A Week of Choir Singing

Earlybird special: Book by April 1 and get a special price of $1850 (flights not included).

Gary’s course is a joyful celebration of the human voice. He believes passionately in encouraging everyone and anyone to sing, and has often helped people who never believed they could produce a note to be part of an exciting and harmonious choir. During the week, we will learn songs and pieces in a range of styles including classical, pop, gospel, jazz and world music. As well as a celebration of the human voice, it will be an exercise in making voices work together to create something beautiful, something greater than a single melody line. Through melody, harmony, rhythm and words we’ll be exploring the high points – those fabulous climaxes which leave singers and audiences powerfully moved and wanting to come back for more. “The thing I love about choir singing is the excitement of discovering that almost everyone can do it, and do it quite well.”

Teacher Gary Smith is a well known and highly popular choir director. His particular skill lies in his ability to communicate simple or complex pieces of choral music to small or large groups of people, leaving them with a satisfying and uplifting musical experience. His vision of the music is clear and strong and he knows how to get it across. Whether it’s a piece of traditional Hawaiian folk music, a medieval madrigal or a jazz standard, Gary has an approach to teaching where everyone feels included and capable of achieving the beautiful sounds they never thought they were capable of.

Gary has been singing with and directing choirs and small a cappella groups for over 35 years in styles as broad as church music, opera and classical, pop, jazz, gospel and various world music traditions. A graduate of the NSW Conservatorium of Music, Gary taught music in high schools for many years and currently works with several community choirs in Sydney as well as singing tenor in the a cappella jazz quintet The Fifth House, recent winners in the MacDonald’s Performing Arts Challenge.

The course is structured around morning workshops, with afternoon excursions to visit local Fijian choirs – and free time when you can swim, snorkel, walk or just lie by the pool and read a book.

Programme

Saturday 26 June
Travel to Nadi and on to Savusavu.

Sunday 27 June
9.00am – 12.00pm: Workshop
1.00pm: Poolside lunch.
2.00pm: Coconut demonstration
Afternoon free for swimming, snorkeling, relaxing.
6.30pm: Pre-dinner drinks. Dinner and informal singing.

Monday 28 June
9.30am – 12.30pm: Workshop
1.00pm: Lunch
Afternoon: Visit to village with church choir
7.00pm: Dinner and informal singing.

Tuesday 29 June
9.30am – 12.30pm: Workshop
1.00pm: Lunch
Afternoon: Optional visit to town, visiting the geothermal hot springs, the local market and the shops.
7.00pm: Dinner and informal singing

Wednesday 30 June
9.30am – 12.30pm: Workshop
1.00pm: Lunch.
2.00pm: Visit to village with church choir.
4.30pm – 6.30pm: Beach outing
7.00pm: Dinner and informal singing.

Thursday 1 July
9.30am – 12.30pm: Workshop
1.00pm: Lunch
3.00pm – 5.00pm: Free afternoon
6.00pm: Drinks at Savusavu Yacht Club; dinner in town

Friday 2 July
9.30am – 12.30pm: Workshop – Final session
1.00pm: Lunch
Afternoon: Free time. Options for private tours, relaxing.
4.00pm – 5.30pm: Village visit for traditional Fijian meke (dance)
7.00pm: Dinner, concert and party

Saturday 3 July
Return to Nadi and on home.

Please note: The dates for this music retreat have changed and may be different to those advertised elsewhere.

$2280 twin share (not including international flights)

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. 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.

The course
Tony 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 Tony’s course in 2008 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 – MaryAnne and Keni- 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.

Programme
Day 1
Arrive Nadi and Savusavu.

Day 2
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.

Day 3
9.30am – 12.30pm: Workshop
1.00pm: Lunch
Afternoon: Visit to Vivili village with church choir
7.00pm: Dinner and informal singing.

Day 4
9.30am – 12.30pm: Workshop
1.00pm: Lunch
Afternoon: Optional visit to town, visiting the geothermal hot prings, the local market and the shops.
7.00pm: Dinner and informal singing

Day 5
9.30am – 12.30pm: Workshop
1.00pm: Lunch
2.00pm: Visit to Vivili village with church choir.
4.30pm – 6.30pm: Beach outing
7.00pm: Dinner and informal singing.

Day 6
9.30am – 12.30pm: Workshop
1.00pm: Lunch
3.00pm – 5.00pm: Singing in Yaroi village
6.00pm: Drinks at Savusavu Yacht Club; dinner in town

Day 7
9.30am – 12.30pm: Workshop: Final session
1.00pm: Lunch
Afternoon: Free time. Options for private tours, relaxing.
4.00pm – 5.30pm: Singing with Vivili. Traditional Fijian meke (dance)
7.00pm: Dinner, concert and party

Day 8
Return to Nadi and on home.

$2280 twin share (not including international flights)

Dallas believes that anyone can be taught how to sing – and what more enticing way to learn, than under a palm tree? He uses his vast experience as professional singer, singing teacher and drama educator to get singers moving and making music at the same time.  Inspired by the techniques of ‘theatre sports’, we will explore sounds together with improvisation, as well as learning a variety of music from the written page.

The greater the raw energy of sound that the choir creates, the more fun we will have. The approach will be layered; so that we start with easy tasks, then tackle ambitious ones. You will learn a good deal of technique along the way – and if enough people are mad enough, we’ll even sing some opera!

Dallas will identify your strengths and give you the confidence to work on your weaknesses. By activating the energy nodes (some call these chakras) you can make the whole body resonate with sound naturally. Dallas has studied the techniques of Franco Corelli, teacher of Andrea Bocelli, and will share these secrets with you as we train together. Dallas particularly loves to create a safe environment for individuals to explore possibilities and to engender trust and teamwork.

Dallas Watts runs a busy singing studio in Sydney, and specializes in HSC vocal performance preparation. He has sung in 25 operas with Opera Australia, most recently in Fidelio and Aida in the 2009 Sydney winter season. He toured Australia in Pirates of Penzance with Anthony Warlow in 2007 and played the prison guard in Dead Man Walking in the same year. He has also sung as bass soloist in a number of oratoria including Messiah, Carmina Burana and the Mozart Requiem. He has directed sixteen major productions including Austria Goes to the Proms at the Parade Theatre NIDA, Amadeus and West Side Story. He also featured in the winning Tropfest film Uno Amore in 1999. Dallas is committed to community choirs and in 2009 has been conducting three quite different choirs and loves to bring people of different backgrounds and musical knowledge together.

As we sing together we will create our own ‘orchestral sound’ with our voices as the instruments.  What instrument do you think you are?

Programme

Saturday 27 November
Travel to Nadi and on to Savusavu.

Sunday 28 November
9.00am – 12.00am: Workshop
1.00pm: Poolside lunch.
2.00pm: Coconut demonstration
Afternoon free for swimming, snorkeling, relaxing.
6.30pm: Pre-dinner drinks. Dinner.

Monday 29 November
9.30am – 12.30pm: Workshop
1.00pm: Lunch
Afternoon: Visit to village with church choir
7.00pm: Dinner.

Tuesday 30 November
9.30am – 12.30pm: Workshop
1.00pm: Lunch
Afternoon: Optional visit to town, visiting the geothermal hot springs, the local market and the shops.
7.00pm: Dinner.

Wednesday 1 December
9.30am – 12.30pm: Workshop
1.00pm: Lunch.
2.30pm – 4.30pm: Beach outing
7.00pm: Dinner and informal singing.

Thursday 2 December
9.30am – 12.30am: Workshop
1.00pm: Lunch
3.00pm – 5.00pm: Free afternoon
6.00pm: Drinks at Savusavu Yacht Club; dinner in town

Friday 3 December
9.30am – 12.30pm: Workshop – Final session
1.00pm: Lunch
Afternoon: Free time. Options for private tours, relaxing.
4.00pm – 5.30pm: Village visit for traditional Fijian meke (dance)
7.00pm: Dinner, Concert and party

Saturday 4 December
Return to Nadi and on home.

Rachel Hore’s week of Singing in Paradise in Fiji has become a regular part of the calendar for many of her followers. It is a joyous week in a beautiful location: a music retreat 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.

There was a wonderful feeling of returning to something special. When Raj stepped forward at the airport with the welcoming hug – it really was like coming home. Seeing the many friendly faces – some new, some ‘old’ – made us realize why we had looked forward to it for 12 months!
Michael Mason May 2008

Rachel Hore is a much sought after teacher of choral singing, bringing a fantastic energy and warmth to her work. She 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 is currently musical director of two choirs in the Blue Mountains where she now lives. She continues to write and perform her own music, and in 2000 released her first solo album ‘Wilurura’ that has received much airplay on the ABC. She welcomes both experienced and novice singers. Rachel’s website can be found at www.rachelhore.com.

The Programme

Saturday 7 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 8 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 9 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 10 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 11 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 12 May
Morning workshop. After lunch, there’s time for relaxing or taking optional outings to beach along the coast.

Friday 13 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 14 May

There is a final workshop in the morning, followed by a free afternoon for catching up on anything you still wish to do. The resort will be happy to help arrange expeditions, and will pack picnics if required. Or you can spend the time round the pool and gardens. In the evening there will be a final concert and party at the resort.

Sunday 15 May
Leave Savusavu. Return to Nadi.

Cost:
One week (twin share): AUD $2280 ex-Nadi
Single supplement: AUD $300

A music holiday that will help you to make the most from your enjoyment of music, exploring questions such as:

• are we making the most of our listening experience?
• what makes music work?
• how do different interpretations affect the music?
• how do you recognise a composer’s style?

Classical music remains the bedrock of our cultural music tradition. Its many thousands of followers range from the deeply knowledgeable to those who simply love the music, and this course is designed for those who want to learn more about its rich and fascinating history.

Mike will put the works of the great composers into context within an informal and entertaining learning environment. It is structured around daily workshops lasting for about 3 hours, and includes CD concert programs and frequent opportunities for group discussion

Over the week we will cover the following topics:

1. The development of tonality
2. The Classical era: Haydn and Mozart
3. Beethoven symphonies
4. Beethoven piano sonatas and piano concertos
5. The Romantics era: Chopin, Schumann and Brahms
6. Tone Poems – how composers depict images and stories in music
7. Mahler symphonies
8. French Impressionism
9. The 20th Century and the ‘naughty boys’

Course leader Mike Smith is currently Station Manager of Sydney’s fine music radio station, 2MBS-FM. He is also a popular presenter on 2MBS, having been a volunteer programmer and presenter there since 1995. This will be his third visit to Daku Resort.

Mike is a graduate in Music and Electronics, who worked in the Information Technology industry for 20 years, until the opportunity of following his real passion took precedence over a good salary, and in 2001 Mike accepted a full-time position with 2MBS-FM as Business Development Manager. He was appointed as Station Manager in 2004, but continues to present the Breakfast program every Friday morning, the monthly ‘Sydney Symphony’ program and the popular, slightly more eccentric, ‘Pets Choice’ program.

Even though Mike modestly refers to himself as ‘a strictly amateur pianist’, he performs private, informal recitals regularly at his Northern Beaches home where he lives with wife, Sarah, and a somewhat unappreciative cat, which is suspected of being tone deaf.

Programme

The programme for each day is built around morning workshops of approximately 3 hours. The afternoon will have time for local excursions and free time for having a massage, swimming and snorkelling, going out in the boat, hiking in the bush – or just relaxing. There will be evening entertainment including the showing of music DVDs and discussion.

Saturday 13 August
Aarrive Nadi. Fly straight on to Savusavu.

Sunday 14 August
9.30am – 12.30pm: Introductory session: The Development of Tonality and Sonata Form (Bach, Mozart and Haydn)
1.00pm: Lunch
2.00pm: Coconut demonstration
Afternoon free for swimming, snorkeling, relaxing.
6.30pm: Pre-dinner drinks. Dinner.

Monday 15 August
9.30am – 12.30pm: Workshop – The Beethoven Symphonies
1.00pm: Lunch
Afternoon: Visit to Savusavu town.
7.00pm: Dinner.

Tuesday 16 August
9.30am – 12.30pm: Workshop – The Beethoven Piano Sonatas and Concertos
1.00pm: Lunch
2.00pm – 4.30pm: Boat / beach outing
7.00pm: Dinner

Wednesday 17 August
9.30am – 12.30pm: Workshop – The Rise of Romanticism (Chopin, Schumann and Brahms)
1.00pm: Lunch
Afternoon free for swimming, snorkeling, relaxing.
6.00pm: Drinks at Savusavu Yacht Club; dinner in town.

Thursday 18 August
9.30am – 12.30pm: Workshop – From the Influence of Liszt to the Symphonies of Mahler
1.00pm: Lunch
4.00pm: Visit to Vivili village; traditional meke.
7.00pm: Dinner

Friday 19 August
9.30am – 12.30pm: Workshop – Final session – 20th Century – Impressionism, Neo-Classicism, the ‘Naughty Boys’ and Modern Trends.
1.00pm: Lunch
Afternoon: Free time. Options for private tours, relaxing.
7.00pm: Final Dinner

Saturday 20 August
Return home.