Singing in Sardinia and Corsica, 2023

A 14 day singing adventure

Experience the magic of Sardinia, Italy, 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; 

• Daily workshops with Stuart, you'll quickly form a pop up choir.
• Optional Singing sessions with local teachers Giovanni and Ilaria who teach Tuvan throat singing.
• Beach days filled with walks, swims and of course singing.
• Day tour visiting local singers and musicians, partaking in welcoming hospitality in a traditional ‘festa’ (open house, traditional food, wine, song and clothing. 
• Access a cave by boat and sing in the natural echo chamber.
• 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, cheeses and fabulous local wines

THE LOCATIONS 
We begin our adventure with 1 night in Olbia then travel 1.5 hours south to spend 4 nights in Cala Gonome,
We will visit Bitti on route to Alghero where we will stay 2 nights. We will travel from Alghero by private bus to the port of Santa Teresa Gallura and take a one hour ferry ride across to the southern tip of Corsica, Bonafacio where we will stay one night. 

Corsica

We continue with song through to Corsica for the annual international polyphonic festival.

We'll be leaving Alghero in the morning and taking a 6 hour bus and ferry ride to Ajaccio where will stay 2 nights. During our stay in this stunning Venetian Renaissance-style city there will be time to wander the streets and visit the cathedral and places of interest.

There is also time to explore some gorgeous historic buildings to sing in while here. If we are lucky we will find a traditional polyphonic choir rehearsing or performing while we walk the streets. The traditional Corsican repertoire consists of three main types of songs: the paghjella, the terzetti and the madrigale. Paghjella is the best known and the “most Corsican” local style. The term paghjella is connected to the term paghja (“pair”).

Leaving early we will take a spectacular 3 hour inland drive to Calvi, stopping for lunch along the way. We will be settling in for a 5 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. This 5 day stay in Calvi will be primarily focussed on the Polyphonic Song Festival known as Rencontres de Chants Polyphoniques held from the 12-16th September. We will also enjoy the festival with our newly formed pop-up choir, singing in the citadel. 

We will finish our journey on the morning of the 17th September. For those that wish to take the ferry back to mainland Italy, we will be driving to Bastia this day. See ferry timetable and destinations here>

Summary of our Corsica adventure

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

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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