WORKSHOPS

ZORGINA offers the following workshops for Music, Language Arts, Poetry, Women's Studies, Medieval Studies, English, Foreign Language (French, Italian, German), Literature, Art History, and Semiotics departments. Workshops can be from one to three hours.

A Tapestry of Women's Lives in Song
Songs texts can be a potent vehicle for exploring a society's values and attitudes, and can also provide a voice for social groups underrepresented in the mainstream of their culture. In this workshop we focus on representations of women, as well as writings by women themselves, in song texts spanning 900 years. ZORGINA presents songs and poetry from the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, the early American period, the early years of the 20th century, and Balkan and other folk music from around the world in an exploration of women's lives in song. English translations of all texts will be provided.

Medieval Music Demystified
How was music written in the Middle Ages? Who were the composers? Who were the performers? Who paid for it? What's this music about? Why does it often sound so strange to us? ZORGINA offers explanations, insights, and anecdotes for both newcomers to early music and aficionados. Activities include 'You Can Write a Rondeau,' and the 'Motet Sing-along'.

Women and Courtly Love
Few people realize the scope of women's freedoms, rights, and responsibilities in the Middle Ages, especially before the 14th century. While peasant women's lives were certainly tough (though probably equally as tough as peasant men's lives), women of class enjoyed a number of 'leisure pursuits' that are encoded, or sometimes fully bared, in the poetry of the Courtly Love tradition. ZORGINA presents medieval songs and poetry, by and about women, in their original languages (English translations are provided), along with excerpts from racy literature by prominent medieval women.

The Renaissance (or, why all of a sudden so much art?)
The Renaissance witnessed the greatest resurgence of secular art in the western world since classical antiquity. By the close of the Middle Ages the political climate in Europe had turned upside-down and everything from gender roles to class divisions to the Papacy itself was affected. Secular vocal music reached its peak, knowing how to sing became a social necessity, and popular songs became more, well, popular. ZORGINA will entertain you will gay madrigals and will discuss the social and political climate of Europe's cultural transformation. Everyone will sing English caches and rounds.

The Golden Harp - Music of the American Middle Ages, 1600-1850
The early European settlers to the New World brought with them a puritanical, devout spirit, an acute sense of mystery and wonder, and an ear for modal harmony. Starting a nation is hard and cruel work, and the vocal music from this time is ripe with hopes and prayers for salvation in an afterlife that could only be better than the hardships of life on earth. This fascinating, moving repertoire will be presented and discussed in its historical context.

1/2 DAY RESIDENCIES

In addition to their work as performers, the members of ZORGINA are all experienced educators in early music repertoire, contemporary vocal repertoire, and vocal technique. Each of these workshops can be adapted for periods of time from 1/2 day to up to 2 weeks.

Repertoire and Vocal Ensemble Study
Groups may choose from a wide range of repertoire according to their interests, including chant, medieval polyphony, madrigals, traditional American gospel and "shape-note" music, and pop and modern music. The main focus of our work will be on expression and interpretation of the selected repertoire to create a stylistically appropriate performance, and a blended and balanced sound within the group. We will also spend some time on vocal technique and will discuss the historical context of the chosen music. This workshop can be adapted for all skill levels and for groups of up to 15.

Vocal Improvisation
Students will be guided both in vocal improvisations on specific harmonies and scales and in improvising with the voice itself, with the goal of exploring the full scope of vocal expression. Participants will be encouraged to suspend their ideas about classical vocal beauty, focusing instead on using the voice as a musical instrument capable of the widest range of expression. This residency is for open-minded singers of intermediate to advanced skill levels. Group size is limited to 12.

Vocal Technique
The focus of this residency is on the bodywork and mental imagery that is essential for developing a freely resonating voice. Through a series of exercises and visualizations, in small groups and individually, participants will learn to recognize and release tension in their own voices, and to identify tension in others. When unproductive singing habits are replaced with proper breathing technique and creative visualization, dramatic changes in the voice can occur in a remarkably short period of time. These exercises can be adapted for all skill levels, but a wide disparity of skill levels within one group is not recommended. Group size is limited to 12.