MANDY BREEZE

I have sung the whole of my life, I think my first performance was at about age two, to captive family members in our lounge room ... not suprising really, given that my whole life was governed by music - my mother Norma was an Opera singer, and I was lucky enough to grow up in a home that cherished music, and had a constant flow of wonderful musicians passing through.

I discovered traditional folk music fairly late in life - I was about 23 and found my first folk club, the "Penninsular" in Maylands, Perth (W.A.) back in the early 1980's. I was transfixed! I had found my spiritual home.

Since then I have played & sung in many and various line-ups, festivals, medieval fayres, pubs, private parties, recording projects (mine and other peoples) - and sometimes, late at night, just for the moon and the sheep in next doors paddock ...

I have had presented historical folk/feminist workshops, and taught bodhran and penny whistle classes in adult education programs, and most recently I have really enjoyed working with Doug Kelly on my most recent CD 'Simple Folk'.

People often ask me why I love folk music - because its "who we are" and "where we've been". Because it matters. And most importantly, 'if we don't learn the lessons of the past, we are destined to repeat them'.