Description
THE VENUE: Brathay Hall is an elegant, 18th century Georgian country house, set in 360 acres of mature woodland and rolling pasture at the head of lake Windermere. It is owned by the Brathay Trust, which aims to improve the life chances of children, young people and families by inspiring them to engage positively in their communities. Brathay Hall offers a variety of en-suite bedroom accommodation in several buildings. We shall be singing in the theatre, 3-4 minutes’ walk from the main building and, in the evenings, we shall be able to relax in the comfortable lounge area, with a bar. The food at Brathay Hall is home-cooked and, where possible, locally sourced, and our meals will be served in the dining room, which faces the northern end of lake Windermere. There’s plenty to do in the free time, including an easy path to the shore of the lake (where you can enjoy a bracing dip!), walks in the hills and fells or a stroll into Ambleside with its great selection of shops, restaurants and traditional pubs. Special Diets: The venues we use work very hard to accommodate the dietary requirements of each participant. Please be aware that there is a significant amount of extra work and cost involved in providing different meals for different participants on a course so, if it is not something you stick to rigidly please think carefully before asking for it. Bedrooms and Accessibility: Click here for information about the different types of rooms, including accessibility and staying extra nights. If there is anything else you need, to help you participate fully in the weekend, let me know in plenty of time. Location: Brathay Hall is just outside Ambleside (15 – 20 minutes’ walk). 30 minute drive from the M6. Nearest railway stations: Windermere (5.5 miles), Oxenholme (17 miles).
THE SINGING: During this long weekend, we’ll mostly be exploring the kind of complex, close harmonies found in British and American popular music of the 1920s, 30s and 40s. We may sing some standards from this period, unexpected songs that have been given the jazz or swing treatment and songs that have been created purely for these workshops. Some of the melodies may be familiar and therefore fairly quick to pick up, but some of the harmony parts may take longer to learn and can offer a challenge even to experienced acapella singers. Every now and then, we’ll sprinkle in a song in a different style, for a bit of contrast, but generally expect a swinging weekend of tantalizing melodies, crunchy harmonies, some fiendish rhythms and some right good singing!
THE TIMETABLE: You’ll be sent a full timetable before the event, but in brief: the long weekend starts at around 6pm on Thursday evening, with a sing before dinner and finishes around 3.30pm on Sunday afternoon, with a sing after lunch. In between, there will be more singing, more food and some free time, when you can relax, explore the local area, socialise, or even carry on singing with other participants. The Lovenotes (4-person acapella group that Faith sings with) are, once again, offering an informal concert on the Friday evening! The concert is free to all of those booked on the long weekend. Tickets for the concert only will be available nearer the time.
