rhiannon

2023: Session 1 
Leo Nani Farms, Hawaii   
January 21- February 1. 2023 

Vocal River Exercises – Skill and Spirit 

Our focus will be exercises that have been developed by Rhiannon over the 35 years of her teaching. These include: Crossing the Circle, Three Face Front, Orchestra, Band, Shape Shifting, Jump Shift, Rain, Home, Circle Singing and Cards among others.  Singers will work with the exercises in various configurations, receive and give feedback and begin to integrate the influence of these exercises, including practicing how each might teach or use them. We will also study song form, singing over changes and interpreting lyrics as we examine the connections of those forms to Vocal River Exercises. The intention is to develop musical skill and intuitive wisdom working hand in hand. About Vocal River 

Perugia, Italy 2022
Session II: June 10-22, 2023 

Song of Place –
Giving Back to Community, to Nature
and to the Circle 

The focus will be on our connection to the power of sound. This session brings us to the heart of the matter. To speak of the power of the voice is so individual and the meaning of it so personal, we must begin by acknowledging the song and ancestors of this place, as we will have done in Session I in Hawai’i. We will also share the music and sounds of our own healing work with one another at the same time as we extend out to nature and the community. There will be conversations about the word “healing” and how to keep that grounded in the reality of skill-building and the connection of body and voice. We will interact with the natural surroundings, and as well as continuing to grow our collaborations with one another. We will deepen our study of the Vocal River exercises and see how improvisation contributes to the community and to the heart of all. 

Collaboration & Performance –
Sharing Body and Voice 

We will focus on rehearsal and performance with one another and with several guest artists. Singers, instrumentalists, dancers, actors, art and photographs will all be possible collaborative partners. We will study how to enter this realm of sharing creative space with an audience and/or partners while staying in that authentic, ceremonial, poetic time. We will be living in the center of this cosmopolitan city full of inspiration and diversity. We will have a session with each of our resident performance partners, and on the final day, we will bring all these collaborators together for an extended rehearsal followed by an intimate evening performance. Our performance will be a celebration, will reflect all we have studied in our sessions, and may be a rite of passage into the next phase of your artistic life. 

My year in ATWI was transformative. Not only did I grow by miles in vocal ability, ATWI brought new energy, clarity and focus to my artistic process and identity. The breadth and depth of experience and skill among the singers in the program was a huge bonus on top of the generous and masterful teaching and guidance we received form Rhiannon and  her co-pilots. 
Germaine Ingram, Penn.,   ATWI 

Your spirit, soul and way of honoring and treating music is world changing. It clears the spirit, which gives the soul an opportunity to speak from an honest place.   Ulla Britt,  Denmark ,  ATWI