Singing into the New Year with 8 American Greats.

I originally devised the series of Voice-works Study Weekends to kickstart the academic year of 2024. We began with Eight English Greats. Since then, we’ve explored The Origins of Opera, Oratorio and Song, and spent time with Eight French Greats.

My intention has always been to build a more detailed map of vocal repertoire possibilities — and to show how helpful a clear theme can be. It gives focus, a framework, and invites curiosity. And now, as I look ahead to a new year, it feels the perfect moment to turn my attention across the Atlantic, to the New World, and to delve into Eight American Greats.

America’s vocal tradition is younger than ours. That is part of the appeal. There’s less inherited weight and more room for a mix of influences. Classical technique sits alongside the theatre. Jazz rubs shoulders with art song. Operatic writing is there too, but it often carries a different kind of storytelling. I find that fascinating. It changes how you sing, how you phrase, how you listen.

There’s already been some early interest, and a place has been snapped up. Very heartening! A gentle reminder here that places are few. Once the group fills, that’s it, so if this theme speaks to you, do take a moment to look.

In January 2026, we’ll greet the new year with a Voice-works Study Weekend called Eight American Greats. The ‘8 Greats’ list is: Amy Beach, George Gershwin, Kurt Weill, Aaron Copland, Samuel Barber, Leonard Bernstein, Carlisle Floyd, and Ned Rorem. Eight names, eight distinct styles. From Beach’s late-romantic sweep to Gershwin’s elegance, from Weill’s theatre bite to Copland’s open skies, from Barber’s lyric line to Bernstein’s energy, from Floyd’s operatic drama to Rorem’s distinctive character with words.

What makes a Voice-works Study Weekend special is the way we approach the music together. It’s a small, focused gathering rather than a performance weekend, which means we have the space to work together properly. Everyone brings their music, opens their copy, sharpens their pencil, and joins in the process. It’s about curiosity and exploration. We look closely at the music, talk about what we find, and experiment with how the music feels to sing. The aim isn’t perfection, it’s growth — refining phrasing, building flexibility, or discovering new colours in the voice. The repertoire from this period gives us a wonderful opportunity to do that.

And yes, at long last, the women get a proper place in the story. Florence Price is also waiting in the wings, and she’s not alone. These female composers truly deserve to be heard. 

Each Voice-works weekend helps us join the dots, linking one era to another, one composer to the next, and connecting what you’re singing with what you’re learning. Eight American Greats is another piece of that wider jigsaw, and I’m looking forward to seeing how it shapes our understanding of the repertoire as a whole.

There’s also a simple piece of housekeeping that helps the weekend run smoothly. When you sign up, you’ll need to claim your chosen pieces — there’ll be no duplication of repertoire during the weekend. That way, every singer brings different songs to the table, and together the programme builds a wider picture. The aim is breadth and discovery, and a set of pieces you can carry forward into a recital or an exam if you wish.

We’ll be heading back to Winsham in Somerset for the weekend; the village has a very welcoming feel and we’re always made to feel at home. Church Farmhouse gives us a good, steady start on the Saturday — a chance to settle in after journeying there and get our minds and voices working. On Sunday, we’ll be along the road in the Jubilee Hall, a wonderful historic village hall with a beautifully generous acoustic that gives us the chance to experience singing in a larger space. Observers are very welcome to join us there. We usually round off the first day’s work with a meal together at a much-loved restaurant in nearby Hinton St George — a lovely way to unwind and share the conversation that naturally flows from a day of singing.

What I hope for is simple. A weekend that opens doors. A fresh start to the year. New rhythms in the body. New colours in the voice. American songs often give an audience an anchor, a familiar name or a tune that rings a bell — yet they still ask the singer to stretch. That balance is useful. It can lift a whole programme. It can also renew your pleasure in practice, which is no small thing in January!

Applications are open now. Places are limited to just five singers in total to keep the work personal and hands-on, so if this speaks to you, my advice is, don’t leave it too late.

Because Christmas has a habit of stopping everything in its tracks, the closing date for singer applications is Friday, 21 November 2025. All the practical details are on the event page, including how to sign up and how the weekend will run.

That’s the shape of it. Two days of focused study. A small group. Real music-making. A gentle flow that gives you space to try things out — and a set of songs to broaden your repertoire for the years ahead.

I’m looking forward to it.

If you'd like to read more about the weekend itself, including how to take part, you'll find everything on the Voice-works Study Weekend: 8 American Greats page.