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2012 SINGING WORKSHOPS
* * * * * Saturday 10th & Sunday 11th March PERFORMANCE: DUETS, TRIOS, QUARTETS Port Regis, nr Shaftesbury, Dorset (NB SAT am: Motcombe Memorial Hall) £150 - Max 12 participants The marvellous Chris Higgins is back to run this fabulous weekend staging opera and musical theatre numbers. If you love singing opera and/or music theatre, this is a must for you. Prior to the weekend participants will receive music and recordings of duets/trios (or suggest their own) to learn before the weekend. Ideally you come with the music committed to memory. An inspirational weekend for singers who love to perform, and who would benefit from professional theatre and vocal tuition.	Port Regis, Farrington Hall
* * * * * Saturday 24th March Sing JAZZ! 10.30am – 3.30pm Old Chapel Arts, Calstock, Cornwall £25 A group jazz vocal harmony workshop for every one who loves to sing, with the added joy of a first rate jazz pianist, Pete Rosser, as the accompanist! We will be singing songs in easy 2, 3 and 4 part harmony, arranged by Pete and Helen, and learning about jazz vocal techniques along the way. For the really confident singers there’s the opportunity to improvise over jazz harmony. No previous experience or knowledge of jazz necessary.	Pete Rosser
* * * * * Saturday 31st March & Sunday 1st April CELEBRATING 10 years of SINGING & PRINTMAKING! Stourton Memorial Hall, Stourhead, Wiltshire Free vocal workshop on Saturday. Masterclass on Sunday: £35 max 6 master class singers, £5 observers ticket On Saturday March 31st Helen will be running a free vocal workshop from 11am to 1pm for everyone who loves to sing. Anyone interested in participating must register with Helen beforehand. In the afternoon there is a chance to see Peter at work and view an exhibition of his recent prints. Helen's Jazz Cabaret Quartet Misbehavin’ will perform in the evening. On Sunday April 1st Helen will run a singing master class from 10.30am to 1pm for a maximum of 6 singers. The public are invited to attend this masterclass for a £5 observers ticket. Observing a masterclass will be useful to anyone interested in the art of singing, including singers working towards grades or diploma, choir leaders and singing teachers, as well as the general public. From 1.00pm - 3.30pm there is another opportunity to see Peter's exhibition work in progress, followed by tea and at 4pm a performance session of master class singers.	Stourhead Gardens
* * * * * Saturday 5th & Sunday 6th May MADRIGALS WEEKEND Old Chapel Arts, Calstock, East Cornwall £40 non residential. £85 residential Saturday night (£130 residential from Friday night) Madrigals belong to a rich period of English composition around the 16th & 17th centuries. 400 years on we still love to sing them for their beauty, their complexity and for the intense satisfaction of producing wonderful music with unaccompanied mixed voices. The beautifully converted Old Chapel Arts Centre in Calstock, with it’s high ceiling and lovely acoustic is the perfect venue. During the weekend we will sing a selection of madrigals, as well as learning about vocal technique – how to ‘support’ the voice, breath control and good production of high and sustained notes. A late afternoon free concert will be held on Sunday afternoon at the arts centre, open to friends, family and locals. Recordings of individual parts available in advance for those who don’t read music and/or who would like to come prepared.	View over the Tamar Valley
* * * * * Saturday 19th May JAZZ A CAPELLA WORKSHOP Old Chapel Arts, Calstock, Cornwall 11.00am – 3.30pm £25 (£15 concessions & under 18) This workshop is for those who love jazz, and who would like to learn about jazz singing (no prior experience necessary!). During the day we’ll be working on jazz vocal techniques, including how to ‘belt’, and how to ‘place’ the voice and support it. We’ll use simple exercises to explore jazz harmony and rhythm and learn some basic elements of vocal improvisation in a group.. We will also sing well known standards in 2 & 3 part harmony, accompanied by Helen on jazz piano. This will be a fun and uplifting vocal workshop for everyone. Helen will be performing at the Old Chapel Arts in the evening with her Dorset based band, Misbehavin’. Concessions on tickets for those attending the daytime workshop.
* * * * * Saturday 26th & Sunday 27th May OPERA TRIOS, QUARTETS & ENSEMBLES Port Regis, nr Shaftebury, Dorset £150 -Max 12 participants A very popular weekend workshop for singers who love a challenge, and a good vocal workout. You need to be a confident singer, preferably with a desire to sing in Italian as well as English, and happy to perform from memory. Performance numbers will be selected and learned by participants prior to the workshop, and put together during the weekend with an open informal performance at the end of the afternoon on Sunday. Part of the fun is not meeting your trio or quartet partners until the first day. The better prepared you are, the more fun you will have!
* * * * * Sunday 10th June SOLOS DAY MASTERCLASS Port Regis, nr Shaftesbury, Dorset £65 - Max 10 participants A master class with Judith Sheridan and Helen Porter for serious singers who want to improve on technique and develop performance artistry. For this workshop you need to prepare a song from memory in any style and any language, accompanied or unaccompanied, and have a second song up your sleeve. Each performer will benefit from a master class style individual session as well as learning from observing the other sessions.	Judith Sheridan
* * * * * Saturday 23rd & Sunday 24th June THE ART OF CLOSE HARMONY SINGING Gresham House, nr Gunnislake, East Cornwall £190 residential (*), £140 non residential Max 8 participants (4 residential, 4 non residential) During the weekend we will be learning songs in 2 and 3 part harmony in all different styles. Singing in harmony is a lovely experience in itself, and during this workshop we’ll be using it to improve vocal technique. There will be some opportunity to sing small solos, but the emphasis of the weekend is on harmony singing and group work. It’s vital that you can hold a melody line fairly confidently, and that your pitching is secure, so if in any doubt please contact Helen.	Gresham House
* * * * * Saturday 21st & Sunday 22nd July HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR SINGING Gresham House, nr Gunnislake, East Cornwall £190 residential (*), £140 non residential Max participants 8 (4 residential, 4 non residential) If you enjoy singing, but feel a bit ‘stuck’ with your voice, it’s probably time to learn about technique. Even if you know words like ‘breath control’, ‘open throat’ and ‘support’, you might not be completely sure of what they mean, how to apply them and exactly how they affect the quality of your singing. If you don’t know these words, then learning about them and much more will help you to get the best out of your singing. A weekend devoted to improving vocal technique in good company, and building on confidence, is a sure way to fire up your enthusiasm for singing.	Gresham House
* * * * * Thursday 26th – Sunday 29th July WOODA FARM SINGING RETREAT Wooda Farm, Crackington Haven, North Cornwall £425 residential, £340 non residential (meals included). Maximum 12 participants This four day retreat with the inspirational Helen Chadwick together with Helen Porter has become an annual, much loved event. Wooda Farm is a small organic working farm in North Cornwall. The beautifully converted barn has the perfect acoustic for singing. It’s not possible to be specific about the content of the retreat, as it all depends on who is there, and what people want to get out of it. There is the opportunity for song-writing, developing individual singing technique and group harmony work as well as swimming, eating divinely and relaxing. The accommodation is mostly double rooms, with some single rooms available for a £30 supplement.	Helen Chadwick
* * * * * Saturday 11th & Sunday 12th August A WEEKEND OF JAZZ! Gresham House, nr Gunnislake, East Cornwall £190 residential (*), £140 non residential Max 8 participants (4 residential, 4 non residential) A weekend for lovers of the jazz genre – whether you’re a crooner or a belter, or if you’ve not yet unleashed your inner diva demon but know it’s lurking there somewhere, this is for you! All participants will be given solo sessions on prepared jazz songs, and will have the opportunity to learn about microphone technique, jazz rhythm and backing vocals with a little bit of improvisation thrown in! A weekend of laughs, uplifting singing and, fingers crossed, sunshine!	Wooda Farm
* * * * * Saturday 10th & Sunday 11th November PERFORMANCE: DUETS, TRIOS, QUARTETS Port Regis, nr Shaftesbury, Dorset £150 - Max 12 participants The marvellous Chris Higgins is back to run this fabulous weekend staging opera and musical theatre numbers. If you love singing opera and/or music theatre, this is a must for you. Prior to the weekend participants will receive music and recordings of duets/trios (or suggest their own) to learn before the weekend. Ideally you come with the music committed to memory. An inspirational weekend for singers who love to perform, and who would benefit from professional theatre and vocal tuition.
(*) Residential places for participants arriving on Friday afternoon are £235.