2008 Camps and Workshops
All about Village Harmony Camp
About Village Harmony Summer Camp
Since 1990 the singers and instrumentalists of Village Harmony Summer Camp have been traveling and performing throughout New England and an ever-widening swath of the globe, participating in cultural exchanges and delighting audiences with their heart-felt renditions of unusual folk music from around the world.
Unlike many choirs where the aim is to have a membership whose voices blend seamlessly, Village Harmony is an unauditioned, inclusive group whose only demands of would-be members is that they be committed to making good music. This has resulted in a choir whose sound remains dynamic, unpredictable, and absolutely exciting year after year. With their easy command of phenomenally varied singing styles and infectiously joyous stage presence, Village Harmony ensembles always knock people’s socks off.
Village Harmony camps begin with a week of rehearsal in residence at a retreat center. Retreat centers this coming year will include sites in Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Oregon in the United States, as well as overseas cultural centers in Bosnia, Ukraine, Italy, Corsica, and the Republic of Georgia.
During the rehearsal week, singers get to know one another and their music. Participants learn the basics of new singing styles and prepare a concert program under expert leadership, with emphasis on the cultural context and authentic vocal technique of the genres making up each session’s particular musical tapestry. Rehearsals are long and intense—six or more hours each day—with individual voice coaching, small ensemble and instrumental work between group sessions. Word-sheets and notes are used for some of the music, but nearly everything is taught by ear. We place a lot of emphasis on authenticity—understanding the spirit and vocal style of each musical genre—and on appreciating the joy of singing together and with conviction.
Within this rigorous structure, the groups tend to be relaxed and non-competitive, with a deliberately democratic atmosphere. The framework of each residency is communal, with everyone pitching in to help cook and clean. The menu is primarily vegetarian, and is responsive to the tastes, dietary needs and culinary talents of camp participants. There is always time for frisbee, dancing, volleyball and searching out swimming holes. During the week there is usually an evening cabaret, where campers are encouraged to flaunt their flair for music, stand-up comedy or random talents.
After the rehearsal week, each session takes its show on the road. Residential camps wrap up with a short concert series within driving distance of their retreat center. For participants in the traveling camp sessions, however, the adventure is just beginning. After the first concert, everyone and everything gets packed up as the group embarks upon a one- to two-week-long concert tour. While on tour the ensemble travels nearly every day—stopping en route to hike and swim and explore sites of interest—and performs virtually every night. The intense immersion in new repertoires and the myriad challenges of polishing concert performances to a high sheen are exhilarating for all involved, and produce a close community by the end of camp.
Whether they attend a camp in New England or overseas, most campers emerge from their stint in Village Harmony with broadened cultural horizons. In recent years, singers have come from all over North America and from many other countries (England, Australia, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Caucasus Georgia, New Zealand, Ghana, Zimbabwe, South Africa) to participate in our summer camps. We have a international staff of singers, instrumentalists and composers who are fluent in a wide range of traditions, including American shape-note, Appalachian and gospel music, West African and South African folk music, Bulgarian, Serbian, Croatian, and Bosnian music, polyphony from Corsica and Caucasus Georgia, and Western baroque and renaissance music.
We hold most of our concerts in village churches and small town community halls, perform at folk festivals, and collaborate with local musicians. The communities that sponsor our concerts and make up our audiences provide potluck suppers and overnight housing. These home-stays offer a unique opportunity for campers to glimpse the startling variety of ways in which people live their lives—and to experience directly the excitement generated by Village Harmony’s music making.
Frequently Asked Questions
Flights Overseas
Airfare or other transportation to and from camp is not included in the
price of tuition. In some cases we may be able to negotiate a good group
rate on flights out of Boston or New York. In other cases we will investigate
options and ask you to arrange your own flights.
Tuition
Tuition covers all basic camp expenses, including housing, ground transportation
during camp, music and most meals. Singers enrolled in the traveling camps
should be prepared to buy a few meals out during free time (although we
usually provide picnic food alternatives to eating out).
Financial Aid
We don’t like to turn away any applicant for financial reasons. Village
Harmony is self-supporting, though, and we need participants to pay as
much toward their expenses as is reasonable so that we can afford to continue
to do what we do. We therefore ask parents/guardians of all teen and student
applicants to complete a financial aid application. For adult applicants,
we offer a self-chosen, reduced fee option for the residential camps (see
our financial aid application for details). In awarding aid we weigh a
number of factors, chief among them the applicant’s financial need
relative to that of the pool of other applicants. We are always happy to
arrange individual payment plans.
Tuition Payment Schedule and Refund Policy
Full tuition for the February Winter Singing Weekend is due with the workshop
application. Many summer camp sessions fill up before the end of winter,
at which point we must turn away applicants. If a camper withdraws close
to the beginning of a camp session, it is often difficult to fill their
space. Even a few empty spaces in a camp session can hurt our tight budget,
therefore we employ the following tuition payment and refund policy:
- A deposit of 25% of camp tuition is due three weeks after you are enrolled.
- This deposit is refundable up to four months before your session begins.
- Tuition
for all summer programs is due on May 15, 2007.
After May 15th, tuition is 50% refundable is your cancellation is due to illness or family emergency. - If we are able to fill your space, we will refund your tuition in full.
Applying
We are accepting applications on a rolling basis. Please call or
email us to see if there is still space in the camp session you want to
attend.
Auditions aren’t required to attend any of the Village Harmony camps or workshops, but we do want to know a few things about you and your singing experience so that the camp leaders can get a sense of the dynamics of each session ahead of time. Our experience is that the groups are self-selecting: if the idea of rehearsing seven hours a day and galumphing about the countryside makes your heart thump, then we want you.