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Southampton

April 5 - 7, 2024

Hometown of Craig David and birthplace of fish fingers (apparently!), the port town that launched the Titanic, what better place to launch our tour of Vocal Improv in the UK 😬

 

Featuring workshops from Kate Mellors, Kate Smith, Bella Lilley, Emma Coleman, Phoebe Osborne, Tara Reece, and Uran Apak, performances from Oöm (vocal improv quintet) and an after party with live looping and beats, as well as a sneaky pre-session on Friday early evening for those who book the entire weekend, we will set things off with a bang! 

 

This festival will have a more ‘grass-roots’ feel in comparison to London and Leeds in terms of the venues we are using (this is reflected in the price), and be hosted in the beautiful St Denys Church near the river Itchen, Riverside Park for an outdoor singing adventure and under the arches at Planet Sounds, home of SOCO Music Project, our partner for the Southampton festival.

Programme Southampton

Programme

April 5th

FRIDAY

Prequel

@Planet Sounds

40 Terminus Terrace,

Southampton SO14 3FE

April 6th

SATURDAY

Facilitator workshops,

Evening Performances

@St Denys Church

Dundee Rd, Southampton

SO17 2ND

Dance Party

@ Planet Sounds

40 Terminus Terrace,

Southampton SO14 3FE

April 7th

SUNDAY

 

Community Deep Dive

Morning

@Riverside Park

Manor Farm Rd, Southampton

SO18 1NQ

After lunch

@St Denys Church

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Prequel

Friday 16:00-18:00

WHAT?

A cheeky little extra playground for those who have purchased the full weekend ticket (donation based)

WHO?

Anyone who has purchased the full weekend ticket

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Live Performance

Saturday 20:00

WHAT? 
E
ach festival will also feature a Saturday evening performance by some of the UK’s leading vocal improv performers. Southampton will feature Oöm, a collective of five women known for their unique soulful-meets-bonkers vocal improv

WHO?

The gig is open to anyone, you don't have to be a participant, so bring your mates!

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Improv Bazaar

Sunday afternoon

WHAT? 
Over to you! A facilitated self-organisation space where anyone can step in and offer a session or suggest an aspect of vocal improvisation to explore. We want you to take the reins and go for a ride, share ideas, try things out, have a go!

WHO?

Budding facilitators and experienced improvisers are warmly welcomed to both offer or take part in sessions

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Workshops

Saturday 10:30-18:00

WHAT?

Discover, study, and learn with facilitators from the local area and from further afield  

WHO?

Suitable for all! A range of workshops will be available for beginners to advanced singers

Dance Party

Saturday 21:30 Afterparty

WHAT? 

An uplifting and invigorating entirely improvised dance party (and home for our beauty sleep by midnight!)

 

Get your boogie on and celebrate! The inimitable Uran Apak will be guiding us through an improvised club night with his excellent looping skills. Sing along or jump on a drum. Not to be missed!

WHO?

Open to everyone

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Tea, Cake & Chat

Saturday & Sunday

WHAT? 

A chance to connect and network over tea and cake. This is about fostering community and getting involved in imagining the future of vocal improv in the UK, woop, The Good Stuff!

WHO?
A chance for anyone in attendance to connect. We want to meet you, we want you to meet each other, we want our voices to join and be strong! Let us become a vocal improv mycelial network!

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The BIG SING

Saturday 18:45

WHAT?

A welcoming introduction to vocal improv, we gather and are guided through a gentle warm up and a circlesinging experience

WHO?

Great for everyone, but especially those new to vocal improvisation who want to try it out

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Sunday Morning Magic

Sunday 11:30am

WHAT? 

After a long day improvising on Saturday, a soft Sunday morning to warm you up and drop you in. We will meet armed with flasks of hot drinks by the river to connect with our natural surroundings and each other

WHO?

The Sunday ticket is aimed at ‘experienced improvisers’: what do we mean by that? You don't need any certificates (!), or to have been 'doing this for years'. If you have previously taken part in a couple of vocal improv workshops, or you are a confident singer who has joined the Saturday and are curious to dive in more, then you’ll be right at home at the Sunday session too

Locations

Workshops

Participants will sign up for workshops on Saturday morning.

Locations

The workshops, THE BIG SING, the Live Performance and The Improv Bazaar will be held at: 

St Denys Church

Dundee Rd, Southampton

SO17 2ND, United Kingdom

The Friday Geekout, Improv DJ Dance Party with live looping and drumming by DJ Singah will be happening at:

Planet Sounds 

40 Terminus Terrace, Southampton SO14 3FE, United Kingdom

Sunday Morning Magic will be happening at: 

Riverside Park

Manor Farm Rd, Southampton

SO18 1NQ, United Kingdom

Facilitators

Kate Mellors

KATE 

MELLORS

Uran Apak

URAN

APAK

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TARA

REECE

Performers

Our live performance will be headlined by vocal improv group Oöm (formerly Wellspring Collective). In the first half of the concert, the members of Oöm will be joined by the other facilitators, Bella Lilley and Uran Apak.

"Oöm is a collective of five women hailing from different locations, drawn together by their shared love of collaborative vocal improv. Meeting several times a year on creative residencies, the collective enjoys pushing at the edges of vocal improv, following threads which take their fancy, getting geeky, and probably a bit weird. Their signature sound tends to include delicious harmonic and rhythmic travels, experimental sounds, and stories spun from the air - with a healthy dose of comedy. 

 

After releasing their first album Source in 2022, they are exciting to be releasing their second Oöm in March 2024!

 

Oöm is Kate (Southampton, UK), Emma (Leeds, UK), Phoebe (London, UK), Tara (Rotterdamn, Netherlands) and Kate (Lisbon, Portugal)."

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The Southampton Team

The Southampton event will be supported by a fantastic local team of vocal improv enthusiasts, with support from SoCo Music Project, a charity that support wellbeing and progression through music. SoCo work in partnership with support agencies to develop and deliver rich programmes of music activity including songwriting to support mental health, music making for people recovering from substance misuse, music production with young offenders, and choirs with young carers. SoCo support artists on their creative journeys, are passionate about bringing new music making opportunities to Southampton, and are supporting us to do so. 

And a big thank you to all the volunteers who are pulling together to make this event possible!

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Southampton FAQs

Are there any prerequisites to participating in the event?

 

The event is here to bring together our beautiful community from all corners of the UK (and beyond). Everyone is welcome, all levels, all voices, all bodies, all genders (or non-genders), all humans! While you do not need to be an experienced singer or improviser, you should probably be able to keep a beat and match pitch, as well as have some previous exposure to the artform. This will ensure that you can really dive in and enjoy the richness of what is on offer. 

 

I’ve never done collaborative vocal improvisation before. Can I join?

 

If you haven’t done vocal improvisation before there are parts of the event that will be appropriate for all levels of experience. The Big Sing, Live Performance and the After Party are all fully inclusive parts of the event you can book and join separately. 

 

The rest is aimed at people with singing experience (choirs etc.) + people who’ve done some vocal improv. 


 

I am a facilitator, can I lead a workshop?

 

Yes you can! Come to the Improv Bazaar on Sunday where you will be able to pitch your workshop to our participants. If there is enough interest we will allocate a space for you. 


 

Do I have to do all the sessions in the schedule? / Can I come to only one part of the event?

 

Our whole schedule is a warm invitation. You can choose to embrace it all in its entirety, or choose not to attend certain sessions if you need to take a rest, or just don’t fancy the content.

 

Also we have ticket options where you can choose to book the whole event or parts of it that tickle your fancy.

 

Can I come with my child?

 

The event is aimed at 15+.

 

As inclusive as it seeks to be, this event does offer activities directed towards adults. The workshop process takes into account how an adult understands and uses information, and this is not necessarily the same for children.


 

Can I get a discount?

We offer a sliding scale payment system in order to cover our costs while allowing wiggle room for people for whom finances might be a barrier to attending.

 

STANDARD

For this event we need most of you to opt for the standard ticket price. This price reflects the basic cost of the event, and is possible due to the generosity of many people volunteering their time or accepting low fees. If you have the means, please add a donation on top of this to support our team further.

REDUCED & LOW-INCOME

If you can't afford a standard ticket, are unemployed, a student, or your finances are very stretched right now, please judge accordingly and opt for a reduced ticket if you need it. If you struggle with basic needs, then our low-income tickets are for you.


We understand this is a sensitive and changeable thing. For clarity, check this website: https://www.radicalhistoryclub.com/sliding-scale


Will you be offering food during the event?

 

You’ll be in charge of your own breakfasts & lunches during the event. There will be an option to buy a vegan dinner on Saturday.

 

Can I smoke on the site?

 

The smoking/vaping spot is in the car park in front of the office area at St Denys Church, and outside at Planet Sounds.

 

Can I drink alcohol on site?

 

We are holding an alcohol free space. The use of drugs and psychotropic substances is also prohibited on the site.

 

I am not a singer, can I come and watch the performance as an audience member? Can I join the after party?

 

Yes please.

 

If I cannot make it to the event will I be able to get a refund? 

 

We are not able to issue refunds, but you can transfer your ticket into someone else’s name if you wish to do so. 

 

What is the parking situation around the venue? 

 

At St Denys there is a car park for 25 cars, and then free parking on the roads surrounding the space. Outside Planet Sounds is a public pay and display car park. 

 

Is there disabled access to the venue?

 

Both spaces are levelled, so accessible for wheelchair users. 

 

Is there any public transport that could take me to the venue? 

 

Yes! The nearest train station is St Denys, a 5 minute walk away. 

 

Do I need to bring or prepare anything? 

 

You might want to bring comfortable clothes and slippers, and a reuseable water bottle. On the Sunday morning feel free to bring a hot drink in a flask with you for the outdoor session.

 

What if it is bad weather - will the outdoor session go ahead? 

 

We will aim to be outside, but if it looks utterly dreadful we can use the church space from midday. 

 

Can you offer or recommend accommodation for the weekend? 

 

We are not able to offer recommendations but we suggest you check airbnb and hotel options in the area. 

 

Is there a place to buy food around the venue? 

 

Bitterne Triangle which is a 5 min walk from the venue has cafes, pubs and shops where you can buy food.

 

My physical condition doesn’t allow me to hold certain postures or make certain movements, will this be a problem? 

 

We will try to do our best to accommodate everyone’s needs, and offer variations to moving or standing exercises. If you have any specific needs or worries, please email us at ukvocalimprov@gmail.com in advance. 

FAQs
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