Sunday, September 8 • 10:30—4:30
York Street Meeting House) • 153 York St., Lyndon, VT 05849
$40-75 (sliding scale) • potluck lunch on the grounds
To register: email sing@turtledoveharmony.org and mail your check to Brendan Taaffe at 142 Basin Road, Vernon, VT, 05354

Come join your voices in song with Avery Book and Brendan Taaffe, two engaging and acclaimed Vermont song leaders. After a very well-received workshop in East Montpelier this past winter, they're coming to the Northeast Kingdom! Between them, Avery and Brendan have years and years of experience bringing groups together in harmony and have traveled the globe to study and share and perform this music. We'll sing songs from far and wide—from the mountains of the Republic of Georgia to the mountains of Kentucky, from Sardinia and Zimbabwe and Bosnia, from North American social movements, and Brendan's original compositions.

This workshop is open to singers of all levels. All parts will be taught by ear. Singing in harmony is a powerful antidote to any weltschmerz you might be filling, and a perfect way to transition toward autumn with groundedness, connectedness, and hope. Please join us.

Avery will be teaching songs from the Republic of Georgia, Sardinia, Bosnia, and North American social movements. He has traveled and studied in Sardinia, Georgia, Bosnia, Bulgaria, and the British Isles. Avery teaches harmony singing at the Summit School of Traditional Music and Culture and Village Harmony, and is a co-founder and director of the Central Vermont Solidarity Singers. He tours regularly with the Starry Mountain Singers, the Starry Mountain Trio, and the Tenores de Aterúe. He has a dynamic and warm teaching style with an emphasis on community building, supportive risk-taking, and creative pedagogy.

Brendan will be teaching songs from different American traditions (Appalachia, gospel) and from Zimbabwe, where he spent two months working with choirs, as well as his original compositions. For a taste of his original work, performed by The Bright Wings Chorus, check out this video. Brendan is the founder of Turtle Dove Harmony, which hosts singing retreats around the world, teaches often with Village Harmony, has lectured at the Vermont College of Fine Arts and the Royal Scottish Academy of Music, and has worked extensively with community choirs throughout the UK and US.