Singing in Sardinia and Corsica, 2025

A 15 day singing adventure

Experience the magic of Sardinia and Corsica, through song with locals and internationally renowned choir director Stuart Davis, over these unforgettable days.

Sardinia

A summary of this first section of your adventure of song, local culture and delicious food includes; 

• Form a pop up choir with daily singing workshops with Stuart
• Singing sessions with local teachers 
• Beach walks, swims and of course underwater singing
• Day tour visiting local singers and musicians,
• Extraordinary hospitality from the local singers and their families, food, wine, song and dance.
• Singing in amazing caves
• While in Bitti - we'll visit a village arranged as an amphitheatre around the church of San Giorgio Martire - take a cultural tour, to the Museum of Rural and Pastoral Civilization, inside which there is the multimedia museum of Canto a Tenore dedicated to polyphonic singing-  this is a UNESCO heritage site 
• This area is a paradise of seafood and meats, porcini mushrooms, pasta, pecorino cheeses and fabulous local wines

THE ITINERARY

7 September: Olbia x 1 night
Welcome dinner

8 – 12 September: Cala Gonone x 4 nights
We will be traveling 1.5 hours south to visit the towns of Nuoro and Orgosolo to see street art and lunch en-route to Cala Gonone.
Our accommodation is situated right on the waterfront and within a short walk to the village and little church where we rehearse with Stuart and local director. During our time here we will take excursions to visit our local friends and choirs in the town of Dorgali, sing in the amazing Grotto di Ispinigoli (caves) and eat in the spectacular Ristorante Ispinigoli.

12 – 14 September:Alghero x 2 night
Departing Cala Gonone early on the morning of the 12th. We will visit the Bitti, the home of the tenores (traditional throat singing) en-route to Alghero. Alghero's unique blend of Catalan influences is located on the northwest coast of Sardinia. The city is renowned for its picturesque waterfront, where a string of delightful restaurants offer spectacular views of the Mediterranean Sea and the famous famous Alghero sunset. We'll also visit a Nuraghe site to explore the ancient history of this amazing island.

Corsica

Summary of the 2nd part of our adventure includes:

• 8 nights accommodation
• all breakfasts
• 2 lunches 
• 3 dinners
• transport along route
• singing and swimming with Stuart along the way
• take part in the Polyphonic Song Festival Calvi

THE ITINERARY

14 -16  September: Propriano 2 x nights
We will travel from Alghero by our private bus to the port of Santa Teresa Gallura and take a one hour ferry ride across to Bonifacio on the southern tip of Corsica. We will spend the afternoon here exploring this spectacular town perched on a cliff before driving to Propriano.
Our accommodation in Propriano has it's own private beach.

16 – 21 September: Calvi x 6 nights We will be settling in for a 6 night stay here. Calvi is a picturesque little city surrounded by beautiful beaches that can be explored by taking a unique 2 carriage train journey. Our stay in Calvi will be primarily focussed on the Polyphonic Song Festival known as Rencontres de Chants Polyphoniques held from the 16 – 20 September. Our newly formed pop-up choir will be singing in various places around the citadel. 

We will finish our journey on the morning of the 21 September in Calvi. Note that Calvi airport is not far from our hotel but also note that it is small, therefore flights are mainly to destinations in France. We can arrange transport on to Bastia so there are more options of Ferries to Italy and also an airport. So please let us know if you need any suggestions for making your way from Calvi to other destinations in Europe.

About the festival. 

Rencontres de Chants Polyphoniques has been held annually in Calvi since 1989, Corsica’s Polyphonic Song Festival draws choristers and soloists from Corsica and across the world to perform. The flagging tradition of polyphonic singing was revived in the 1970s and has since become an important part of Corsicans’ regional identity. Concerts are held in grand venues throughout Calvi, including the town’s Citadel, the Cathedral St-Jean-Baptiste, and the Saint-Antoine oratory. The singers that flock to Calvi for the festival are of disparate origins and may hail from Inuit, Mongolian, South African, Cuban, or Bulgarian cultures.

 WHAT PEOPLE HAVE SAID ABOUT PAST EVENTS WITH STUART DAVIS

" The tour exceeded my expectations. It was a feast for the senses! Having a group with a common interest made it gel much quicker so it felt cohesive and easy to integrate straight away.  You have a real talent in teaching singing. Thank you so much for a terrific and very memorable holiday.  " - Phillip & Elizabeth

" Hats off to you for your great relaxed teaching style. You worked wonders with us in such a short time. Thank you for a truly great trip.  " - Moya

Stuart Davis has been directing choirs in Sydney, Australia for 25 years. He also performs in a couple of small groups (The Lounge Quintet). Currently he directs 3 choirs and co-ordinates 3 other choirs in and around Sydney.  Stuart co-directed our 2018, Singing in Italy event and was our primary director of Singing and Sailing in Croatia, 2017.

Stuart says, ‘I’m indebted to Tony Backhouse and his very influential choir ‘The Cafe of the Gate of Salvation’.  It was here that I learned how a choir can be a village in itself - a real community, almost a family’.

'Every choir is unique, and everyone gets something special out of it, but the common things are sheer joy, relaxation and community.  It’s very common to hear from members that choir night is the highlight of their week.In fact, many people have trouble sleeping after choir they are so stimulated!' The choirs all perform regularly, always raising money for something or other.  I believe in what I call ‘Double Happiness’ - do what you love but make sure it has some other positive effect somewhere else. Between the choirs, over the years, we have raised over $50,000 for various causes. 

Stuart is a lucky guy - ‘my job gives me immense joy, and I know that every week hundreds of other people are getting a similar dose of happiness.  Plus I know, there are villages in Africa, New Guinea, India and Vanuatu who have classrooms, wells, toilets and books just because we put on a few concerts’.

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