Location: Catamount Arts Center

Admission: Free

Northern Vermont Songwriters is a new organization for songwriters to share knowledge and maximize creativity. Membership and meetings are free. We meet at 6:45 p.m. on the second Tuesday of every month in the cabaret room at Catamount Arts in St. Johnsbury. Songwriters from Vermont, New Hampshire and anywhere else are invited to attend, and all genres of music are welcome. Songwriters may bring a song to share. The song may be performed live for the group, or a recording may be played (an iPhone dock will be available). Songwriters are encouraged to bring 6 copies of lyrics to share with the group. They may also bring lyrics only, or choose to simply listen and comment on the songs of others. Members might be invited to participate in public performances, including a Songwriter Round at Catamount Arts and at First Night. Another exciting benefit is occasional workshops hosted by music industry professionals, designed to help songwriters improve their craft. Please join us for our next meeting. Any questions should be sent to jakarns33@gmail.com; or phone: (802) 467-9859.

A weekend of music and merriment

Friday, August 28 - Sunday, August 30

See schedule below

Location:
Whitehill Farm
East Ryegate, VT

Tickets: Early-Bird Special (ends March 19th) $125, Full Price: $150

After purchasing your ticket, please fill out the registration form found HERE.
Weekend retreat includes a weekend of fun, ritual, instruction, food, and drink provided by Will and Lynn. Primitive housing provided for free! Commuting is optional.

A magical, musical retreat in the mountains of Vermont! Lynn and Will Rowan will lead a gentle weekend of singing with dancing, storytelling, drumming, and ritual in the beautiful hills of northern Vermont! No music reading skills required, just a willingness to open to music, community, and nature. The weekend will include music from harmony singing traditions around the world. We will also sing rounds, chants, and songs of solidarity to celebrate the earth, reinforce our interconnectedness, and heal our hearts in these challenging times. Friday and Saturday we will make a procession up the hill with bagpipes and drums to honor the sun in song, then light our evening fire for stories, music, and merriment. Please bring musical instruments if you have them! The weekend will culminate in a Sunday afternoon community concert by Lynn & Will and the Summersong Singers. Join kindred spirits, friends new and old, and music-lovers and celebrate summer’s end with us!

Meals and accommodations
The traditional farmyard barn where we will be rehearsing has a common sleeping area upstairs. Participants may alternately bring tents to camp onsite or choose to commute. There are no onsite showers, but there is swimming nearby in a stream and pond. All participants will take part in the daily chores of the camp including cooking our communal meals, cleaning up after meals, and keeping our space tidy, helping build our community for the weekend.

Location
The weekend will be held at Whitehill Farm, located in the southern most point of the Northeast Kingdom. The Farm was a traditional dairy farm and we continue to pasture heifers to this day. The homestead continues to maintain 40 acres, most of which are pasture, but there is a 3 acre parcel of cedars and five acres of sugar maples that are tapped each year. There are outstanding views from the top of this traditionally rugged property where you can take in the White Mountains and the Connecticut River. The property also has a small stream and a neighboring farm yard pond where we can cool off each day.

Ages
10-Adult
Camp is not geared towards children under 10. Participants aged 10-11 should be accompanied by an adult or older sibling. People aged 12 and up can attend independently.

For more information, please contact Heather Alger: Heather.L.Alger@gmail.com

Rough Schedule

Friday

• 4-5:00 - Arrivals
• 5:00 - Opening
• 6:00 - Dinner
• 6:30 - Dinner Cleanup
• 7:00 - Opening Circle/Singing down the Sun
• 8:00 - Evening Fire

Saturday

• 8:00 - Breakfast prep
• 8:30 - Breakfast
• 9:00 Breakfast cleanup
• 9:30 Morning Singing
• 12:00 - Lunch Prep
• 12:30 - Lunch
• 1:30 - Lunch cleanup
• 2:00 - Afternoon singing/dancing
• 4:30 - Dinner prep
• 6:00 - Dinner
• 6:30 - Dinner cleanup
• 7:00 - Singing down the Sun
• 8:00 - Evening Fire

Sunday

• 8:00 - Breakfast prep
• 8:30 - Breakfast
• 9:00 - Breakfast cleanup
• 9:30 - Morning Singing
• 11:30 - Lunch prep
• 12:15 - Lunch
• 12:45 - Lunch clean-up
• 1:15 - Concert prep
• 2:00 - Closing Circle
• 3-4 - Concert
• 4-5 - Final Clean-up / Departures

Directors

Will Rowan
Will was raised in a community where folk music and dance played an important role in bringing people together to celebrate. He fell in love with ensemble singing while touring with Village Harmony, learning from master singers and dancers at home and abroad. He studied music composition and ethnomusicology at Marlboro College, winning awards in choral composition and publishing several pieces. He also holds a Masters of Music in Choral Conducting from the Bard College Conservatory. Will is a multi-instrumentalist, playing banjo, piano, accordion, bagpipes, and percussion. With his sensitive style and years of cross-cultural teaching experience from international tours with Northern Harmony, Will is now a sought after song leader, teaching Village Harmony camps in the US and Lithuania.

Lynn Rowan
Lynn has dedicated her professional life to the study of vocal performance in its many and varied forms and has performed and taught workshops, lessons and lead choirs in singing for the past decade. These days she spends most of her time performing with her vocal band, Windborne, focusing on songs of social justice. Having grown up immersed in the folk communities of Vermont and discovering harmony singing traditions of many cultures through Village Harmony (which she now teaches for), her work is deeply rooted in and influenced by nature, history, and folklore of not only her own home, but also rich traditions from all over the world. Lynn's teaching style is clear, warm, and encouraging.