Rachel’s coming back again! Her week of Singing in Paradise in Fiji has become a regular part of the calendar for many of her followers and it just gets better and better.

Andrew Davis has been 7 times (!!!) and he said of the last one:

“It was a wonderful week of song and friendship with a fantastic group of enthusiastic singers. I am sure we sang more ‘out of class’ than any other group.”

It is a joyous week in a beautiful location: a feast of workshops wrapped up in a holiday in Fiji. In the mornings, everyone comes together to learn and practice songs in 3 and 4 part harmony, singing from Rachel’s collection of contemporary Australian, gospel and world music songs. In the afternoons, the choir spends time learning Fijian songs and singing with a Fijian village choir. It’s a time when people form wonderful friendships both within the group and with the Fijians, and revel in the blissful release that singing brings. And as well as singing, there’s also time to snorkel on the coral reef, swim in the pool – or just relax and read a book.

Rachel Hore is an exceptional teacher who brings a fantastic energy and warmth to her work. She can mould a group of relative strangers into a beautiful choir in an astonishingly short time, and she makes each and every singer believe in the glory of their own contribution. She has a relaxed, fun style of teaching and it suits beginners right through to experienced singers.

Perhaps her most impressive strength is her unique ability to arrange music in a way that is not difficult to learn, even for a beginner, and those arrangements resonate deeply with the singers – call it bliss, call it ecstasy, but it raises the hair on the back of your neck, and is never forgotten.

Rachel has been performing and teaching throughout Australia and internationally for the past 20 years. A graduate of the NSW Conservatorium of Music, she began her singing career with the highly acclaimed Australian vocal quartet ‘Arramaieda’, who became an important influence on the now flourishing choral scene in Australia. Rachel has conducted large choral events for over 400 voices including the Melbourne Millennium Chorus and the Woodford Folk Festival Fire Choir. She teaches at the annual choral retreat Wintersong, and overseas choral workshops Singing in Tuscany and Singing in Siena. She welcomes both experienced and novice singers.

Rachel’s website can be found at www.rachelhore.com.

COST:

$2980 twin share includes international flights ex Sydney / Brisbane
$300 single room supplement
Non-singing partners welcome: $1050 (excludes international flight)

Program Includes

• Return international flights ex Sydney / Brisbane
• Return domestic flight from Nadi to Savusavu.
• Return airport transfers from Savusavu to Daku Resort.
• 8 nights accommodation at Daku Resort
• Breakfasts, lunches and dinners
• Course fees
• Excursions as listed.

Program Excludes

• Comprehensive Travel Insurance.
• Optional activities not listed on the program
• Costs of a personal nature eg laundry, massages, private trips
• Meals taken in transit at the airport

The course runs for 7 days, and includes workshops, local excursions and free time.
Prices quoted are per person twin share with private facilities.

Travel note:
Because this week attracts so many people it is very helpful to us if some people can arrive early OR leave late. If you have that flexibility please let us know; we will give you free accommodation for the extra night.

The Programme

Saturday 19 May
Fly to Savusavu. The resort is 10 minutes from the airstrip, and you will be welcomed into it with a traditional Fijian welcoming ceremony

Sunday 20 May Introduction to the week. After a poolside lunch, there will be an introduction to the coconut in Fiji and a walk around resort gardens. In the afternoon there is an opportunity (optional ) to visit Yaroi village to join their church service, and later to join their choir rehearsal. In the evening there will be dinner and some singing.

Monday 21 May
Morning workshop. After lunch we will visit Vivili village, see how they live and hear some singing from their magnificent church choir. Evening dinner.

Tuesday 22 May
Morning workshop. After lunch you will have some free time for snorkeling, swimming and relaxing. Or there’s an optional visit to town, visiting the geothermal hot springs, local market and shops.

Wednesday 23 May
Morning workshop. In the afternoon we will return to Vivili village to continue learning songs with their choir, returning via a beach for optional swimming and snorkeling.

Thursday 24 May
Morning workshop. After lunch, there’s time for relaxing or taking optional outings to beach along the coast.

Friday 25 May
Morning workshop. Afternoon free for optional visits to waterfalls (good level of fitness required), pearl farm or snorkeling: cost not included in programme. In the evening we will go into Savusavu for drinks at the Yacht Club and dinner in town.

Saturday 26 May

Morning workshop. Afternoon free. Final concert in the evening.

Sunday 27 May

Leave Savusavu. Return to Nadi.

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This singing retreat will be a week of pure joy as you plunge into the uplifting world of a cappella gospel singing. You’ll also visit some of the local villages: there is a rich tradition of church choirs in Fiji and you will be able to enjoy their magnificent singing and join in with them.

Tony Backhouse is one of the leaders in the Sydney a cappella movement. He directed the Café of the Gate of Salvation gospel choir for 21 years and has led male trio the Heavenly Lights since 1996. He works with the passionate and exciting African-American repertoire, focusing on spirituals, gospel songs old and new, and choral and quartet styles. The emphasis is on harmony, collective improvisation and freedom of expression. No music-reading skills are required, and you may tape the sessions.

Each morning starts with a series of warm-up exercises to get the body and the voice relaxed – and the emotions soon follow. The singers laugh and hum and move around, and soon their spirits soar … and now Margie Welsford who came to one of Tony’s courses in Fiji will tell you the rest:

“Tony is a weaver of magic. He can sculpt a disparate group of people with mostly average voices into a choir that makes beautiful music. I have done workshops with Tony before but nothing prepared me for the pleasure, sense of achievement and sheer joy of working up a repertoire of songs over 6 days that culminated in a performance for the locals of Savusavu.

After warming up our vocal chords and facial muscles every day with silly noises and embarrassing facial expressions we would get singing. Everyone would sing through the parts before Tony gathered them together. Then once we had the notes and words correct we would play around a little and add some movement and clapping. As well as gospel songs in English we learnt a Fijian hymn with resident Fijians helping us learn the pronunciation, and a Samoan song written by Tony.

We were blessed with a great bunch of people on the course who enjoyed singing and laughing together. Whether travelling through town on a bus or dining in the local restaurant, if someone started us up we would sing with all our might. In the small gaps between songs we would eat, snorkel or lie by the pool. It was a tough week.

I loved trying to sing in Fijian with the Yaroi church choir, while struggling to read the unfamiliar musical notation. The Fijians sandwiched us in so close to them that we could “feel” the music through our skin and not just through our ears.

When we visited Vivili we witnessed a community that sing and dance as naturally as they breathe. What a privilege to see and hear them perform.

During my time in Fiji, waking or sleeping, walking or diving, the music was constantly with me- like a balm to the soul. We achieved something special and unforgettable in our time together. Thank you to Tony for having his way with us and to Daku for providing food, drink and care to sustain us for the journey.

Singing in Paradise surpassed all expectations. One of the phrases still permeating my dreaming and waking is: “I feel love Divine” In the joy of making such a beautiful sound with a bunch of other Aussies and Americans, I have come close to experiencing this.”

Tony Backhouse is a singer, composer, vocal arranger, musical director, workshop leader and author, Tony has been running vocal workshops in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, France and the UK since 1987. In his previous pre-a cappella life, he took a B.A. (English) and B.Mus. (Composition) at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. He played guitar and sung in many notable bands in New Zealand including Mammal (who recorded one LP with poet Sam Hunt) and the Crocodiles, who won three NZ Recording Industry Awards in 1980). Moving to Australia in 1981, Tony sang and played with Renée Geyer, Joe Walsh, Jenny Morris, the Umbrellas and Jump Back Jack, and arranged and recorded backing vocals for Harry Manx, Dave Dobbyn, Tim Finn, Vince Jones and Kate Ceberano.

Programme

The week is structured around daily morning workshops, with afternoons for visits to sing with local choirs, and time for local excursions. We have fantastic coral reefs for snorkelling, beautiful rain forests for hiking and Savusavu town just down the road where you can poke around and get to know the friendly locals. The programme may change a bit depending on what the group wants and on the weather.

Saturday 21 July
Arrive Nadi. Fly straight on to Savusavu.

Sunday 22 July
10.00am – 12.30pm: Introductory session
1.00pm: Poolside lunch.
2.00pm: Coconut demonstration
Afternoon free for swimming, snorkeling, relaxing.
6.30pm: Pre-dinner drinks. Dinner and informal singing.

Monday 23 July
9.30am – 12.30pm: Workshop
1.00pm: Lunch
Afternoon: Visit to Savusavu town, visiting the geothermal hot springs, the local market and the shops.
7.00pm: Dinner and informal singing.

Tuesday 24 July
9.30am – 12.30pm: Workshop
1.00pm: Lunch
Afternoon: Visit to Vivili village with church choir
7.00pm: Dinner and informal singing

Wednesday 25 July
9.30am – 12.30pm: Workshop
1.00pm: Lunch
1.30pm – 3.30pm: Picnic lunch and beach outing
7.00pm: Dinner and informal singing.

Thursday 26 July
9.30am – 12.30pm: Workshop
1.00pm: Lunch
3.00pm – 5.00pm: Singing in Yaroi village
7.00pm: Dinner and informal singing.

Friday 27 July
9.30am – 12.30pm: Workshop: Final session
1.00pm: Lunch
Afternoon Free time. Options for private tours, relaxing.
6.00pm – 7.00pm: Dinner Concert and party.

Saturday 28 July
Return to Nadi and on home.

COST:
$2980 twin share (includes international flights for Sydney / Brisbane)
$350 single room supplement
Non-singing partners welcome: $1050 (excludes international flight)

Program Includes

• Return international flights ex Sydney / Brisbane
• Return domestic flight from Nadi to Savusavu.
• Return airport transfers from Savusavu to Daku Resort.
• 8 nights accommodation at Daku Resort
• Breakfasts, lunches and dinners
• Course fees.
• Excursions as listed.

Program Excludes

• Comprehensive Travel Insurance.
• Optional activities not listed on the program
• Costs of a personal nature eg laundry, massages, private trips
• Meals taken in transit at the airport

Make a Booking  »