Singing Retreats

Since 2007, Turtle Dove has been offering singing retreats throughout Europe and North America. Known for creating a safe and welcoming space for every voice, each Turtle Dove workshop brings together compelling leaders with different repertoire and a shared passion for community singing.

Upcoming retreats

October 20-22, 2023

Singing Intensive with Val Mindel and Brendan Taaffe at Basin Farm

Register here.

Designed with experienced singers in mind (you should be able to hold a harmony part on your own), these weekend intensives are a chance to relish the challenge and reward of small ensemble singing. The cap for the weekend is 15 singers. We rehearse in Brendan’s beautifully restored farmhouse. 
 
From her early days with the Any Old Time String Band to more recent recordings with her daughter, Emily Miller, Val Mindel is a master of early country harmony. Val is an in-demand teacher at camps throughout North America and the UK, and brings a careful stufy of early country recording artists and clear, engaging teaching. 
 
Brendan Taaffe is a composer and song-leader who has traveled the world leading harmony workshops. His travels this year take him to Ghana, Senegal, and the Occitan region of southern France, so expect some musical gleanings from all of those places as well as his own lush compositions. Brendan is the director of the Bright Wings Chorus and a frequent teacher with Village Harmony. You can hear his compositions, performed by Bright Wings, at brendantaaffe.bandcamp.com.
 

Cost: $275.

Note: the tuition does NOT include accommodation. There are many places to stay in Brattleboro and in Greenfield, Mass., which are roughly equidistant from Basin Farm. The tuition DOES include three meals.

Schedule: Friday night: social sing from 7:00 Saturday: programming from 10 am-5 pm. Dinner at 6:30. Sunday: programming from 10 am – 3 pm.

Jan 13-15, 2024

Singing Intensive with Brendan Taaffe at Basin Farm

Register here.

This weekend will focus on Brendan’s original compositions as well as gleanings from a year of musical travels in Ghana, Senegal, and the Occitan region of Southern France.

Cost: $275.

Note: the tuition does NOT include accommodation. There are many places to stay in Brattleboro and in Greenfield, Mass., which are roughly equidistant from Basin Farm. The tuition DOES include five meals.

Schedule: Friday night: social sing from 7:00 Saturday and Sunday: programming from 10 am-5 pm. Dinner at 6:30. Monday: programming from 10 am – 3 pm.

A Word about COVID-19

Because of our concern for the health of our communities, we are requiring that all singers be fully vaccinated. You will be asked to email a photo of your vaccination card as proof. In addition, we require a negative test result within 72 hours of the event.

We are also aware that the situation continues to change and that what feels safe now may not feel safe in three months time. If the program needs to be cancelled because of pandemic safety, or if you are unable to attend because of covid-specific health concerns, tuition will be fully refundable.

More about Singing Intensives

Modeled on the Bright Wings Chorus approach, singing intensives are an opportunity for a group of 12-16 experienced singers to dig deep and work hard. We expect that each singer will be able to hold a harmony part on their own. Rehearsals take place at Brendan’s charming 1796 Vermont farmhouse, and we eat lunch and dinner together. These intensives are non-residential.