Pitchfolk 2026 – A weekend of friendship, feasting and workshops of songs from around the world

An exploration of voice

For the fifth Pitchfolk weekend our expert workshop leaders will be teaching polyphonic songs from three radically different traditions, each of which has been recognised by UNESCO as a treasure of intangible heritage. We'll be exploring the polyphonic songs of the Baka people of the Cameroonian rainforests, Swiss folk songs, and songs from the West of Georgia.

Although these unique and highly distinctive traditions come from separate continents, they nonetheless share a common thread, as each features a different style of yodelling.

Yodelling is simply a rapid switching between our usual 'chest voice' and falsetto, or 'head voice', and is a great way to experiment with this aspect of our voices, and better understand how these registers work, and what they are capable of – knowledge and experience that will be useful, whatever music you generally sing. There will, of course, be plenty of non yodelling parts to sing. But for those who want to give the yodelling a go, it's going to be fascinating, and a lot of fun, to contrast and compare the ways in which these very different cultures use it to ornament the underlying 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. And once again we'll have a question and answer panel session with our workshop leaders, which proved so interesting and popular last year.

This year we'll again 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 birth right, 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 have 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 2026 

Su Hart

Su is a British choir leader, singer-songwriter and composer, and vocalist of the band Baka Beyond. Baka Beyond was formed in 1992, when she and her partner, Martin Cradick, travelled to south-east Cameroon to live with the Baka tribe in the rainforest and record their music. Su founded the Walcot State Choir in Bath in 2000 and has directed it since. In 2006 she helped to bring the Cameroonian band Orchestre Baka Gbine to Gateshead, and helped run the Shakti Sings Choir at the Glastonbury Festival in 2013.

Baka polyphony
The Baka are people of the rain forest, with a culture that is believed to stretch back continuously for around 40,000 years. Baka polyphony is based on generally simple melodies, sung in four part harmonies, with complex polyrhythms and a great deal of improvisation, often accompanying dance.

In Su's words, it is, "one of the oldest and most sensitive musical cultures on earth. It was the amazing bird-like singing or 'yelli' that first attracted me... The women get together before the dawn to sing, enchant the animals of the forest and ensure that the men's hunting will be successful. Song and dance are used by the Baka for healing, for rituals, for keeping the community together and also for pure fun."

"Su’s workshop was such a joyous experience! Her enthusiasm for music, life and connection was so infectious that I soon forgot my inhibitions and sang effortlessly, from the heart. Her stories of living with the Baka people were both funny and fascinating, helping to put the songs into context. Her ability to bring some of the magic of the rain forest into a damp corner of Northern England was impressive. The whole day was delightful"
Course participant, November 2019

"...it was the outstanding workshops presented by Su Hart that will remain with me most. Mind-blowingly inspirational."
Workshop participant

Baka Beyond actively support the Baka people and ensure that royalties from their music are used to fund projects directed by the Baka. You can find out more about this, and how to donate here.

Helen Curtis

Helen is a songwriter, performer, music tutor and workshop leader based in West Yorkshire. Her varied CV includes teaching and performing Cuban, Brazilian and Georgian music, as well as performing original folk/jazz inspired songs, as duo Calluna Sun with her sister, Louise. The sisters also perform a cappella Swiss folk as Sätteli.

Of Anglo-Swiss heritage, Helen grew up in rural Lancashire, but a large part of her and her siblings' childhood was spent in the remote mountains of the Bernese Oberland, and in the small village of Fuhren, where they stayed with their grandparents, immersed in the alpine farming community. Helen and her sister Louise, aka Sätteli, grew up playing and singing music together. They began their exploration of Swiss folk songs over 15 years ago as a way of connecting to their maternal homeland. They fell in love with the unique and lyrical ways of expressing the voice, using songs without words, and within the regional traditions of Switzerland. Sätteli have performed at various festivals and venues, including at Musicport Festival, and the Howard Assembly Rooms in Leeds, they have also been featured on radio including BBC Radio 3, and BBC Radio Leeds. Mara Carlyle described their album, Sing Es Lied für Mi as “full of perfectly intonated delights"

“Thanks for a marvellous workshop, very uplifting and a surprisingly good hangover cure!”
Workshop participant

“I never thought I would be able to learn these songs, but Helen taught everything so clearly”
Martin Christie, workshop participant

“Thank you for an outstanding workshop yesterday. I was yodelling all the way back to Stockport!”
Accordion Dave, workshop participant

Swiss folk singing
While yodelling is the first thing most people will think of when talking about Switzerland, there's much more to Swiss folk music than that. It is a highly varied tradition, with distinct regional differences.

Sandro Shar

Sandro is a British‑Georgian jazz pianist, composer, multi‑instrumentalist and researcher with a focus on Georgian traditional music. He co‑founded Georgian Music House in London, a teaching studio and cultural hub dedicated to Georgian vocal and instrumental traditions. His creative work draws on Georgian musical language and tuning practices across genres, from jazz and orchestral arranging to electronic production, and he continues to tour and record widely. He also runs Ancestral Tones on Substack, Instagram and TikTok, a platform exploring traditional music that has built a large and engaged global audience.

Georgian polyphony
Georgian polyphony is generally three part, close harmony. In the Western Georgian regions of Samgrelo and Guria the top voice will sometimes sing a yodel, known as krimanchuli. This is especially well developed in Guria. You can hear a vintage example here. Sandro's workshops will include instruction in krimanchuli, and opportunity to practise it for ourselves.

"Sandro’s knowledge of Georgian polyphony is both deep and practical. He studies historical recordings and archival materials carefully, and his compositional work shows how these traditions can be naturally and creatively woven into new musical contexts. His elaborations feel authentically Georgian, even when combined with contemporary or cross-cultural elements."
Nana Mzhavanadze, acclaimed Ethnomusicologist, singer and educator.

"Sandro teaches with a wonderful combination of expertise and ease. He has such a deep knowledge of Georgian polyphony, music theory and jazz, and shares it in a warm, generous and accessible way."
Holly Taylor Zuntz, leader Perebi Choir, Co-host 'Voices of the Ancestors' podcast.

Sharon Jacksties
In addition to the singing workshops, 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 
£175/145/105 weekend (workshops, lunch and evening meals, and feast on Saturday evening)
£100/90/80 Saturday (workshops, lunch and evening feast)
£75/65/55 Saturday daytime (workshops and lunch only)
£20/15/12.50 individual workshop (Friday evening or Saturday morning)
£35/30/25 Saturday evening feast and performances only (subject to availability)

 Programme 
On Friday evening and Saturday morning each of the workshop leaders will teach a workshop. After lunch on Saturday we will split the group so that delegates can explore the tradition of their choice in further depth.

The 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.

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.

As well as the main program activities, Sharon Jackstie will be offering storytelling sessions relating to the history of the area and the singing traditions featured over the weekend.

 Timings 
Key timings are highlighted in bold, and will be held to fairly strictly. Other timings may be slightly flexible, depending on how people are feeling.

Friday
15.00–17.00 Optional storytelling with Sharon
17.30–19.00 Evening meal
19.00–20.30 Workshop: Swiss folk songs with Helen Curtis
20.30 onwards Informal socialising and singing

Saturday
10.00–11.30 Workshop: Gurian song, including krimanchuli, with Sandro Shar
11.45–13.15 Workshops: with each leader, splitting in smaller groups
13.15–15.00 Lunch and optional storytelling with Sharon Jacksties
15.00–17.00 Workshop: Baka singing with Su Hart
17.15–18.15 Q and A session Su Hart and Helen Curtis
19.30–21.30 Tapas and floor spots at Mullions
21.30 onwards Informal socialising and singing

Sunday
10.00–12.00 Recaps of main songs (at Crispin Hall)
12.00–13.30 Lunch
13.30 Final sing through

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, and there is even the option for a few people to put camp beds in the meeting house, if desired.

There is a YHA hostel in Street, where private shared rooms can be booked for a small group at very affordable prices.

For those who prefer a little more luxury, many other reasonably priced accommodation options are available nearby, including Mullions 51, and The Bear Inn.

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, it is a family friendly event, and we'd like to accommodate younger singers and singers with children, wherever possible. Please feel free to email us if you'd like to discuss this.

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