Village Harmony Summer Camp
2007
South Africa Session
August 4-25
Led by Matlakala Bopape, Patty Cuyler and Larry Gordon.
As of 16 Mar 2007, this session is FULL.
Village Harmony’s third South Africa camp will travel widely. The rehearsal week will be in a retreat facility in the rural Kwa Zulu Natal midlands, and subsequent travels will span five South African provinces, with concerts in the Free State, Gauteng, Mpumalanga and Limpopo (the last two provinces bordering the Kruger National Park). In each of these areas we will be meeting with and hosted by local choirs.
In the midst of thir intense concert schedule, campers will get good feel of the rich musical and cultural diversity of South Africa—we will attend performances by established and indigenous choirs and dance groups, and will take at least one trip to a wildlife preserve.
Once again four singers from Matlakala’s Polokwane Choir will join the camp. Having them with us to model the songs, vocal quality and dances will add immensely to the pleasure of learning the nuances of the South African repertoire. Larry and Patty will teach a selection of traditional American music, including some shape-note and gospel quartets, and probably also Georgian and Balkan numbers.
Space in the camp is limited and we expect a lot of applicants. Because of the importance of a balanced choir in South African music, we will be admitting people in part based on our need for a well-rounded chorus. Please be sure to list a second camp session as an alternate choice!