Reflections: Love Your Voice 2025 - but what comes next?

There’s something truly special about gathering together in a space where your voice is not only heard but valued. Love Your Voice 2025 was one of those rare moments where technique, expression, and community wove together into something wonderful, something lasting. As I reflect on the weekend, I find myself thinking about what made it so memorable—not just the music, but the breakthroughs, the connections, and the clarity that singers found in their voices.

One singer described their learning process as an ever-expanding spiral—returning to familiar concepts but discovering something new and exciting each time. Another found a new sense of freedom in their repertoire, realizing there was so much more possibility than they had imagined. A third spoke about the supportive and encouraging atmosphere, and how watching others work through challenges helped reinforce key ideas in a way that made them stick.

These discoveries don’t...

Prepare to Find Your Voice: Voice-works Spring Study Weekend 2025

Dates: January 25–26, 2025
Location: The Jubilee Hall, Winsham, Somerset, UK.

The Spring Study Weekend is your chance to explore repertoire spanning opera, oratorio, and song from 1600–1850 in an inspiring and supportive setting. Whether you’re a seasoned soloist or rediscovering your voice, this event is crafted to help you refine your skills and deepen your curiosity and understanding of classical vocal performance.

What to Expect Over the Weekend

This immersive two-day event will combine individual coaching, group sessions, and opportunities for discussion and collaboration. The focus is on developing your technical foundation, interpretive insight, and confidence as a singer.

You'll bring three prepared pieces that span the genres of opera, oratorio, and song, allowing for a rich and varied exploration of style and technique. Don’t worry about polished perfection – the emphasis is on secure preparation and a wi...

Serendipity sounds beautiful …

For singers, the meaning can be beautiful, too.

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary website defines “serendipity” as “luck that takes the form of finding valuable or pleasant things that are not looked for.” So serendipity is a happy accident. It comes from being in the right place at the right time.

I’m launching The Serendipity Project as a new idea/area of study for the 2022-23 academic year and on 7th - 10th October we're kicking things off with an inaugural residential weekend workshop for singers at Church Farmhouse, Winsham, in Somerset, UK. This is a well-beloved venue, where many such workshop weekends have been held.

Thank you so much for an excellent weekend in such a perfect setting.  My love of singing has been an important part of my life for 50 years or so, interfered often by work! I found your encouragement, advice and praise very stimulating and has given me more confidence in solo work and inspired me to widen my repertoire. Of course,...

 

“We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time."

T.S Elliot

Fabulous words aren't they? And so on point; their message so intimately familiar, easy to recognise as a singer. But if you're keen to improve your vocal skills, the actual trigger to do so could be one of many things.

And person-to-person the deciding criteria may be quite diverse. But, wherever you are on your vocal journey, if you seek improvement or have a quest in mind you'll need to make room for some serious - but rewarding - learning experiences.

As singers, we're still picking up the pieces of what's possible in this post-pandemic scenario and for many vocalists, it isn't always clear. Voice-work Study Weekends embrace this difficulty in their aim to deliver workshop content both virtually and actually to participating singers. It's a question of choice ... Meaning, those of us who can travel to make it in-person ...

We gave our summer study weekend this affectionate name on account of all the talk in the group about putting on your singing shoes when you stand up to perform. Being brave, learning to fly, to sing from the heart, give it all you have got.

Put on those singing shoes... or maybe a rather wonderful red hat. That would do, for sure.

This week, Virtually Vocalise singers have been excitedly putting last minute preparations together for a wonderful long weekend - singing - by the sea. 

 

We’ve booked a lovely house on the Dorset coast, with a beautiful sea view, via Airbnb. We’re cooking too. We’ve planned a wonderful wellbeing menu, and the grocery delivery is booked. There will be wine, prosecco, and a good time is to be had by all. VV member, soprano Sue Lewey excitedly updated the group (note the avatar) with her travel preparations ... good to see she has her packing priorities straight!

 

There will be study too, of course. Songs, songs and more songs.

Here’s the ...

For singers and speakers alike, the vocal folds are quite amazing. And an essential piece of our kit. 

We are each born with a perfect set, and over a lifetime, we put them through a lot. We expect them to do their thing for us over and over and over - when we are tired, hungry, dehydrated, sad, angry, exhilarated, in fact, any number or combination of situations and experiences, we seldom stop to consider how we may be abusing our little vocal folds.

The vocal folds, also known commonly as vocal cords or voice reeds, are composed of twin infoldings of mucous membrane stretched horizontally, from back to front, across the larynx. They vibrate, modulating the flow of air being expelled from the lungs during phonation.

I can’t imagine being robbed of my voice. As I age I am appreciating even more how important it is to stop and understand complete vocal care. I teach students about the 5 Essential Vocal Exercises or fundamental knowledge that any singer or speaker needs to have in...