AMDANAF I

Yn fy ngeiriau fy hun.

Rydw i wedi bod yn rhyddhau cerddoriaeth yn y Gymraeg a'r Saesneg ers dros 20 mlynedd. Mae'r rhain wedi bod ar labeli bach neu hunan-ryddhadau, bob tro'n pwyso tuag at werin, pop neu Americana neu gymysgedd o'r cyfan. Ac rhwng ac ochr yn ochr â chreu cerddoriaeth, rydw i wedi ymyrryd ac ymchwilio i lawer o linynnau bywyd fel cerddor i ennill bywoliaeth gan wneud pethau rydw i'n eu caru: celfyddydau cymunedol, gwaith gwyliau, colofnau papur newydd, ysgolion, gweithdai, digwyddiadau a labeli, prosiectau a datblygu syniadau. Rydw i wedi bod yn ymchwilydd teledu, gwneuthurwr ffilmiau byrion, cyfieithydd. Rydw i hefyd wedi gwneud coffi, plygu dillad a ffrio sglodion cyn mynd yn llawrydd yn 2012. Gigs a theithiau, chwe albwm unigol, sawl EP a chwpl o ryddhadau cydweithredol yn ddiweddarach (Tapestri ac 'Eve Goodman + SERA) a dyma fi. Wrth i mi fynd yn hŷn, rydw i wrth fy modd â chydweithio fwyfwy. Am gyhyd roeddwn i'n gweithio ar fy mhen fy hun, mor sefydlog ar y syniad o gyfathrebu a mynegi fy emosiynau a'm syniadau dwfn. Ond mae cydweithio wedi fy agor i ffyrdd newydd a chyffrous o weithio. Rydw i hefyd yn syrthio mewn cariad fwyfwy â chaneuon gwerin Cymru, gan eu hailddychmygu, a bydd hyn yn dod yn fwy canolog i'm gwaith wrth i mi symud ymlaen. Digwyddodd newid mawr yn 2020 i mi, oherwydd y cyfnod clo a dod yn fam. Doedd dim byd yr un peth ar ôl hynny. Fel mam sy'n gweithio gyda chyfrifoldebau, does gen i ddim yr amser oedd gen i ar un adeg i ysgrifennu caneuon. Rydych chi'n dysgu blaenoriaethu serch hynny, ac amserlennu mewn amser ar gyfer gweithio ar brosiect. Mae popeth yn cymryd mwy o amser. Ond mae'r wobr gymaint yn fwy. O 2023 ymlaen, dechreuais daith o alar a phroblemau ffrwythlondeb hefyd sydd wedi ail-lunio'r ffordd rydw i'n gweithio. Ond mae bywyd a cherddoriaeth yn mynd gyda'i gilydd, ac felly bydd nodau gyrfa a chynhyrchiant hefyd yn codi ac yn gostwng. Rwy'n gwerthfawrogi eich bod chi'n cymryd yr amser i gysylltu â mi a'm cerddoriaeth a dilyn fy nhaith. Diolch!

Bywgraffiad.

SERA yw enw llwyfan y gantores-gyfansoddwr o Ogledd Cymru, Sarah Zyborska. Yn wreiddiol o Gaernarfon ac yn byw yn Llanfairpwll bellach, mae hi’n artist dwyieithog sy’n cyfuno genres fel gwerin, Americana a phop cyfoes, gan ysgrifennu a pherfformio yn Gymraeg ac yn Saesneg.

Mae SERA wedi bod yn rhyddhau cerddoriaeth wreiddiol ers canol y 2010au ac wedi creu catalog sylweddol o chwe albwm a nifer o EPau. Rhyddhawyd ei chweched albwm, *When I Wake Up*, yn 2020 ar label CEG Records, yn dilyn gweithiau cynharach fel *Little Girl*. Mae ei cherddoriaeth wedi cael ei chwarae’n rheolaidd ar BBC Radio Wales a BBC Radio Cymru, yn ogystal â derbyn cefnogaeth gan BBC 6 Music a BBC Radio 2.

Yn 2019, dewiswyd SERA fel artist BBC Horizons ar gyfer 2019–20, rhaglen sy’n cefnogi artistiaid Cymreig sy’n dod i’r amlwg. Roedd y prosiect yn cynnwys sesiwn recordio byw yn stiwdios enwog Maida Vale y BBC. Mae ei pherfformiadau byw wedi mynd â hi i wyliau a digwyddiadau fel HowTheLightGetsIn, Festival Interceltique de Lorient a’r North American Festival of Wales, gan ddod â’i cherddoriaeth at gynulleidfaoedd yng Nghymru ac yn rhyngwladol.

Mae cydweithio hefyd wedi dod yn rhan bwysig o waith SERA. Mae hi’n aelod o Tapestri, y prosiect Americana a cherddoriaeth wreiddiau a ffurfiwyd gyda’r gantores-gyfansoddwr Gymreig arall, Lowri Evans, ac mae hi wedi datblygu partneriaeth greadigol agos gydag Eve Goodman. Gyda’i gilydd, rhyddhaodd Eve a SERA yr albwm Cymraeg *Natur*, sy’n archwilio themâu natur, llên gwerin a’r berthynas rhwng menywod a’r byd naturiol. Yn 2023, cyrhaeddodd y duawd rownd derfynol y gystadleuaeth gyfansoddi gân deledu Gymreig, Cân i Gymru, gyda’u cân *Tangnefedd*.

Boed yn perfformio ar ei phen ei hun neu fel rhan o gydweithrediad, mae SERA yn dod â phresenoldeb llwyfan medrus a repertoire sydd wedi’i lunio gan flynyddoedd o gyfansoddi, recordio a pherfformio. Gyda cherddoriaeth sydd wedi’i gwreiddio’n gadarn yng Nghymru ond sy’n cyrraedd y tu hwnt i’w ffiniau, mae hi’n parhau i ddatblygu ei gwaith ar gyfer cynulleidfaoedd Cymraeg a Saesneg fel ei gilydd.

Creative Practitioner Experience.

SERA is a Welsh creative practitioner, musician, songwriter and creative producer with almost two decades of experience developing and delivering participatory arts projects across Wales and beyond. Her practice is rooted in music, storytelling, creativity and connection, with particular interests in Welsh-language work, cultural identity, community participation and creating opportunities for people to find their own creative voice.

Alongside her work as a practitioner,

As a creative practitioner, SERA works with a wide range of communities, including children and young people, Welsh learners, adults with additional needs, women’s mental health groups and culturally diverse communities. Her practice spans songwriting, singing, music-making, creative learning and interdisciplinary collaboration, often developing bespoke approaches in response to the people and places she works with.

Current projects include Clwb Alawon, funded through the Tŷ Cerdd Tradd Fund, supporting Welsh learners and musicians to engage with Welsh folk song; the Creative Scotland-funded Four Nations Fund project, exploring connections between Welsh, Cornish and Irish-language music; Composing Belongings at Tŷ Pawb, exploring connections between Welsh and Arab musical traditions; and Experiment with the Arts Council of Wales, developing creative learning practices within schools. She also works regularly as a music tutor with Canolfan Gerdd William Mathias and Community Music Wales.

Her recent practitioner work includes Synwyriwm, a creative commission developed with the National Trust, Galeri and Time to Talk for mental health groups; Si Llwi Hei at Storiel Bangor, a multilingual lullaby project connecting cultural stories; Canfas, a site-specific community music project in Caernarfon; and PolskErdd, a Welsh-Polish music and cultural development programme delivered in partnership with Tŷ Cerdd, Aberystwyth Arts Centre and Penparcau. She has also led music projects with women's mental health groups and young people through Brighter Futures in Rhyl, delivered creative education work through the Creative Schools programme, and facilitated bespoke songwriting sessions for mothers and babies as part of Ucheldre Centre's Lullaby Project.

SERA has extensive experience working across the Welsh arts and cultural sector, collaborating with organisations including the Arts Council of Wales, Tŷ Cerdd, Creative Scotland, National Trust, RSPB, Galeri, Storiel, Community Music Wales, Canolfan Gerdd William Mathias, S4C, BBC and Menter Iaith. Her work has encompassed community music, creative education, cultural development, film and television, events and music industry projects.

Alongside her artistic and practitioner work, SERA has significant experience as a creative producer and project manager. As Director of CEG Music CIC, she supported independent artists, developed community music projects and produced events, working with partners including Focus Wales, PRS for Music, Gwynedd County Council, Broadwick Live and Always Aim High. She has also worked across television and radio development, researching and developing projects from initial concept through to pitch and commission for S4C and BBC, as well as working in directing, scriptwriting, production and voiceover.

Her academic background includes a First Class BA (Hons) in Creative Studies from Bangor University, where she received the Top Graduating Student Award and won the Ffresh film festival, followed by an MA in Feature Film Screenwriting from Royal Holloway, University of London, funded by a full AHRC Scholarship and nominated for the David Lean Award.

SERA's practice brings together professional musicianship, creative facilitation and cultural production. She is particularly interested in collaborative, inclusive and place-responsive work, using music as a way to bring people together, explore identity and heritage, and create meaningful opportunities for participation. Her work is rooted in Wales while remaining open to international cultural exchange, with her artistic and community projects exploring connections between Welsh, Arab, Polish, Cornish and Irish musical traditions.