Southern African Choral Workshop @ Fylingdales Village Hall

About the Activity
Gather at Fylingdales Village Hall for a full afternoon of Southern African choral singing with Zimbabwean musician & workshop leader Bruce Ncube, known as Njube Giant.

Bruce teaches traditional & gospel songs from Zimbabwe & across southern Africa in three to six-part harmonies; the same songs his grandmother sang, the same rhythms passed down through oral tradition across generations. In this workshop he opens those traditions to a room full of people who may never have sung in harmony before, & guides them toward a shared sound that is genuinely surprising in its power & beauty. Participants learn the structures & patterns of Southern African vocal music, build harmonies together & discover what happens when a group of strangers stops being strangers through song.

No musical training is required. No prior singing experience is needed. No ability to read music is assumed. All voices are welcome & every voice is necessary; the music is built on exactly that principle.

Part of Whitby Gathers, a free summer arts programme across Whitby & surrounding villages, supported by Arts Council England.

What to Bring
Water & something comfortable to wear. All vocal work; no instruments needed.

About the Facilitator
Bruce Ncube (Njube Giant) is a Zimbabwean musician, vocalist & choral workshop leader based in the UK since 2004. Born and raised in Bulawayo, a city Bruce describes as "a melting pot of cultures," he learned music through oral tradition from his grandparents & uncles; beginning with percussion before finding his way into song. He has spent the last two decades teaching traditional & gospel songs from Zimbabwe & across southern Africa in three to six-part harmonies with groups in villages, schools & community spaces across the UK. He has performed & led workshops at the Edinburgh Fringe, WOMAD & a wide range of national & international community projects. At the heart of his practice is a deep commitment to the preservation of identity through music; to ensuring that the songs his forefathers carried are not lost. "Music is my home," he says. "No matter where I go, I'll always be who I am."