about akabella
Also, meet the "bellas"

“I love singing with you women!” Lauren exclaims, breaking the silence and eliciting smiles from four women caught basking in the afterglow of a vocal exploration. They breathe again, bodies still humming with the vibrations of five part harmony, toes still tapping in time with hearts, and beam at each other like mothers at newborn babes; caught up in the awe of creation. To hear AkaBella is to participate in the sound of creation. They are five sisters from five mothers and ten grandmothers singing songs to the ancestral mother goddess in all of us.

AkaBella is a world-fusion vocal group dedicated to learning, sharing and performing traditional songs from around the world. Their fast-growing repertoire now extends to almost every continent, including songs from: Russia, Bulgaria, Georgia, Zimbabwe, Guinea, Cuba, Brazil, India, Japan and North America. AkaBella has been greatly inspired and influenced by the music of Zap Mama, Sweet Honey in the Rock and Kitka and hopes to someday contribute, like these wonderful artists, to the preservation of global folk-music. The name is (of course) a play on “a cappella” which refers to music with no instrumental accompaniment, but literally, a cappella translates as “in the chapel” which honors the sacred roots of vocal music. AkaBella can alternatively be read A.K.A. Bella: “Also Known As Beautiful”. AkaBella hopes to empower girls and women everywhere to create their own beauty outside the media’s body-image cage.

There are five unique vocalists in AkaBella: Nola Pierce, Verena Reece, Lorenza Simmons, Lauren Smith and Melody Walker. Though all five are natives of Northern California, the women of AkaBella have traveled the world in search of the music they love, visiting Europe, Brazil, Cuba, Zimbabwe, Japan, India,Thailand and Ireland. At every show they take the time to teach the audience a song, fearlessly inviting every person to join their singing circle. The members of AkaBella are constantly learning and sharing songs with friends, family and strangers. Their dream in life is to travel the world together studying, teaching and singing everywhere they go.

The women of AkaBella met in the halls of the music department at Humboldt State University in 2004 and first sang together onstage in the madrigal and jazz choirs. They began experimenting outside of class, arranging harmonies to some folkloric songs they knew. Soon after establishing their own extracurricular world-vocal group and singing a few gigs, the music department began to take notice and they were asked by the heads of the voice and percussion departments to make two guest contributions to their spring programs. They have continued to perform since, expanding their repertoire with workshops, travel and original composition.

Members of AkaBella have degrees in: Music Education, Voice, Percussion, Art Education and English. All have a background in classical voice and Nola, Melody and Lorenza teach private voice lessons. All five women have studied various forms of world percussion including West-African Drumming, Brazilian Samba, Afro-Cuban Hand Drumming, Zimbabwean Mbira and Steel Drum Music from Trinidad. In addition to the music degree, Verena and Melody have both studied at non-western music schools, attending the Blue Tribe School of West African Music in Albuquerque, NM and the Ali Akbar College of Indian Music in San Rafael, CA, respectively.

The members of AkaBella have performed extensively in the area’s biggest music festivals, including Reggae on the River, Sierra Nevada and Earthdance, sharing the stage with world-famous performers like Baaba Maal, Pato Banton and Toubab Krewe. Members of AkaBella perform with, or have performed with prominent local and touring bands: Massagana, Djaly Kounda Kouyate, Bloco Firmeza, Dun Dun Fare and WoMama. AkaBella also performs as the “Luscious Ladies”, singing jazz and R&B with a brilliant backup band.

The experience of listening and singing with AkaBella is one of profound opening, starting with the ears, then moving on to the mind and finally reaching the heart. In singing, the key to vocal resonance is an open mouth; with an open heart we can sing the song of our spirit loud enough for everyone to hear.

meet the “bellas”

Melody Walker is a musical organizer with a traveling ear that has led her around the world to Brazil, India, Japan, Ireland and Europe in search of song. Raised in a musical family in Martinez, CA, Melody began piano lessons at age 6, guitar at age 13 and can’t remember a time when she didn’t sing. She started off studying Political Science at HSU, but was quickly enraptured by the Music Department and studied piano, percussion and voice before graduating with a music degree in 2008. Melody teaches private lessons in voice, guitar and piano with the Humboldt Music Academy where she is also offering a new class this fall, Global Vocals, based on the repertoire of AkaBella.

Lauren Smith, of Marin County, has enjoyed 17 years of vocal training and performance both in choirs and theatre. Memories of folk and jazz filled her early childhood years when Lauren felt the influence of a musical lineage on both mom and pop’s side. She says, “The feeling one gets when vibrating within a sea of voices is unmatched in the human experience. Music is a chance for people of all origins and backgrounds to come together and celebrate.” AkaBella has helped Lauren further her love and understanding of global music while creating a kinship of sisters working toward healing.

Lorenza Simmons is a Humboldt County native with musical roots that run deep. She comes from a culturally diverse family where a number of family members are also musicians. She counts these family members as some of her most important influences. Lorenza enjoys learning and performing music from all genres and styles and prides herself on the sharing of this music with others. She currently teaches piano and voice with the Humboldt Music Academy and performs with the reggae and Latin-pop groups Massagana and Vidagua.

Nola Pierce grew up in the Central Valley humming along to the blues, jazz and stride piano stylings of her father, but remained a shower singer until finally mustering up the courage to try out for choir her senior year of high school. Ever since then she has been partaking in harmonious vibrations whenever possible, singing in vocal jazz groups, with jazz combos, rock/soul bands, a circus band and even in a punk band in her wild days of yesteryear. The power of song led her to study music at Humboldt State University where she became increasingly exposed to the sounds of world. She continues to explore all the sounds of the Universe that she can find and especially enjoys bringing music to the exceptional students of the special education community in which she teaches.

Verena Reece sang throughout her childhood with her family; she comes from a long line of those who love to sing. She is the daughter of a German mother and an American father, so she spent her early childhood in Germany before moving to the US. This exposure to various cultures influenced her quest for world music. After finding West African music, she had caught the bug; African-influenced music is and will remain the vocal music she is most moved by. Verena earned two degrees from Humboldt State University, in both English and Music, as well as an Elementary Teaching Credential. She plans to have a very musical classroom in the future.