Pitchfolk 2025 – A weekend of friendship, feasting and workshops of songs from around the world

An exploration of voice

For the fourth Pitchfolk weekend we'll be learning Yiddish and Slavic songs, and special arrangements of Icelandic folk songs. We'll also be exploring English folk songs, with a focus on how to successfully improvise harmonies. As well as the singing workshops we'll have, as always, storytelling, informal singing sessions, and our Saturday night feast, with performances from the floor. 

This year we'll be based at the Quaker Meeting house in Street, near Glastonbury, with camping on site, good public transport links, and all amenities close by.

What is Pitchfolk?
Pitchfolk is a weekend of song, feasting and friendship, featuring workshops of polyphonic music from around the world, led by renowned choir leaders and educators who are expert in those traditions. It's a chance to step out of the everyday and familiar, and join a supportive group to explore the different ways the voice is used around the world.

We believe that singing is a universal birthright, as natural to humans beings as speaking. Harmony singing has a particular power to move us, and to connect us – both with ourselves, and with each other, and with those who came before. 

Who is Pitchfolk for?
The weekend is open to anyone who is interested to explore their voice and learn songs from around the world. You don't need to be able to read music, or to be an experienced singer. You'll find that there will be many very experienced singers in the group, but there will also be a welcoming and supportive ethos. Combined with the skilled guidance of our music leaders, the workshops are intended to provide everyone with a challenge and an opportunity to grow as singers, but also to have fun.

In the words of those who attended:

"Superb workshop leaders, variety of workshop content, effortless community building through singing together.

"I enjoyed learning about different singing techniques. Great teachers. Great ambience."

"A joyous and uplifting weekend... I absolutely loved it!"

"The joyousness of singing that music and dancing was wonderful."

"The small numbers made it intimate.

"Totally superb weekend of singing...can't wait for next year."

 Music leaders for 2025 

Polina Shepherd

Polina Shepherd was raised in a Cossack / Jewish family in Novosibirsk. She grew up with singing at family gatherings where she accompanied her grandfather, a WWII veteran and her whole Cossack /Jewish family from the age of 10. When living in Tatarstan and studying at the State Academy in the 1990s, she toured USSR with Simkha, Russia′s first klezmer band after Perestroika. By her early twenties she was a Yiddish choir leader, composer, bandleader, singer, an international touring musician, educator and festival organiser.

In 2003 Polina moved to the UK where she carried on performing, composing music, researching her heritage and neighbouring singing styles. Her choral work in the UK and abroad covers many aspects of vocal music from large scale choirs to smaller chamber groups, from highly arranged and conducted pieces to on spot choral improvisation. Her specially developed teaching and conducting methods are based on specific East European sound, ornamentation, modal experimentation with attention to history and context.

Her recent work as a singer included touring with Apollo’s Fire, Cleveland (OH, USA) Grammy-winning baroque orchestra and 'Folk-Cabaret' The Stranniki (UK-USA). In cinema, she recorded for The Windermere Children and appears conducting and soloing in TV series The Crown. In theatre, most recently she's been Music Adviser and recorded for National Theatre co-production of Kin by Amit Lahav. Polina's choral work has been published internationally, most recently in Edition Peters Yiddish Choral Series. Music Director of Caravan Orchestra and Choir, an international project for young musicians with classical, jazz and Arab music backgrounds.

Now, with over 30 years of professional experience, she continues to be an international culture maker, striving to connect communities through music all around our global village.

'Polina is a brilliant and talented teacher and coach... We all learned and sang with new freedom; we were encouraged to create harmonies, and together made music that I suspect was only possible due to Polina.”
Carol D, residential workshop participant

“Most enthusiastic and inspiring. Also extremely knowledgeable – not only about music. A great introduction to Slavic culture…”
BW, workshop participant

”Polina's an expert and experienced choir leader and her enthusiasm for choral singing is infectious.”
NK, workshop participant

“Wonderful music from some very unique genres, much of which has been new to me. Polina’s style of teaching and selection of music have provided an amazing opportunity to listen and learn from an incredibly talented musician.”
NT, online workshop participant

Bára Grímsdóttir

Bára was born in Blönduós in the north of Iceland in 1960 and grew up surrounded by the folk songs of her parents and grandparents in the family farm, Grímstunga in Vatnsdalur. Bára has a deep, lifelong involvement with the traditional folk music of Iceland, performing, recording, touring and teaching. She has been the chairperson of Iðunn (the rímur songs and ballad organisation) since 2015 and she instigated the national Day of Rímur songs, held each year on the 15 September.

On the 17 June 2019, Bára was invested as a Knight of the Order of the Falcon, by the President of Iceland, Guðni Th. Jóhannesson. The honour was awarded 'For protecting and re-newing the traditional music of Iceland'. Alongside the music that she grew up hearing in an oral tradition, Bára began her formal music education at age seven in the Barnamúsikskólinn í Reykjavík. Later she went on to qualify as a music teacher, starting her conducting career straight out of college in her early twenties. She then continued her studies in the Department of Composition and Theory at Reykjavík College of Music, which led on to five more years of post graduate studies in Holland, where she studied composition with Louis Andriessen amongst others. Bára is widely respected as a composer, especially of vocal music, in her native country. Her works have been widely performed and recorded in Iceland and abroad. Virgo Gloriosa an album of her choral music, was nominated in the Iceland Music Awards in 2003. Her choral works have been performed and recorded by choirs in the USA, Germany, Sweden, Finland and England as well as in Iceland.

Bára has written many pieces for vocal groups and choirs. She has composed instrumental music for solo instruments, small and medium sized ensembles, and orchestras. She has also composed an opera and music for theatre. In 2001 she teamed up with English folk musician Chris Foster and formed the duo Funi, that has recorded, toured and taught widely in Europe and North America. In her role as composer, arranger and teacher, Bára continues to draw on the well of traditional Icelandic music, for example the unique Tvísöngur songs, many in lydian mode, where voices sing in parallel fifths and also cross over. As a performer, she invests the traditional songs that she performs with a natural authority born out of her having been surrounded by them from birth.

Marion Fleetwood

Marion regularly hosts her improvised choral workshop 'Choir in a Day', and is passionate about people finding their own voices. She turns her hand effortlessly to music from almost any genre, demonstrating her deep love of music in all its forms, but over the course of her workshops at Pitchfolk Marion will be inviting participants to experiment with creating their own harmonies within the English folk tradition.

Marion is a senior teacher for Warwickshire Music Hub, teaching regularly in primary and secondary schools, and has delivered classes, workshops and lectures at every level of the education system.

With a voice which has been described as 'mesmerising' and 'siren-esque', and as a string player, Marion has been a familiar face in the British folk world for over 20 years. Her festival appearances over the last 3 decades have included stages across the country and overseas. She is probably best known as a member of The Sandy Denny Project, Fleetwood Cave, TRADarrr and the legendary fiddle supergroup, Feast of Fiddles. She is also a member of Reg Meuross and The Strike which has recorded 'Fire & Dust - A Woody Guthrie Story), produced by Pete Townshend, and plays with the Jim Creegan acoustic band.

'Sublime'
Fatea magazine

'Marion deserves to be ranked as one of the finest singers in the country''
Fatea magazine

Ashley Hutchings MBE (Fairport Convention, The Albion Band)

Sharon Jacksties
In addition to the singing workshops from Polina and Bara, we are delighted to again have Sharon joining us to weave stories connecting to local history and the singing traditions we'll be exploring.

 Ticket prices 

£165/130/95 weekend (workshops, lunch and evening meals, and feast on Saturday evening)
£95/85/75 Saturday (workshops, lunch and evening feast)
£70/60/50 Saturday daytime (workshops and lunch only)
£17.50/15/12.50 individual workshop
£25/20 Saturday evening feast (subject to availability)

Friday 
The main program will begin on Friday evening with an introductory workshop in the Meeting House.

Saturday 
During Saturday we'll have a full program of workshops, beginning at 9.30am.

This year our Saturday evening feast will be held at Mullions 51, immediately opposite the Meeting House, where we will be treated to a selection of authentic tapas cooked on site by the Spanish chefs. As always, during the feast guests are invited to share songs, poems or stories from any tradition of their choosing. Space is strictly limited for this, and priority will be given to those booking day or weekend passes. But feast only tickets will be offered nearer the time, if there is room.

Sunday
On Sunday morning we will go back over a number of the main songs learned over the weekend, and then hold a short performance, to which friends, family, and local residents are invited.

Accommodation
For those choosing to stay on site, camping is available in the Orchard, immediately adjacent to the Meeting House. There are toilets and three showers in the Meeting House, which will be accessible to campers. A small number of campervans can also be accommodated on site.

For those who prefer a little more luxury, many other accommodation options are available nearby.

Catering
The weekend pass includes a Friday evening meal, lunches on Saturday and Sunday, and the Saturday evening feast.
The Saturday pass includes lunch and, if booked, Saturday evening feast.

Vegetarian options are available as standard.

Children
While Pitchfolk is primarily aimed at adults, we'd like to accommodate younger singers and singers with children, if possible. Please feel free to email us if you'd like to discuss this.

Facebook Event Page