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OFF<br />
STAGE<br />
REAPING<br />
WHAT SHE<br />
SEWS<br />
All images: Adrian Malloch<br />
Not only do our musicians impress us<br />
weekly which their musical prowess<br />
on the Town Hall stage, but many<br />
have interesting talents outside of<br />
the orchestra. Associate Principal<br />
Bass player Bella Zilber sews and<br />
makes all her own clothes, including<br />
the outfits you see her wearing on<br />
stage. Helen Spoelstra discovered<br />
how she fits her love of sewing<br />
around her day job in the <strong>APO</strong>.<br />
“I love working with materials and making things<br />
with my hands,” says Bella Zilber, who is not<br />
only a professional musician, but makes all her<br />
own clothes, knits and has just started jewellery<br />
classes. “Music is a very manual job in a lot of<br />
ways and it’s a very physical job, and so that<br />
continues outside of work, except what I really<br />
like about making things is that there’s a finished<br />
product that you can touch and hold, and lasts<br />
longer. And if it means that I can make pretty<br />
things to wear then that’s great.”<br />
Bella lived in Japan as a child and credits<br />
her early years at a Montessori kindergarten with<br />
fuelling her interest in crafts. “They were heavily<br />
into origami, making things with yarn and lots of<br />
hands on activities and lots of learning through<br />
doing,” she explains. And then, at age 13, Bella’s<br />
mum bought her a sewing machine. “I didn’t<br />
know how to use it, I never had a lesson… I’ve<br />
still never had a lesson – I just slowly figured<br />
it out over time. The internet has completely<br />
exploded the world of sewing and has shown<br />
what’s possible, and it’s through the internet that<br />
I’ve learned how to sew properly. Plus, the online<br />
sewing community is really supportive.”<br />
Bella makes all her own clothes from<br />
scratch, from researching and sourcing patterns<br />
online, shopping for fabric, to the final creation<br />
and execution of the garment. Although it’s a<br />
hobby that takes up a lot of time, it slots in nicely<br />
around Bella’s day job as a bass player, using<br />
her free evenings and making the most of any<br />
downtime in the rehearsal schedule. In fact, her<br />
two passions complement each other, and Bella<br />
26 apo.co.nz
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