International Camps
2025 International camp offerings
For teen & adult singers
Make one of our study-performance programs abroad the keystone of an unforgettable eco-tourist travel adventure. Come early or stay on longer to explore some of the world's most enviable travel destinations. This year you can join us in New Zealand, Macedonia, Georgia, the UK and Madagascar.
New Zealand
January 11 -28, 2025
Led by Harilalao (Lala) Simpson, Patty Cuyler & Matlakala Bopape. Rehearsal week in Featherston followed by a performance and sightseeing tour of the lower part of the North Island of New Zealand.
CAMP FULL: you can apply as wait-listed in case we have a last-minute opening
North Macedonia
June 22-July 3, 2025
Led by Mary Cay Brass and Igor Dimovski, with visiting teachers Samira Merdžanić & Teodora Gjorgieva Stojanovska. In residence at Robinson Sunset House on the shores of beautiful Lake Ohrid, North Macedonia, with a final concert and night in Skopje.
UK Alumni Camp
June 27-July 14, 2025
For singers 16 years and older—intended as a multi-generational reunion program for singers who are used to touring VH-style! Led by Suzannah Park, Bongani Magatyana and Polina Shepherd. Rehearsal week at Seahouses Hostel in North Sunderland, UK followed by a week-long performance and workshop tour.
Georgia Post-Camp Tour
August 17-24, 2025
An optional 7-day post-camp trip to Svaneti in the far northwest to meet up with master singers, do some hiking and exploring, and generally experience the wonder of Georgia’s geographic diversity as we make our way there and back.
Madagascar
July 16-August 2, 2025
Led by Lala Simpson, Harisoa Rahantaniaina & Patty Cuyler. Rehearsal week in Mahajanga, Madagascar, followed by a performance and sightseeing tour in the northeastern part of the country.
Republic of Georgia
August 3-17, 2025
Led by Ketevan Mindorashvili, the members of Ensemble Zedashe & VH alumna Sinead O’Mahoney. Two weeks in residence in the east Georgian town of Sighnaghi, with daily singing instruction and dance classes, folk instrument lessons, cooking classes, workshops with visiting regional singers and some truly amazing supra feasts.
International camp overview
Since 1990 the singers and instrumentalists of Village Harmony Summer Camp have been traveling and performing throughout New England and an ever-widening swath of the globe, participating in cultural exchanges and delighting audiences with their heart-felt renditions of unusual folk music from around the world.
Unlike many choirs where the aim is to have a membership whose voices blend seamlessly, Village Harmony is an un-auditioned, inclusive group whose only demands of would-be members is that they be committed to making good music. This has resulted in a choir whose sound remains dynamic, unpredictable, and absolutely exciting year after year. With their easy command of phenomenally varied singing styles and infectiously joyous stage presence, Village Harmony ensembles always knock people’s socks off.
Village Harmony camps begin with a week of rehearsal in residence at a retreat center. Overseas rehearsal retreats this coming year will include a lakeside inn in Ohrid, Macedonia; a self-catering youth hostel near the coast in Seahouses, Northumberland, UK; mini-mansions on the beach in Mahajanga, Madagascar; and a cluster of houses in the historic hill-town of Sighnaghi in Kakheti, Republic of Georgia.
During the rehearsal week, singers get to know one another and their music. Participants learn the basics of new singing styles and prepare a concert program under expert leadership, with emphasis on the cultural context and authentic vocal technique of the genres making up each session’s particular musical tapestry. Rehearsals are long and intense—six or more hours each day—and, depending on the country, may include individual voice coaching, dance practice and folk instrument lessons between group sessions. Word-sheets and notes are used for some of the music, but nearly everything is taught by ear. We place a lot of emphasis on authenticity—understanding the spirit and vocal style of each musical genre—and on appreciating the joy of singing together and with conviction.
Within this rigorous structure, the groups tend to be relaxed and non-competitive, with a deliberately democratic atmosphere. The framework of each residency is communal. In most cases, everyone pitches in to help with cooking and cleaning. The menu is primarily vegetarian, and is responsive to the tastes, dietary needs and culinary talents of camp participants. There will always be time for walks and exploring. During the rehearsal week there is usually an evening cabaret, where campers are encouraged to flaunt their flair for music, stand-up comedy or random talents.
After the rehearsal week, each session takes its show on the road. Residential camps—in Macedonia and Georgia— will wrap up with a short concert series within driving distance of their retreat center.
For participants in the traveling camp sessions, however—the alumni camp in the UK and the Madagascar camp—the adventure is just beginning. After the first concert, everyone and everything gets packed up as the group embarks upon a concert tour. While on tour the ensemble travels nearly every day—stopping en route to explore sites of interest—with performances sprinkled along the way. The combination of intense immersion in new repertoires and the myriad challenges of polishing concert performances to a high sheen are exhilarating for all involved, and produce a close community by the end of camp.
Whether they attend a camp in the US or overseas, most campers emerge from their stint in Village Harmony with broadened cultural horizons. In past years, singers have come from all over North America and from many other countries (England, Australia, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Italy, Caucasus Georgia, Israel, New Zealand, Ghana, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Singapore, New Zealand, Bosnia) to participate in our summer camps. We have a international staff of singers, instrumentalists and composers who are fluent in a wide range of traditions, including American shape-note, Appalachian and gospel music; South African folk music; Bulgarian, Macedonian Serbian, Croatian, and Bosnian music; polyphony from Corsica and Caucasus Georgia; and Western baroque and renaissance music.
We hold most of our concerts in village churches and small town community halls, perform at folk festivals, and collaborate with local musicians. The communities that sponsor our concerts and make up our audiences provide potluck suppers and overnight housing. These home-stays offer a unique opportunity for campers to glimpse the startling variety of ways in which people live their lives—and to experience directly the excitement generated by Village Harmony’s music making.
What are our international camps like?
Enjoy this glimpse into three of our international camps by viewing these short films by VH alumna Tikkio Freilich.