New England Residential Adult Camp
Monday, July 13-Sunday, July 19, 2026 (7 days)
Leaders: Suzannah Park, Matlakala Bopape & Magda Sharff
Location: Woolman Hill Retreat - Deerfield, MA
Tuition: $950
It has been hard to tell friends and family about the week, because no matter what I say it is never enough! ... I don’t want to get maudlin here, but if this first week is anything to go by, I have seen some small ways in which it has been life changing, with more respect for myself and those around me, and a renewed sense of life as rich & good.
What I treasure most is the gift of having met so many excellent people, having formed such strong bonds in such a short time.
I am convinced it is the fact that we were making music together, singing with our very breath & being, that helped form those bridges.
– Adult camp participant
Come join us for seven days of eclectic musical stimulation at Woolman Hill Retreat, an idyllic western Massachusetts setting.
This year’s New England adult week will be led by three energetic Village Harmony leaders: Suzannah Park, Matlakala Bopape and Magda Sharff.
The framework of the week-long residency will be communal, with everyone taking turns to help prepare meals and clean under the supervision of a head cook. The menu will be primarily vegetarian, responsive to the tastes, needs and culinary talents of our camp participants.
Extra-curricular activities will include an afternoon off for hiking, a Georgian-style supra (feast) and a cabaret night.
The program will conclude with a low-key concert (or two) to show off what we’ve accomplished during the week.
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Suzannah Park
Suzannah Park, a native of Asheville NC, is a performer teacher, activist, organizer and community leader. She comes from a family of three generations of traditional Appalachian, English and Irish singers, storytellers and dancers.
She has been touring and teaching for the past twenty plus years, both in the USA and abroad. She began singing with VH when she was twelve and touring with Northern Harmony at fourteen. One of VH most popular teachers, Suzannah became our acting Board President in 2018 and joined the executive team in 2021.
Founder and director of the Wild Asheville Community Chorus—now under the umbrella of VH—Suzannah was also a founding member of two VH alumni groups, the Starry Mountain Singers and the Starry Mountain Trio. She is also a member of the traditional music faculty and choir director at Warren Wilson College.
As an activist Suzannah wears the program director hat for a local NC non-profit, Community Roots. She is also a counselor, teacher and organizer with the international peer-based Re-evaluation Counseling. www.suzannahpark.com
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Matlakala Bopape
Matlakala Bopape, of Polokwane, South Africa, is the director of internationally-renowned Polokwane Choral Society—a community-based group whose aim is nurturing musical talent in African society.
As a director, Matlakala is committed to drawing out musical excellence from her singers, as well as exposing them to musical cultures of the world. Her limitless patience, careful attention to vocal technique, and rich repertoire of folk and contemporary South African choral music make her a formidable teacher.
Matlakala’s has been collaborating as a teacher with Village Harmony nearly every year since her first VH program in Italy in 2000, which followed a fortuitous initial meeting with Patty & Larry at Festival 500 in St. John, Newfoundland the previous summer.
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Magda Sharff
Born and raised in Southern Vermont, Magda Sharff is a Village Harmony and Northern Harmony alumna and lifelong lover of community song and dance. She has traveled with Village Harmony to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Corsica, and Sweden.
Though she has always been passionate about singing, dancing, and playing the accordion, Magda's love for teaching music was ignited through leading workshops with a series of small Northern Harmony ensembles in 2020 and 2021. Occasionally accused of being a vocal chameleon, Magda loves to dip her toes into new genres, but tends to focus on close harmonies, heart-wrenching melodies, and all things crunchy. Bosnian village songs, Sevdalinke, and Corsican polyphony make her heart sing.
Magda is currently based in Poughkeepsie, NY, and is pursuing a degree in music at Vassar College.
Woolman Hill Retreat Center
Deerfield, MA
Woolman Hill is a Quaker retreat center situated on 110 acres of beautiful meadows and woods in the Connecticut Valley of western Massachusetts.
The center offers a peaceful atmosphere for retreats, meetings, and celebrations. We welcome many types of events, including non-profit, social service, educational, and faith-based gatherings, family reunions, weddings, and personal retreats.
The retreat’s facilities include the newly renovated (and air conditioned) farmhouse where our rehearsals, dining room and kitchen, and many of our bedrooms will be located. Other buildings available to us include are the historic Meeting House, a housekeeping cottage and three small cabins.
Woolman Hill is graced with 110 acres of open meadows and woodlands. The main campus is surrounded by large open meadows; beyond them, trails lead into the forest in all directions. The dark night sky is perfect for stargazing. Woolman Hill is at the end of a country road, with very little traffic. Trail maps will be available.