June 25th – July 2nd 2024
We are offering a 7-day singing retreat at Finca Ara Oko, an ancient off-grid farmhouse in Southern Spain. Drawing on the choir Coro de Clave (based in London and Spain), this retreat provides ensemble and individual vocal development. You will learn stunning Cuban folkloric songs in three and four-part harmonies. Each day will consist of sessions that develop breathwork and diaphragm strengthening for vocals, musical confidence with rhythm and harmony, and lead and group singing.
We want you to leave our retreat a more confident, connected, and knowledgeable singer and take home with you a collection of beautiful songs and memories that you can keep forever.
The week works towards a performance at the Surlayr Festival in the beautiful village of Pampaneira, where we will be joined by members of the Spanish Coro de Clave.
The name Coro de Clave was given to choirs that proliferated in the black communities of Western Cuba from the last part of the 1800s until around 1920. They were mobile ensembles, often amassing over 100 members and would compete with other neighbouring groups. We have revived and transferred this beautiful idea of community singing to this century and expanded the repertoire to include other Cuban-based styles.
The retreat celebrates the music, historical context and culture of this tradition, the coming together of a wonderful community of people who enjoy singing these special songs and the beautiful surrounding landscape.
The week-long retreat is split between tuition, practice time and making the most of the amazing location (mountain walks, beaches, snorkelling, sunbathing, star-gazing, horse riding etc. ), relaxing and, of course, eating and drinking.
Course tutors
David Pattman and Vicky Jassey
(Read more about them here)
Prices:
Included in the price are 7 nights accommodation, three meals a day and 5 days x 5 hours of tuition. (Please see below for costs not included).
*Earlybird rate, which is when a non-refundable deposit of £150 is paid before the Earlybird deadline or the regular rate, which is the deposit paid after this.
*Earlybird deadline £150 by March 25th.
Full payment by May 31st
If you would like to arrange to pay in instalments, let us know. Scroll down to see how to book your place.
Please visit our Accommodation page to read more about the facilities available at Finca Ará Oko.
Single Room: 2 Available (please note, you will still be sharing a bathroom)
*Earlybird Single Room: £720
Regular Single Room: £790 (1-2 available)
Shared rooms: 3 available
Earlybird Shared Room: £595
Regular Shared Room: £680
Glamping (2 x 4m bell tents, 2 people per tent):
We will use the glamping area as overflow accommodation if we have more than 7 people booking on the course. Our tents are luxurious, spacious and comfortable. (Please note; the photo is from the company that has made our bell tents)
Earlybird Glamping: £565 each
Regular Glamping: £635
Step 1: Secure your place by making a non-refundable deposit of £150. (payment details below)
Step 2: Fill out the registration form: Retreat Registration Form
Step 3: Email the completed form to us at: enquiries@fincaaraoko.com
Step 4: Pay the outstanding balance by the date listed directly to the bank details below.
Please check we have spaces and read our Cancellation and Participation Guide before booking.
Our Donation Policy
Would you like to support young artists (under 29 years) or female survivors of human trafficking to access our retreats? If you can spare any amount for this cause, we will match your funding. All you need to do is add the amount you would like to donate to your total when you make a bank transfer and let us know via the sign-up form. We will inform you as to how we spent the money. Thank you for your generosity.
Find out more about our work with female survivors of human trafficking – Moving Voices UK
Bank Details
Account name: Bombo Arts
Account number: 63017399
Sort code: 08-92-99
Reference: (Please add the name of the course)
PayPal Deposit – Coro de Clave Retreat: £155
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Not included in the price
– Extra accommodation: please see our accommodation page for prices.
– Extra meals: Breakfast £5, Lunch £7, Dinner £10
– Alcohol
– Flights: The nearest airport is Almeria (1 hr 20mins drive), then Granada (1 ½-hour drive), then Malaga (2-hour drive). Fares range from £50-350 return. Malaga is often the cheapest and has the most frequent flights.
– Transport to and from the airport: Public transport, unfortunately, is rubbish. The cheapest way is to coordinate your flight times with others attending the course. We will help facilitate this and may suggest a flight time. Here are some taxi prices from 2022.
Taxi to/from Almeria (7-seater) – €110.
Taxi to/from Malaga (7-seater) €170.
Bus to/from Malaga to Motril (Alsa bus company) – €10
Taxi to/from Motril €80.
Taxi to/from Granada €110
– Transport during your stay.
Car hire: Some of you may wish to hire a car during your stay. It is a lovely place to drive with good roads and no traffic. If you choose this option, please let us know as we have plenty of experience of how not to get ripped off by car-hire firms.
– Travel insurance: Please make your own arrangements.
– Extra lessons
– Extra excursions or activities: There are horse riding, cycling and water sports activities available nearby. If you would like us to organise any of these events, please let us know beforehand.
*If you wish to stay longer than 7 nights, please check with us to see if we can accommodate you. If we can’t for any reason, we will be able to suggest places to stay nearby.
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