Do you like singing? Check out this 'hidden gem' of a choral workshop

Calling all singers! UK choral specialists and composers Rebecca Askew and Jeremy Avis from Hidden Gems Choral Adventures are coming to Brussels from 9 to 12 May.

They are inviting local songsters to join them on a musical adventure around town, experiencing secret places, rich acoustics and new views of the city. Everyone is welcome, whatever their singing ability. Participants don’t need to read music, they simply need enthusiasm.

Askew and Avis are veterans of the award-winning choral ensemble The Shout. They have also worked at the UK’s National Theatre, Shakespeare’s Globe theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company, creating innovative site-specific events and adventurous multimedia performances, all with a choral theme. 

As founder members of The Shout, they toured the world with genre-straddling choral theatre pieces that challenged the notions of what a choir could be. They combined multi-media, unconventional acoustics and choreography, aligning voices of different genres to tell original and remarkable stories with voices raised in harmony.

Working with renowned artistic directors, the musical pair were part of a choral revolution experimenting with new methods, venues and narrative drama for choral performance. 

Now they are bringing their unique experience, sense of fun and thematic exploration to their ‘Hidden Gems’ singing workshop in Brussels.

The music they teach is acapella contemporary arrangements and new compositions accompanied by professional local soloists on saxophone, clarinet or violin. All songs will be taught by ear over three-and-a-half days at the stylish and well-equipped Studio Empain near Place de la Liberté. 

The duo are working with local tour guide Derek Blyth and author of The 500 Hidden Secrets of Brussels to add a unique angle to their singing workshop. Singers will be taken on a guided tour of special hidden gems in the city.

Askew and Avis are currently writing material specifically tailored to these venues for participants to learn, alongside curated songs by other composers. On the final day, as part of a ‘performance walk’, the whole group will gain exclusive access to fascinating venues enabling everyone to sing together in glorious harmony.

More details and booking form here.

Sign up by 31 January 2024 to benefit from the early-bird discounted price. After that date, bookings can still be made at the full price.