picked up an accordion at the age of 11 when a cousin gave him his old one. Growing up in Serbia, he was immersed in a wide spectrum of folk songs and rhythms from across the former Yugoslavia.
In Wellington, Misha started to play with popular Wellington Balkan band the Balkanistas in 2015. Around the same time, he also joined Vox Ethno’s backing band, performing a range of popular folk songs from Eastern Europe and beyond with the group’s female vocal line up. Later on he also joined Mehana, another Balkan band, but this time with a distinct gypsy influence.
Most recently, Misha joined Polish band Krakerjack, an exponent of beautiful traditional sounds from Poland packaged in unique modern arrangements. Familiarity with Slavic languages made it easier for him to understand the lyrics, and so too the emotions underlying the different songs and their themes.
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