boite home >> | welcome | info | artist list | events | search | join | login

Information/Bio:
Andrea Khoza is an experienced singer, songwriter, vocal teacher and workshop tutor. Based in Melbourne, Victoria, she has been working as a professional musician for the past 14 years, participating in a broad range of musical events.

In 1996 she began studying for a Bachelor of Music Performance at the Victorian College of the Arts. This kick started her career as a singer/songwriter performing with mentors such as Bob Sedergreen and Alex Pertout.

Andrea co-founded the all female vocal quartet, Akasa, who have recorded three successful albums, two of which won the Contemporary Acappella Recording Awards in the USA for Best World/Folk Album. She has sung and recorded with many other musicians such as Valanga Khoza and King Marong.

Andrea has a warm and generous manner. She has conducted workshops at festivals and schools around Australia and the Pacific. Over the past 9 years she has been working as a vocal teacher at Sophia Mundi Steiner School in Abbotsford and more recently at Woodleigh in Baxter.

Andrea has directed mass choirs including the 2002 Woodford Fire Event Choir of 400 voices, Melbourne City Councils "SIng For Water", a 500 piece childrens choir for Melbourne Commonwealth Games. In 2008 she directed the Boite Schools Chorus and the Melbourne Millenium Chorus, focusing on the music of South Africa. In conjunction with the Boite and husband, Valanga Khoza, she brought out a secondary school choir from remote South Africa to perform for a month in Australia and alongside the BSC and MMC. This year, 2009, Andrea is working with Lou Bennett to direct the MMC and BSC again, this time with an indigenous and environmental theme.

After extended trips to South Africa to study music and culture, Andrea specialises in South African vocal music. Andrea and Valanga Khoza run annual tours to the Limpopo Province of South Africa where they have built traditional huts.