More information (in German) here: https://www.nathanieldamon.com/chor/
Further information: nathanieldamon@gmail.com

Polina Shepherd is a composer, performer, educator and cultural activist. She comes from Siberia and now lives in Brighton, UK. Nathaniel Damon comes from the USA, lives in Hamburg, where he founded the World Music Choir almost 20 years ago. He is a choir director, multi-instrumentalist, clown, improvisation and life artist. Together they will guide you through an evening choral week in the Schullandheim Haus Lankau on the Elbe-Lübeck Canal near Mölln.

Accommodation: The Schullandheim Haus Lankau is wonderfully located in the most beautiful nature, on the Elbe-Lübeck Canal in between Mölln and Ratzeburg (approx. 60 minutes by car from Hamburg. There is full vegetarian/vegan catering. In the Schullandheim there are mainly 4-bed rooms with shower/bath.  There is only a very limited double room for a surcharge (12 € per person/night)

 

Payment according to self-assessment: (Sliding Scale): each person pays within one if possible given framework of €1000 – €600. In order for the workshop to be financially viable, it is important that everyone pays the full contribution.

Workshop starts on Monday 17 March, arrival at 11am – 12pm, the first meal is at 12:00, the first workshop starts at 13:00

Workshop ends on Saturday around 8:30 p.m. after the final concert (concert starts at 7 p.m.)

Workshop language: mainly English, with selective translation into German if needed.

Vegetarian full board: first meal is on Monday at 12:00. Last meal: Breakfast on Saturday.

Additional meals: The following meal must be self- financed: Saturday lunch

Drive to Hamburg: The trips to Mustin on Friday evening and on Saturday in Hamburg are financed by the participants themselves (we organize carpooling with public transport and cars).

Leaders’ biogs:

 

Nathaniel Damon
Nathaniel comes from the US state of Vermont, where he sang as a teenager with the World Music Ensemble Village Harmony. He studied singing at the HfMT in Hamburg and founded the World Music Choir Hamburg in 2005, which currently consists of 60 singers. He gives choir workshops on improvisation & World music, accompanies dance events as a multi-instrumentalist & singer and has been composing his own choral music since 2018. His choral work is characterized by his inner desire for Community and inclusivity. Since he started contact improvisation with his wife Angela-Mara in 2011, he has combined the insights and methods from these physical experiences with his choral work.

Polina Shepherd was raised in a Cossack / Jewish family in Tatarstan, Russia. Whilst studying in Kazan State Academy in the 1990s, she toured with Russia′s first klezmer band after Perestroika, Simcha. By her early 20s she was a Yiddish choir and klezmer band leader, composer, touring musician, educator and festival organiser. Moved to the UK in 2003. Her recent work includes touring with Apollo’s Fire, Cleveland (OH, USA) Grammy-winning baroque orchestra and ‘Folk-Cabaret’ The Stranniki with Psoy Korolenko (UK-USA). As a pianist, she plays live accompaniment to B&W silent films from the 1910-1930s in The Sound & Light Cinematic Duo. In cinema, she recorded for The Windermere Children and appears conducting and soloing in TV series The Crown. In theatre, most recently she’s been Music Adviser and recorded for National Theatre co-production of Kin by Amit Lahav; Music Adviser and arranger for a A Secret About Joy, by Sarah Brown in Sibiu, Romania. Polina’s choral work has been published internationally, most recently in Edition Peters Yiddish Choral Series. Music Director of Caravan Orchestra and Choir, an international project for young musicians with classical, jazz and Arab music backgrounds.


Cancellation conditions:

– general: processing fee of 50 €
– from 4 weeks before the festival: 100 €
– from 7 days before the festival: full amount

Image / sound recordings: Sound recordings, photos, live filming of the concert will be made. By participating in the workshop, you agree that this material can be used e.g. for advertising of further events on the website of Nathaniel Damon and on social networks. Please speak to Nathaniel if this is a problem for you.

Your data: for the purpose of arranging carpooling and to network socially/privately, I will share a list with the email addresses, telephone numbers and home addresses of all participants before the course begins. If you do not want to be included in this, please send me an extra email with a clear subject. Thank you!