Description
SINGING WORKSHOP
2 – 5pm | Tickets £5 / £7 / £10 (pay what you can)
Eco Park, Porthtowan
Join us on Saturday 9th May, ahead of the Baka Beyond gig, for a powerful and uplifting afternoon of song.
Led by Su Hart – lead singer of Baka Beyond and community choir leader based in Bath—this unique workshop is inspired by her many visits to the Baka Rainforest People of Cameroon since 1992.
The Baka are believed to be among the first humans to sing. The women’s rainforest singing style – an intricate, interlocking yodel that echoes through the forests of Central Africa. This ancient vocal tradition developed to enchant forest animals for a successful hunt, to navigate dense woodland, to heal illness and conflict, to soothe grief, and to calm a crying child.
For the Baka, music is life: a way of understanding and communicating with a world shaped entirely by natural sound. Their songs weave voices together in complex, beautiful patterns. To learn this style is to discover a new way of sharing sound – rhythmic, accessible, and deeply joyful.
After many years of relationship and exchange, Su was initiated by Baka women and given permission to share this music beyond the forest. Royalties from her work are returned to support forest-based projects through the charity Global Music Exchange.
Su is known for her inclusive, infectious leadership style. Whether you consider yourself a singer or not, you’ll be welcomed in. The focus is on listening, finding the space to enter, blending, and weaving your voice with others. The workshop builds community, deep listening, rhythm skills, and above all, fun.
During the workshop you will:
Learn traditional forest chants, songs, rhythms, and yodel techniques
Develop new ways of listening and blending as part of a shared sound
Experience the joy of communal singing – open to singers and non-singers alike
Come ready to listen, to sing, and to be part of something truly special.
