June 25th – July 2nd 2024
We are offering a seven-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 a collection of beautiful songs and memories you can keep forever.
The week works towards a performance 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, as well as 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, making the most of the amazing location (mountain walks, beaches, snorkelling, sunbathing, star-gazing, horse riding etc. ), relaxing and, of course, eating and drinking.
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Course tutors
Vicky Jassey and David Pattman
Prices:
Included in the price are 7 nights of accommodation, three meals a day and 5 days x 5 hours of tuition. (Please see below for costs not included).
We have three apartments, each with two bedrooms and this year; we will introduce a two-bell tent glamping area. We offer various price options depending on whether you sleep in a single room, a shared room or share in the glamping area and whether you get the *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.
Single Room: 2 Available (please note, you will still be sharing a bathroom)
*Earlybird Single Room: £755
Regular Single Room: £830 (1-2 available)
Shared rooms: 3 available
Earlybird Shared Room: £625
Regular Shared Room: £715
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: £595 each
Regular Glamping: £665 each
Please visit our Accommodation page to read more about the facilities available at Finca Ará Oko.
We need a minimum number of guests for a retreat to go ahead. Please check with us before buying your flights. A full refund will be issued if Covid restrictions prevent the course from happening or if we do not have sufficient numbers for the retreat to run. Please also see our Retreat Cancellation and Participation Guide.
If you are interested in bespoke music retreats, would like to just stay with us and/or have some 1-1 tuition or would like to run your own retreat at Finca Ará Oko, drop us line. enquiries@fincaaraoko.com.
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.
How to book
Step 1: To secure your place, please make a deposit of £150. If possible, please pay via our bank account (details below) as we don’t get changed commission or if you prefer, you can use Paypal, which includes a charge of 3.5%.
Step 2: Pay the outstanding balance by the date listed directly to the bank details below.
Please see our Cancellation and Participation Guide before booking.
There is no charge if you pay directly into our bank account. If you choose this method, please email your contact details, dates and name of the course so we know which course you wish to attend: enquiries@fincaaraoko.com. If you prefer Paypal, use the link below, but please note we charge a 3.5% bank charge fee.
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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