The story began a long time ago and more or less by accident. In 1989 I was a student volunteer for the Voices Festival in The Netherlands and Belgium. First I was assigned to assist the King’s Singers on their tour, as a representative of the festival organisation. One of the top choirs in classical music at that moment. Then the festival changed my assignment. They learnt about my interest in world music and decided I was more suitable for a traditional music program. The largest of two groups I guided was Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares, which was quickly becoming a public favorite, with ongoing concert tours around the world for years to come. The other ensemble was much less known: A Cumpagnia from the isle of Corsica. The ensemble was built around the artistic community of Pigna and had just launched an album of traditional Corsican songs on the Harmonia Mundi label.
It was a life-changing experience to witness these musicians rehearse and perform their music day by day, and to assist them with their needs. The best part was yet to come though. At the end of their succesful double-bill tour in the Netherlands and Belgium, they told me one of them would not fly back to Corsica: sensing that this young student was very eager to absorb as much as he could from musical traditions, they wondered: would I be interested to use the ticket and come to Corsica? It was an offer you can’t refuse. But I refused. I had musicology exams coming up and declined the kind offer with pain in my heart. However, the invitation was made, and I would come at a more convenient time.

First visit to Corsica
That moment came Summer next year. With a friend I hitchhiked to South France, got on the ferry and arrived on the stunningly beautiful island of Corsica. There I looked for Mr. Acquaviva in a supermarket he managed in a little town. He kindly invited us to join the rehearsal a few days later, and so I came to make my first visit to the little village of Pigna, the residency of the artistic community of ‘vagabonds’ established over a decade earlier by Toni and Nicole Casalonga. It was (still is) a typical, gorgeous mediterranean hillside village: compact, with small winding cobblestone roads (mostly too narrow for cars), and solid houses built from natural rocks, ages ago. The weekly rehearsal took place at the Casa Musicale, a restaurant and pension at the edge of the village, with a grand view over the Bay of Calvi. It is too long ago to remember all the details; I think they played more instruments than they did in the concert tour, but they surely sang a lot as well. What has really stayed with me, however, is Nando’s invitation to join their singing. I never sang with musicians, only privately, and occasionally. The thought of joining musicians who had just toured in Dutch and Belgium theaters was utterly surprising. Singing? Me? With you?? Nando reassured me, explaining I could simply tag along and try: no big deal! On that spot some of my reservations about my voice, perhaps an instinctive shyness, as if it is something better kept private, vanished. I sang along and thoroughly enjoyed being part of the roaring harmonies these men produced.

We came back later to the Casa Musicale to stay overnight in the pension. I particularly remember eating in the restaurant, on the terrace, and tasting locally grown tomatoes unlike any tomato I ever ate before, as well as a dish with local basil. Al the senses were stimulated enough to make me long to go back. But I had to wait a few decades before that came to pass. The memory of the musicians remained, and in particular of Nando’s unexpected invitation to come to Pigna and join the singing. The seeds were planted and were nourished by the albums of Corsican music I found. Far away from the island itself, I immersed myself time and again in their rich polyphonies and often sang along.

The open-throated voice in traditional polyphonic singing
The singers of A Cumpagnia are all masters of the various forms of Corsican polyphony, the art of weaving several melodic lines together in ever-changing ways. Many Corsican villages have their own distinct repertoire of singing, which are either religious (and based on Latin texts) or secular (and based on poetry in the Corsican language). When singing a paghjella, three male singers produce their own vocal line with a powerful, open-throated chest voice. All vowels are produced with a minimum of obstruction in the vocal tract, in contrast with (European) classical singing, for which the open sound is modified by posturing the back and root of the tongue in different ways, and lowering the jaw. The sound flow is not as direct as it could be, and makes the tone darker. It adds a certain amount of artifice – and quite a lot of it in the case of some singers and styles. Add to it the typical vibrato that is produced deeper down in the throat and you are already far, far away from the natural open-throated sound of traditional Corsican singing.

As a young student, growing up hearing plenty of classical music at home, as well as jazz and pop (with many techniques to add colouring), this natural voice struck me as different. I was mesmerized by the qualities of the voices. There was a rawness and … honesty, as if the inner quality of a man comes through unveiled. When the second and third voice joined the main singer, they supercharged it, their lines joining in full force, making themselves stand out just as clear as the main voice. Usually the Corsican three-part polyphony would proceed as follows: shortly after the main singer begins the opening phrase, the others step in to add a note of their choice. Together they produce a three-tone chord, but the main melody and the chords keep changing. The two other singers follow the lead singer, adding a bass note and another note in between the lead voice and the bass. Each song type has well-established procedures for the development of the main voice. This gives each voice some room to play with their part. The bass wil generally start mid-range and in the course of several phrases descend to the lowest tone. Every time I hear it, this gives me the feeling there is something centering about Corsican polyphony: during a song you experience a gravitational force that is guaranteed to put you firmly on the ground when the phrase or song ends. Another feature is that many songs are in a minor key, but end on a major key.

Nando’s Mimofonia

One of the things that impressed me during A Cumpagnia’s first visit was the use of a sign language to create vocal polyphony. Nando would sing with two other men, and use his hands and fingers to indicate the harmony that they would sing. In this way the trio could remain in a natural flow of singing, while Nando could communicate possibilities and direction for the harmony in real time without talking. He could indicate how fast or slow they would change the chord, moving down or up, holding back certain progressions, make a bigger leap than usuaul etc. I found it amazing that a single person could hear the chords he wished to hear in his head and had a way to tell the others to follow the progressions he was foreseeing.

Another reason why it struck me, was that as a newcomer, the three voices were so resonant, and my ears were so attuned to overtones, that the richness overwhelmed and intoxicated me. Later, when listening to album recordings of Corsican polyphony, I sometimes could not tell how many parts there were. I might believe I was hearing 5 singers when in fact there were only three. And even I saw there were just three singers, I had a hard time catching everything that was happening. In the live sitation, onstage or during practise in Pigna, there was someone for whom all these parts were so transparent, that he had the mental space to create his own line on the spot as well as the two others, and use hand gestures to direct them. Nando did that without visible effort: he had a certain softness in his facial expressions, and a fluency in the way his hands and arms moved. During one visit, I asked him to show me how he used it, and we made photographs of each hand sign. (Unfortunately, I cannot find any video where we see the mimofonia live in action).

20+ years later

Decades later, I had a chance to get to know Nando better during various visits to Corsica, and occasional long-distance phone calls. My wife organised aromatherapy tours in the Meditterranean, and I insisted we should all go to this island, because I had vivid memories not only of the music, but also of the powerful aromas. After I had taken our family of four around the island for a two-week exploration, she felt that this was something to share with her students, lovers of fragrance, flowers, essential oils and botanical and cultural explorations in general. And so I became a tourguide for Chinese-speaking visitors. The itinerary always included a visit to Pigna and a concert or workshop with Nando and other musicians.

When we first arrived as a family, we visited the splendid botanical garden Parc Sallecia before heading for Pigna. In the park’s shop, we bought an album by a singer with the same name as Nando: Battista Acquaviva. That evening we went to the opening of the Festivoce (a great festival that is still happening every year). I saw Nando and introduced myself, 20+ years after we last met. He was standing next to a beautiful, tall lady: the one from the album we had just bought! It was his daughter. And so began a re-acquaintance and deeper understanding of Corsican music.

When the first group of aromatherapists arrived in Pigna next year, Nando performed together with Battista (a privilege that did not last long since she soon became a sensation (12 million views and counting!) in the French version of the popular TV-show The Voice.) Nando shared his passion for Corsican music, and welcomed me at home together with his family each time I visited. It was usually a day, or maybe two, that I was in the region. We had lots to talk about: I was hungry to learn more about his musical life and that of Pigna and the island as a whole. And Nando was very interested in musicology. I learnt that mimofonia was Nando’s own way to understand and create the polyphonic forms of his native region. It was he who had invented this system, which was not in general use – though one other active singer and teacher, Nicole Casalonga, also uses it to this day. Alongside the gestures, Nando wished to codify and indicate the finer variations in tuning, for which Corsican singers posses such a skilled ear.

Last but not least, Nando was a poet, a fanastic storyteller, philosopher: he could talk in the most captivating way about music and connect it with plants, fragrances, history, literature. Above all, he would speak from an unparallelled poetic imagination, weaving words and ideas like no one else. Here is his description of polyphony, from the album A Cumpagnia – in Paghjella:

Besides Casa Musicale, I would sometimes visit Claude Bellagamba, who runs a bar/restaurant in Pigna. His voice rings like a bell and makes the most extraordinary flourishes: you can hear him on many tracks of the seminal album Corsica – Chants Polyphoniques. On one occasion, it was time for a next step in my attempts to understand Corsican polyphony, and give my understanding of mimofonia a try without the aid of other singers singing my part. One of my favorite songs is Ecco Bella, and that’s what we tried to sing together. Click below to hear our version: the lead voice is by Claude Bellagamba, I was trying my best with the bass, and Nando usually comes in later to provide the highest voice.

The pandemic put an end to our yearly travels and I have not returned to Corsica again, yet. I treasure the memories and the generous sharing of his skill and knowledge. He passed on his skills to many others, and especially to Battista, who gives her own unique colour and expression to old and new music from the Balagne and elsewhere. I still take to heart that precious first session in Pigna. I recall this episode in my own Ocean of Voices workshops about musical traditions, encouraging students to start trying out new things with their voices.

Thank you, Nando and family, and thank you, members of A Cumpagnia!

More Sources

The breakthrough album that also led to their tour to the Benelux was E Voce Di U Cumune, Marcel Pérès – Corsica : Chants Polyphoniques from 1987.

Reissued and also on the streaming platforms in its ugly new ‘budget series’ cover. Make sure to check it out, the musicians were all in their prime, around 30 years young.

The album A Cumpagnia In Paghjella is also a great starting point (https://www.casa-editions.com/boutique/p/in-paghjella-a-cumpagnia).

Many more albums can be found on the label Casa Editions, run in Pigna.

If you want to read more:
The definitive work about Nando’s investigations into Corsican polyphony, including his mimofonia, is: Ignazio Macchiarella, ‘Il Restauratore di Polifonie’, in his book Ignazio Macchiarella (editor) – Tre Voce per Pensare il Mondo. Pratiche polifoniche confraternali in Corsica, Il Campo, 2011: pp. 142-.173.
A thorough English introduction to Corsican music is Caroline Bithel’s Transported by Song:
Corsican Voices from Oral Tradition to World Stage. Maryland: The Scarecrow Press, 2007.

Hear another example of an open-throated voice? Listen to each voice in this video I recorded of a Miserere from Castelsardo, Sardinia.

Sardinia and Corsica are also discussed in my book Overtone Singing, with a recording from Sardinia where a very clear overtone melody can be heard above the four singers (on the Anthology of Overtone Singing). Go to the page of The Overtone Singing Book.

Hear Nando and his daughter Battista perform together, at 17m 45s in this video:

The post Corsican Polyphony and Nando Aquaviva’s Mimofonia appeared first on Fusica.

RE-BALANCE BODY VOICE & MIND 

Three and a half days of intense explorations of voice and movement

for body-mind balance

and creative, vibrant well-being.

Scroll down for the Mandarin version

中文見下方

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Voice Yoga Winter Solstice Retreat 2022. Photo: Jackal Mei

WHAT IS THIS VOICE YOGA?

WHAT IS THIS RETREAT ABOUT?

In Voice Yoga’s dynamic group process, you go beyond your habits and expectations. Something larger than yourself emerges: a flow of hidden creative potential.

Grounded in physical exercise such as yoga or contact improvisation, we work with all kinds of sounds without meaning and without emphasizing a beautiful singing voice. Pure, direct expressions and sensations of physical resonance and vibration through mouth, limbs, hips, feet, skin and inner organs.

We go beyond common subject-object and mind-body dualities, and bring our unconscious selves and sometimes irrational emotions to the surface. The group process becomes a mirror for the self and allows us to ‘see’ ourselves more clearly, to hear what’s living deep inside. The result is often of a surprising clarity and immediacy.

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PROGRAM OUTLINE

We start Thursday December 19th at 9 AM and suggest you arrive the evening before.
We finish after lunch on Sunday 22th, around 1:30 PM.

Day 1

9:00-12:30 introduction to the program. Light exercising, breathing exercises, start moving, toning, improvising.
12:30-14:30 lunch & siësta
14:30-16:30 Guided movement and sound practices, walking meditations, improvisations

16:30-17:00 Tea time
17:00-18:00 Guided movement and sound practices, walking meditations, improvisations

18:00-19:30 dinner & rest

Day 2

9:00-12:30 Slow meditative warm-up, mild to vigorous exercising, toning, noise making, lie-down exercises.

12:30-14:30 lunch & siësta
14:30-16:30 Guided movement and sound practices, walking meditations, improvisations

16:30-17:00 Tea time
17:00-18:00 Guided movement and sound practices, walking meditations, improvisations
18:00-19:00 dinner

Day 3

9:00-12:30 Slow meditative warm-up, mild to vigorous exercising, toning, noise making. Once again: restorative (half-)sleep/dream.

12:30-14:30 lunch & siësta
14:30-17:00 Guided movement and sound practices, walking meditations, improvisations

17:00-19:00 Early dinner and preparations for the evening
19:00-21:00/22:00 observe and celebrate today’s Winter Solstice. On our last evening we will jointly celebrate the change from darkness to light. Participants can contribute a memory or reflection, a song, a dance, individually, en groupe, as a duo, whatever comes up. Consider to bring an instrument you play, candles to lighten up the atmosphere, a special garment or hat to wear.

Day 4 (half day)

9:00-12:30 Review, continuation and round-up.

12:30-14:30 lunch and bye bye

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PLACE

We hold our sessions in Shufang’s Energy Healing, a gorgeous yoga studio with a big garden in Dulan, Taidong. The studio has all utilities we need. We can use the big lawn outside for music and workouts in fresh air, a giant rock to repose, and shady places to rest.

There are several options for your overnight stay nearby, on a walking distance or further away. We are about a 10 minutes walk from downtown Dulan.

Accommodation: We recommend Moonrise Inn as it is the closest to the studio.

Hostels recommendation: Tranquilo Hostel or On My Way Dulan Hostel 

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FOR WHOM?

The workshop attracts young, curious artists; established musicians and performers facing creative obstacles or blockades; yoga and other body-mind workers not very familiar with sound; people familiar with sound but needing a fuller understanding and experience of it; people youna and old looking for physical and spiritual development; practitioners of Buddhism and other contemplative traditions needing deeper breathing and chanting practice; busy people needing a break from work in a relaxed atmosphere. Despite the name, Voice Yoga is not a harsh or demanding yoga camp, quite the contrary: it lets you grow at your own peace and rest and sleep or observe when you want to.

There are no specific requirements to join. Ages frange from early 20s to late 70s. Yoga, music or other skills are not required. We strive for a group between 8 and 12 people.

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HOW TO PREPARE?

Bring a yoga mat to exercise and lie down. There are sitting cushions and also chairs if you cannot sit on the floor for long. Bring something to cover yourself when we repose or meditate. Bringing an instrument is a good idea (no need to play it well; a percussive instrument is always good).

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LANGUAGES

English + Chinese

  ∂þ

YOUR TEACHER

Mark van Tongeren is a Dutch sound explorer with a deep interest in the synergy of arts, sciences and contemplative traditions. Mark has 30 years of experience in theatre, music and dance productions and holds a PhD from Leiden University’s Academy of Creative of Performing Arts. He practices yoga for some twenty-five years and all kinds of voice/music/performance practices for 35 years. His enterprise Fusica was established in 1998 to explore intersections of sound and the arts (music) on the one hand, and acoustic and other academic research (fusikè, physics) on the other.

 ∂þ

MEET THE TEAM & CONTACT

       Jackal, Sunny, Hsi-Yin, Mark

This workshop is brought to you by organiser Jackal Mei, translator Sunny Chen and hosted by Shufang Wang.

Administrative assistance by Hsi-Yin Chang.

For any questions about the contents in English, ask Mark.

mark@fusica.nl

FB: https://www.facebook.com/Paraphony

Phone 0910382749

For any questions about the contents, lodging, travel and food details, contact Jackal. For registration and payment issues ask Hsi-Yin.

Hsi Yin: hsiyin724@gmail.com

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PRICES

  29.500 NT$

Up to 9 October 2025

Super Early Bird / 15% off NT$ 22.125

Poor struggling artists (with proof of income) NT$ 22.125

10 October till 23 October 2025:

Early Bird / 15% off NT$ 25.075

Old Students / 30% off NT$ 20.650

After 23 October 2025

Full price NT$ 29.500

TOSA members  / 10% off  NT$ 26.550

Bring a friend / 5% off :  – NT$ 1.000

INCLUDED

– Tuition fee

– All lunches and diners (including Sunday lunch)

– Insurance

NOT INCLUDED

– Transport to Taidong

– Lodging

∂þ

REGISTRATION

– Please complete your online application form , and transfer application fee. IMPORTANT: please add a note ‘VYR’ in your payment.

– online application form: https://forms.gle/L22LxcqNuD2iaCwx9
– After transferring, please email to inform Hsi-Yin (hsiyin724@gmail.com) with your name, and the last 5 numbers of your bank account
– After receiving your fee, we will send a confirmation email in 5 days, and invite you joining our line group for more event detail.

PAYMENT

Bank code: 822.

Name of bank: China Trust

Beneficiary: Mark Christiaan van Tongeren

Account number: 163540306745

Make sure to send an email to Hsi-Yin after your payment. We will confirm reception as soon as possible.

CANCELLATION

We try to keep prices reasonable. If you cannot make it for some reason, we will return 80% of deposit fees up to 2 weeks before the event, 50% in the second week before starting date, and no refund in the last week leading to the event. In case of proven COVID-19-related problems we can give a refund (minus admin charge) or save the registration and fees for a next workshop.

We reserve the right to cancel the retreat in the case we do not reach the minimum number of participants, between 4 and 2 weeks before starting date; in this case all paid workshop fees will be promptly returned. We are not responsible for expenses for the BnB or transport.

DISCLAIMER

By signing up you automatically acknowledge your understanding that this retreat sometimes involves strenuous physical exercise, potentially disrupting body-work and emotionally charged sessions with a deep impact on your well-being. It is understood that you yourself best know of any risks (physical, emotional, psychological) and that there is no pressure or obligation to do each and every exercise. By joining this retreat you accept the consequences and state your intention to complete it till the end. You waive all rights to seek or receive compensation in case of injury, loss or damage.

We reserve the right to cancel the retreat in the case we do not reach the minimum number of participants, between 4 and 2 weeks before starting date; in this case all paid workshop fees will be promptly returned. We are not responsible for expenses for the BnB or transport.

∂þ

KNOW MORE?

Mark’s Voice Yoga runs for over 10 years and brings together decades of creative, vocal expression, yogic discipline and contemplative traditions.

Voice Yoga is neither yoga as you see all around you, or music as you hear it every day. It is a personal, artistic synthesis of a wide range of musical, resonant, theatrical, contemplative and physical arts. What binds them together is Mark’s unique synthesis and his vision to create a strong sense of flow, no matter what the activity is. Serious workouts smoothly blend with unforgettable (and unrepeatable!) musical creations, deep breath work morphs into contact improv and vocal exercises into absurdistic theatre.

This retreat will give you a big boost, whether you are a musician, dancer, yoga teacher, actor, or just interested in working on your personal growth through the connections between sound, body and mind. No problem if you’ve never done yoga before!

∂þ

CURIOUS BUT IN DOUBT?

For a taste of this retreat, come to one of the weekly Voice Yoga classes in Taipei for a 2-hour session.

Mark will be back in Taiwan for Voice Yoga classes in December.

Find the details here.

∂þ

TESTIMONIALS

“I felt many sounds inside me first time and I felt there is an inner space inside my body. That was an very powerful experience for me. The body wasn’t what I knew before. I felt peace when you sang… I do have a lot of fun when you want us imitate your voice… Every time when we make sounds together I feel I am decomposing and putting every part of me in one again. “

– Judith

” Your class shows me the magic of breath and voice. This makes my inner child very happy. “

– Nancy

” I enjoyed the class very much today. You had everyone engaged and creatively expressed as well as discharging and recharging well. “

– Tina

” More than ever, it brings back my childhood so I can play again. “

– Kovida

” Your class shows me the magic of breath and voice. This makes my inner child very happy. “

– Nancy

” Voice Yoga helps me feel lighter. “

– Jennifer

” I enjoy a lot and feel relaxed, this is a special course for me. “

– Judy

” This is better than sex! “

– Tammy

∂þ

OTHER UPCOMING EVENTS

https://www.fusica.nl/upcoming-events/

   聲音瑜伽冬至療癒假期

2024年12月19日至22日 

成為聲音中的永恆

一期一會 人聲與想像力的年終慶典

整整三天半的關於聲音與身體的探索/

連結你的身心平衡，以及充滿創造力、活力的存在。

   ∂þ

關於聲音瑜伽 療癒假期

在聲音瑜伽的動態團體過程中，你將超越自己的習慣和期望。看見比自我更廣大的自己開始甦醒: 那些隱藏著的創造力開始顯現，如河水般開始流動。

以瑜伽或接觸即興等體育運動為基礎，我們使用各種沒有意義和不強調美麗歌聲的聲音。純粹、直接的表達，以及通過口、四肢、臀部、腳、皮膚和內臟的共鳴和振動的感覺。

我們超越了常見的主客體和心靈身體的二元對立，將無意識的自我和有時不理性的情感浮出水面。團體過程成為自我的鏡子，使我們能夠更清晰地“看見”自己，聽到深藏內心的聲音。結果通常具有驚人的清晰度和即時性。

∂þ

工作坊時程表

我們將於12月19日星期五上午9點開始，建議您前一晚抵達。 

我們將在星期日22日午餐後結束，大約下午1:30左右。

第1天 

9:00-12:30：工作坊簡介。輕鬆的練習，呼吸練習，開始身體活動，吟唱，即興。

12:30-14:30：午餐和午休 

14:30-16:30：引導的身體活動和聲音練習，行走冥想，即興 

16:30-17:00：茶點時間 

17:00-18:00：引導的身體活動和聲音練習，行走冥想，即興 

18:00-19:30：晚餐和休息 

第2天 

9:00-12:30：緩慢冥想式的熱身，輕度至劇烈的運動，吟唱，製造噪音。躺下的練習。

12:30-14:30：午餐和午休 

14:30-16:30：引導的身體活動和聲音練習，行走冥想，即興 

16:30-17:00：茶點時間 

17:00-18:00：引導的身體活動和聲音練習，行走冥想，即興 

18:00-19:00：晚餐和休息 

第3天 

9:00-12:30：緩慢冥想式的熱身，輕度至劇烈的運動，調音，製造噪音。然後再次的：恢復性的（半）睡眠/夢境。

12:30-14:30：午餐和午休 

14:30-17:00：引導的身體活動和聲音練習，行走冥想，即興 

17:00-19:00：早一點晚餐，以及為晚上的活動做準備

19:00 – 21:00/22:00 ：這是我們的最後一個晚上，在冬至和平安夜之間，我們將一起慶祝從黑暗到光明的轉變。參與者可以貢獻一個記憶或反思，一首歌，一支舞蹈，個人，集體，作為一對，無論發生什麼。你可考慮攜帶一個你會演奏的樂器，蠟燭來燈亮氛圍，一件特別的衣物或帽子來穿著。

第4天

9:00-12:30：回顧、繼續、作結

12:30-14:30：午餐&好好道別！

∂þ

地點 

光之屋，距離都蘭主街步行20分鐘上山，背靠都蘭山、眺望太平洋

遠離塵囂、綠意昂然，是擁有大片草原和原生種植物的私人僻靜山莊

工作坊空間專門設計作為聲響體驗、音樂製作、人聲演唱

寬廣舒適、共鳴充滿、能量和諧，一個淨化身心的獨特場域

用心迎接聲音瑜伽士們的滿血回歸，還有什麼比光之屋更好的呢？

https://www.facebook.com/shufang.energyhealing/

住宿推薦：

我們推薦月昇都蘭，因為他距離光之屋最近。

青年旅館推薦：晃輕鬆 或 途中都蘭

∂þ

參加對象

這個工作坊吸引了年輕、充滿好奇心的藝術家；已經在創作中遇到困境或障礙的專業音樂家和表演者；對聲音不太熟悉的瑜伽和其他身心工作者；熟悉聲音但需要更深入了解和體驗的人；年輕和年長的人，尋求身體和精神的發展；佛教和其他冥想傳統的修行者，需要更深層次的呼吸和吟誦練習；忙碌的人需要在輕鬆的氛圍中休息，遠離工作的壓力。

儘管名為Voice Yoga，但這並不是一個嚴格或苛刻的瑜伽營，相反，它讓您按照自己的節奏成長，休息、睡覺或觀察都是可以的。 參加工作坊無需特定要求。年齡從20多歲到約75歲不等。不需要瑜伽、音樂或其他技能。我們希望參加的人數在8到12人之間。

∂þ

如何準備？ 

請攜帶瑜伽墊用於運動和躺下。如果您不能長時間坐在地板上，我們提供坐墊和椅子。當我們休息或冥想時，請攜帶東西蓋住自己。攜帶樂器是個好主意（不需要演奏得很好；打擊樂器總是不錯的選擇）

∂þ

語言 

英語 + 中文即席翻譯

[將會是一句句有節奏的翻譯，容易理解]

∂þ

帶領者

Mark van Tongeren 是一位荷蘭聲音探索家，對藝術、科學和冥想傳統的交互作用深感興趣。Mark 在戲劇、音樂和舞蹈製作方面擁有 30 年的經驗，並獲得萊頓大學創意表演藝術學院的博士學位。他練習瑜伽有約25年的經驗，並在聲音、音樂、表演等各種實踐領域已有 35 年的經驗。他的品牌 Fusica 成立於 1998 年，旨在探索聲音和藝術（音樂）以及科學和學術（fusikè，物理學）之間的交集。

認識更多馬克老師  www.fusica.nl。

我們的團隊

帶領者: Mark Van Tongeren
翻譯: Sunny Chen
活動規劃兼攝影: Jackal Mei

行政助理：張惜音
場地主人: 王曙芳

• For any questions about the contents in English, ask Mark: 

mark@fusica.nl

Phone/LINE:  0910382749

FB: https://www.facebook.com/Paraphony

• 課程內容、食宿問題請聯繫Jackal:  jackallala@gmail.com / line ID：jackallala /＋886 936596910
• 課程報名與匯款，請聯繫惜音：hsiyin724@gmail.com

∂þ

責任歸屬

報名此工作坊代表你了解: 

1) 工作坊可能會有劇烈肢體運動，引起身體跟心理的衝擊。

2) 工作坊中的每項活動都不是強制性的，你必須衡量自身狀況(身體/心理/情緒)來決定要不要參與。

3) 你會對自己的身體及心理狀態負責，主辦方不承擔任何相關的傷害、損失及賠償責任。

報名費用

全額費用：29.500 NT$

到10月9日 （週四）

超早鳥優惠 / 75折：22.125 NT$

學生；經濟方面需要支持的藝術家（需提供證明） / 75折：22.125 NT$

到10月23日 （週四）

早鳥優惠 / 85折：25.075 NT$

舊生優惠 / 7折：20.650 NT$

10月23日之後

原價 /29.500 NT$

TOSA會員 / 年長者 9折：26.550 NT$

雙人報名 / 95折：額外每人1000NT$折扣

費用包含:

＊學費

＊7餐的台東地方蛋奶舒食餐食[午餐＋晚餐]

＊保險

不包含:

＊ 交通

＊ 住宿

【匯款通知手續】

1.請先完成線上登記手續: https://forms.gle/L22LxcqNuD2iaCwx9，並於3天內匯款完畢。重要：付款時，請附註「VYR」

2.匯款完畢，請以手機簡訊，Line、Email等其中一種的方式通知惜音（hsiyin724@gmail.com），並提供姓名、金額、匯款帳號後五碼

3.經確認款項後，將在五天內發出報名確認信件，並邀請您進入專屬Line群組，以便活動行前聯絡相關事宜

【匯款帳號】

銀行：中國信託敦南分行(代號:822)

帳號：163540306745

戶名：MARK CHRISTIAAN VAN TONGEREN

【取消政策】

課程開始兩週前取消報名 ，主辦方將保留80%費用
課程前兩週內取消報名，主辦方將保留50%費用。

課程1-7天取消報名，主辦方將不退任何費用
如果你找人來替代你來上課，我們將退回10%行政費之外的費用。

如果在開始日期之前4到2週內我們未能達到最低參加人數，我們保留取消療癒假期的權利；在這種情況下，所有已支付的工作坊費用將迅速退還。我們不對住宿或交通費用負責。

 ∂þ

想了解更多？

馬克的聲音瑜伽已實踐超過10年，這個方法匯集了數十年的創造性、聲音表達、瑜伽修行和冥想傳統。

聲音瑜伽既不是你在四周看到的瑜伽，也不是你每天都聽到的音樂。它是一種個人的、藝術性的綜合，融合了廣泛的音樂、共鳴、戲劇、冥想和身體藝術。它們的共同點是馬克的獨特綜合和他的願景，創造出一種強烈的流動感，無論活動是什麼。嚴肅的練習融入令人難以忘懷（並且無法重複！）的音樂創作中，深層呼吸法演變為接觸即興，聲音練習則變成荒謬的劇場。

這個療癒假期將給您帶來很大的提振，無論您是音樂家、舞者、瑜伽老師、演員，還是只是對通過聲音、身體和心靈之間的聯繫來工作於個人成長感興趣。如果你以前從未接觸過瑜伽，也沒問題！

∂þ

好奇但有疑問嗎？

每週聲音瑜珈 

想要嘗試一下這個療癒之旅的滋味嗎？ 

歡迎來參加台北每週五一次的聲音瑜珈課程， 每堂課為2小時。

馬克老師將於12月初回台後，帶領聲音瑜伽課程。

課程詳情請點此。

∂þ

更多關於我們的活動

Autumn Program 2025

∂þ

【學員分享】

「第一次我感到內心有許多聲音，我感到我的身體內有一個內在的空間。這對我來說是非常強大的經驗。這個身體不再是我以前所知道的。當你唱歌的時候，我感到平靜…當你要求我們模仿你的聲音時，我覺得非常有趣…每次當我們一起發聲時，我感到自己正在分解，然後再重新組合每個部分。」- Judith

「你的課程向我展示了呼吸和聲音的魔力。這讓我的內在小孩非常開心。」- Nancy

「我非常喜歡今天這堂課。你讓每個人都參與其中，充分表達自己，並且有很好的放鬆和充電。」- Tina

「這比以往任何時候都讓我回想起我的童年，所以我可以再次玩耍。」-  Kovida

「聲音瑜伽幫助我感到更輕盈。」- Jennifer

「我非常享受，感到放鬆，這對我來說是一門特別的課程。」- Judy 

「這比性愛還要棒！」- Tammy

The post 2025 Voice Yoga Winter Solstice Retreat appeared first on Fusica.

 注意：某些練習對部分人來說可能會造成聲帶負擔。請隨時保持警覺並為自己負責，如此你就可以安心探索！

【時間】
2025年8月28日 14:00-18:00

【地點】

【課程表】

【工作坊介紹】

【誰適合參加？】

【需要準備什麼？】

【語言】

【帶領者介紹】

【團隊】

【報名費用】

【報名方式】

【取消政策】

【有問題嗎？】

STRANGE SOUNDS
Explore the boundaries of your voice

The post Workshop Strange Sounds appeared first on Fusica.

Heart Sutra and Nokyo Reciting

共鳴般若：心經與Nokyo唱誦工作坊

a modern way to receive the blessings of reciting

透過念誦獲得祝福的一種現代方法

Mark 談他的Nokyo’s：

自2022年底以來，我幾乎每天都寫一篇「Nokyo」，這是從日本的經文或經典（okyo）衍生而來的。心經無疑是最著名的經文範例。這些誦經以多種方式激活身心：它們共鳴，調節呼吸，跟隨各種節奏模式，並逐漸深入我們的內在。有些誦經富有挑戰性且速度快，另一些則非常緩慢：就像把一個稜鏡放在你的聲音周圍，以聽、看和感受它的所有色彩。

在一天之內，你將體驗念誦、吟誦和唱誦的全然效果，而不必擔心這些文本是否符合你的宗教信仰。意義在非話語的層面上產生，或者根本不再重要。這裡有很多空間來了解身體化知識和非二元性。

在早晨，我們用輕柔的練習來準備身體、心靈和聲音。我們喚醒感官，放鬆那些僵硬或堵塞的通道。逐漸地，我們將聲音和波動的能量置於舞台中央。從那裡開始，我們探索Nokyo：你將會收到一本包含挑選過的Nokyo的小工作手冊（包含在工作坊內）。我們將從一些非常簡單的念誦開始，逐步發現更多的可能性。在一天結束時，你將掌握許多Mark的Nokyo唱誦的基本步驟。我們最後會組成小組，自行選擇並誦讀你所選的Nokyo。

【其他人怎麼說】

Nokyo唱誦已經被介紹到幾個身心工作者的團體中。他們認為這是一個幫助他們的身心工作擴展到聲音領域的非常有用的方式。某工作坊主持人如此描述這種體驗：

「一年前，Mark van Tongeren 來到我們學校，給我們進行泛音唱法的實踐介紹。一天結束時，他為我們的學校介紹了一個Nokyo，供我們吟誦。在去年秋天的葡萄牙僻靜營，我們探索了這個Nokyo。當大家作為一個團體一起吟誦時，可以聽到層次分明的聲音合而為一，形成一種空間感的體驗。此外，也有許多個體層次的經驗。例如，它會促使身體釋放緊張感，特別是在喉嚨後方沿著脊椎的部位。對於那些不習慣唱歌、平時只是用聲音進行日常溝通和分享訊息的人來說，這是一個非常寶貴的機會，可以遠離常規、發現自己獨特的聲音，並作為一種與手臂和手的動作密切相連的表達方式，因此也與肩頸有關聯。」

【誰適合參加？】

沒有任何限制！

【語言】

英文以及中文即席翻譯

【帶領者介紹】

Mark van Tongeren 是一位聲音探索者，對藝術、科學和靜修傳統的交互作用有著深厚的興趣。Mark 在戲劇、音樂和舞蹈製作領域擁有超過30年的經驗，並擁有萊頓大學創意與表演藝術學院的博士學位。他練習瑜伽已有約25年，並在大約12年前創立了一種結合藝術表演工具的瑜伽形式。自少年時期以來，他便開始嘗試、研究並參與多種聲音、音樂和表演實踐，並不斷擴展他的「聲音詞彙」。對他音樂和思想影響深遠的是多媒體藝術家 Michael Vetter（1943-2013），Vetter 曾在日本擔任多年禪僧。1990年代初，Mark 開始接觸 Vetter 對日本經文（「okyo」）誦經的激進重新詮釋。

【團隊】

本次工作坊還由即席翻譯兼共同籌辦者者李紀辰協助，她負責聲音工作坊的翻譯，並受聲音的啟發，繼續探索相關領域；以及行政助理張惜音協辦，本身也是聲音療癒師，熱愛唱歌和創作音樂。

報名、詢問工作坊詳情，歡迎聯繫惜音 hsiyin724@gmail.com

【報名費用】
全額費用：6250元
2025年8月5日前
●早鳥 / 9折優惠 NT$ 5600 元
●共鳴 / 舊生/TOSA會員/經濟需要支持的藝術家 85折優惠 NT$ 5300元
2025年8月6日之後
●全價 NT$ 6250 元

費用包含
● 含約20篇Nokyo的手冊，您可以帶回家練習。手冊將包含新的Nokyo，所以去年參與過的學員若有興趣再次加入，也會學習到新的Nokyo。
● 簡單茶點

費用不包含
● 午餐，但附近有很多好選項！

【報名方式】

1.請透過此連結報名

https://form.jotform.com/242612129392353

2.確認報名費用後，請在三天內進行學費匯款

3.匯款完成後，請聯絡惜音

—-Email：hsiyin724@gmail.com

——————————————

4.經確認款項後，將在五天內發出報名確認信件，也會與您確認行程詳細事宜

【取消政策】
我們盡量保持合理的價格。如果您在課程開始前31至60天取消報名，我們將退還90%的費用。如果您在課程開始前15至30天取消報名，我們將退還50%的費用。如果您在課程開始前14天內取消報名，我們將退還20%的費用。如果您找人代替參加，我們只收取10%的行政費。

【有問題嗎？】
請隨時與我們聯繫！

【責任歸屬】

報名此工作坊代表你了解:

1) 工作坊可能會有劇烈肢體運動，引起身體跟心理的衝擊。

2) 工作坊中的每項活動都不是強制性的，你必須衡量自身狀況(身體/心理/情緒)來決定要不要參與。

3) 你會對自己的身體及心理狀態負責，主辦方不承擔任何相關的傷害、損失及賠償責任。

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION

Mark about his nokyo’s:

Almost every day since the end of 2022 I write a nokyo, which is derived from Japanese okyo’s, or sutra’s. The Heart Sutra is by far the most famous example of an okyo. These recitations activate body-mind in many ways: they resonate, regulate the breathing following all kinds of rhythmic patterns, and gradually sink down deeper into our being. Some are challenging and fast, others extremely slow: as if you put a prism around your voice to hear, to see and to feel all its colours.

During one day you get to know the wholesome effect of reciting, singing-speaking and chanting, without having to worry if the texts fit into your religious convictions or not. Meanings arise on a non-discursive level or are simply not relevant anymore. There is much space for getting to know embodied knowledge and non-duality.

In the morning we prepare body, mind and voice with gentle exercises. We awaken our senses and soften the channels that are rigid or blocked. Gradually we put the voice and energies of vibration centre stage. From there we start exploring the written nokyo’s: you receive a small workbook with a selection of nokyo’s (included in the workshop). We will start with some very easy nokyo’s and gradually discover more possibilities. By the end of the day you have a good grasp of many of the basic procedures or Mark’s nokyo reciting. We finish by making small groups and chosing nokyo’s that you select yourself.

WHAT OTHERS SAY:

Nokyo chanting has been introduced to several schools of practitioners, who find it a very useful expansion into the sonic realm of their body-mind pratices. One workshop hostess described the experience as follows:

One year ago Mark van Tongeren visited the school to give a practical introduction on overtone singing. At the end of the day he presented our school an Okyo for chanting. This Okyo we explored in chanting during the retreat in Portugal last Autumn. There was the spatial experience in chanting, hearing the layers of sound unified when chanting as a group. And there were many more individual experiences. Like how it provokes in the body a release of tension specially from the back of the throat along the spine. Or for those not used to singing and using the voice other than for daily communication and sharing of information it was very valuable to discover the own unique voice free from conventions and as a means of expression closely connected to the hands and arm movements, and therefor also the neck and shoulders.

DATE & TIME

Friday August 22
10:00 – 17:00

TIME SCHEDULE 

10:00 – 10:15 arrival
10:15 – 10:45 warming up, vocal-body resonance
10:45 – 12:15 Heart Sutra & Nokyo Chanting Part I: How to Read or Recite Nokyos?
12.15 – 13.15 lunch break
13:15 – 15:45 Nokyo Chanting Part II: the ‘365 Algorhythms’
15:45 – 16:00 tea time
16:00 – 17:00 Nokyo Chanting Part III. . Q＆A

LOCATION

Dongli Academy
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/EQxyJ2N8qFDG4MJa/
大同區迪化街一段256號, Taipei, Taiwan
02 2768 8777
Dong-li Academy is a gallery run by artist Jimi Wen in the Dadaocheng area. The place used to be a musuem about comfort women. Jimi hosted many music events over the past few years.

FOR WHOM

No restrictions

LANGUAGES


English + Chinese

YOUR TEACHER

Mark van Tongeren is a sound explorer with a deep interest in the synergy of arts, sciences and contemplative traditions. Mark has over 30 years of experience in theatre, music and dance productions and holds a PhD from Leiden University’s Academy of Creative and Performing Arts. He practices yoga for some 25 years, created a form of yoga that integrates artistic-performative tools about 12 years ago. He has played and experimented with and studied numerous kinds of voice / music & performance practices since he was a teenager and continues to expand his ‘voca-bulary’. A great influence on his music and thinking was multi-medial artist Michael Vetter (1943-2013), who spend many years as a Zen monk in Japan. In the early 1990s Mark became acquainted with Vetter’s radical reinterprations of Japanese sutra (‘okyo’) recitations.

SUPPORTING TEAM & CONTACT

This workshop is also brought to you by interpreter and co-organiser Chi Chen Lee, who interprets for sound workshops and is inspired by sound to continue the exploration; by administrative assistant Hsi-Yin Chang, who is also a sound and wellness practitioner, with an interest in singing and creating music.

▲ For any questions about the contents and registration, please contact Hsi Yin (speaks Chinese and English):

Email: hsiyin724@gmail.com


PRICING

Full price 6250

Up to Tuesday August 5 only:
Early Bird / 10% off 5600
Resonance / Old students / TOSA members / poor struggling artist: 15% off 5300

After this date:
Full price 6250

Included:
Workbook with about 20 nokyo’s that you can take home to practise
This workbook will contain new nokyo’s so students who followed last year’s workshop can learn new nokyos if they would like to join again.
We’ll provide some basic tea, coffee and snacks. Feel free to bring your own.

Not included:
Lunch. There are several options nearby.

REGISTRATION and PAYMENT

1. Sign up through this form: https://form.jotform.com/242612129392353

2. Make a transfer within 3 days and contact Hsi-Yin via email (hsiyin724@gmail.com)

3. We will confirm with you within 5 working days that you have completed the registration!

Please make the transfer to: 

Bank code: 822.

Name of bank: China Trust

Beneficiary: Mark Christiaan van Tongeren

Account number: 163540306745

CANCELLATION POLICY


We try to keep prices reasonable. We will return 90% of the fee if you cancel 31 – 60 days prior to the workshop. We will return 50% of the fee if you cancel 30 – 15 days prior to the workshop. We will return 20% of the fee if you cancel within 14 days prior to the workshop. If you find a substitute for your place, we will only keep 10% of the administration fee.

QUESTIONS?

Get in touch with one of us!

The post Workshop Heart Sutra and Nokyo Reciting appeared first on Fusica.

Now, how to search online if your preferred term for the most accessible, most adorable, most transportable instrument happens to be *‘trump’*? By informing yourself about all the other names in existence. ‘Trump’ is but one of more than 1100 names for the same instrument. Phons Bakx, the renowned Dutch Jew’s harp player and researcher, recently shared the latest version of his list with me. Carefully collected during decades of research, with the same rigour that anthropologist Bakx applied earlier to investigations into other obscure instruments, like the bullroarer and a certain non-Tibetan type of singing bowl played on the countryside of Brittany (France).

So check out the 1100+ names for *Jew’s harps*, go to this page

http://www.antropodium.nl/Duizend%20Namen%20Mhp%20voorw%20ENG.htm

and click on this line 

(Click here) ► for the Nomenclature of Jew’s harp Names

Be patient if the list does not show up immediately! If there is a warning, ignore it and click ‘continue’. You might also try this one directly:

https://www.antropodium.nl/Duizend%20Namen%20Mhp%20NOMENCLATUUR.htm

Of course, many names for these ‘marranzano pancakes’ (a term actually in use in the States) are quite common and well-known. In Siberia and far beyond, many people know the *khomus*, here in Taiwan more and more people are becoming familiar with the *lubuw* and in Germanic-speaking countries we have the *Maultrommel*, *mondharp* and *mouth harp*. In South Africa, the Xhosa people’s *isitolotolo* is little-known but gee whiz, what a beautiful name it is!

With ever better translating tools (AI!), we may expect more and more reports around the world about President Khomus, President Isitolotolo, President Lubuw and so on in the next four years – you can read the 1150 other variations for yourself but I continue to use some names here, like *this*, so you know what I am talking about.

Meanwhile excitement is building up here in Taiwan, this time for non-political reasons. Final preparations are made now for the truly grand World Jaw Harp Music Festival. One that was envisioned many years ago, but which due to corona become a rather small-scale event in 2022 (see my photos here). But now it has grown to impressive proportions, with musicians attending from all over the place, plus of course a huge representation of local and regional talents. The performer’s list kept on growing in recent months: it seems a second Asian hub for *doromb* is in the making here! The first Asian hub for *guimbarda* being, what else, Siberia. In particular Yakutia, the republic which carries the *timir khomus* as its emblem, because the Yakuts (or Sakha’s) are the world’s most fanatic makers and players of *pangapoans*.

https://www.jawharpfestivaltw.com/

But who knows about other *gewgaws* in Siberia? What kind of *genggong* music do other indigenous people in Siberia have, such as the Negidaltsi, the Ket, the Chukchi – you probably never even heard the names of these people before (check out the map below to read all their names). So let me share some obscure recordings from the early days of my own *kunka* infatuation. I listened again and again to a double-album (2-LP) I bought in Moscow in 1992, an anthology of indigenous music from Siberia and Russia’s Far East. It was compiled by composer and music collector Igor Bogdanov (whom I met in Moscow in the year 2000, to learn more about an extraordinary triple album of Tuvan traditional music he had produced in the 1980s). There are a total of seven pieces with *vargan* players. This album, and my fieldwork in Tuva in 1993, is where I got my early *morchang* education: not from Yakutia, which is absent on this album (because it is dedicated to the “small-numbered” peoples of Siberia and the Far East). Besides the series of Siberian field recordings from Henri Lecomte on Buda Records (1992-now), each dedicated to one ethnic group, not much was ever published on disc for many of these peoples, as far as I know. And this two-elpee collection stands out as a fantastic introduction to the singing, the instruments and the shamanic séances which can be heard on this gigantic landmass covered in permafrost. (There are quite a few other very obscure instruments, too).

We start with an upbeat style played on the *tumran* from the Khanti-Mansi people (the *names* I write here are the actual names in use by these Siberian peoples). The reverb you hear on all recordings was added in the studio: this was a standard procedure in folk music recordings for Melodiya Records. It adds a certain touch that over time became associated with traditional music recordings from the Soviet Union, and which, I have to admit, has its own charm. 

Next is another upbeat piece from the Selkup, with two instruments indicated, each with a different name: *kypa* and *pyngyr*. Might these be two harps?

We continue with the lovely combination of the *pymyl*, together with the zooming disc mergeykoya from the Ket group. Listen to the lovely layered melodies from the *pymyl*, an octave apart: there is more going on than you might think.

Next are two pieces from Evenki, Eveni and Negidaltsy, the album notes do not tell which one is which.

The first one of these reminds one strongly of the Yakut style of playing and making *kumyzs*. The – presumably Evenki-  instrument is called *kordavun* and is even tuned up a half tone towards the end.

The second of these one is the much lower, darker sounding *kunkakhi* of, I think, the Negidaltsi, with plenty of breathing sounds.

We move on to the Nivkh of the Far East, whose instrument is called *kangan* (pronounced as kan-gan) and with a very low pitch.

The last one is yet something very different, the very dynamic *vanny* from the Chuvash or Chukchi. My guess: the Chukchi, who are living next to the Bering straight. I have once seen a group performing in the Netherlands, with some fine *čangko’uz* playing.

Of course by now you wish to know: where to find these peoples? Here is a map printed in the nice 2-CD compilation The Spirits are Listening. Music of Indigenous Siberian Peoples by Henri Lecomte, whom I mentioned above.

Finally, let me be clear about President Isitolotolo: his election is not a joke, but it is not the end of the world either if you are in the other camp. The Dutch historian Johan Huizinga had this to say about American politics, in his groundbreaking 1938 study Homo Ludens:

More obvious than in British parliamentarianism is the Game element in American political mores. Long before the two-party system in the United States came closest to assuming the character of two teams, whose political difference was hardly distinguishable to the outsider, the electoral propaganda there completely took the form of great national games. The presidential election of 1840 created there the style for all later ones. Candidate then was the popular General Harrison. A program his supporters did not have, but a coincidence gave them a symbol, the log cabin, the rugged log cabin of the pioneer, and with that sign they won. Nomination of a candidate by largest volume of votes, i.e., by loudest shouts, was inaugurated by the election of 1860, which brought Lincoln to his post. The emotional character of American politics already lies in the origins of the national character, which never denied its origins in the primitive relations of a pioneer world. Blind party loyalty, secret organization, mass enthusiasm, combined with a childish desire for external symbols, give to the element of play in American politics something naive and spontaneous, that the younger mass movements in the Old World lack.

That was looking back into the 19th century, and up to Huizinga’s time, 1938. On the previous page Huizinga writes:

Modern culture is hardly ‘played’ anymore, and there where she seems to play, the play is foul. Meanwhile the distinction between play and non-play in the phenomena of civilisation becomes gradually harder to make, as one approaches one’s own time.

Nearly 90 years later things have changed, but reading the words of an original historian and cultural analyst can help us see that our current epoch is not the only one dealing with extreme situations.

My advice: use your *trump* / *lubuw* / *khomus* etc. wisely, as the Italians do: as a *scacciapen­sieri* – a *thought dispeller* or *gedachtenverdrijver*!!

The post President Lubuw, President Trump + obscure Siberian mouth harp recordings appeared first on Fusica.

 – – Photography: Ariel Tsai – –

IMPRO!

即興！

Catch the Spirit of the Moment

唱入當下

即興! 將經過考驗的即興演奏技巧與「即時作曲」相結合，這種方法讓一群荷蘭即興演奏家聞名全球。你的帶領者Mark van Tongeren是一位自學成才的即興表演者，對探索自我、自我表達和團體動態充滿著極具感染力的熱情。像任何優秀的小丑一樣，他並不幼稚或天真，而是讓成年人改變他們看待世界和自我的方式，創造出全新的聲音語言、新的溝通方式，乃至新的自我表達方式……直到你開始思索：那個「自我」究竟是什麼？

 — 感受

離開你的舒適圈

【時間】

11/27（週三）- 11/28（週四）

每天 10:00-17:15

【地點】

台北寶藏巖國際藝術村

臺北市中正區汀州路三段230巷底

寶藏巖聚落位於公館區，距離公館捷運站步行即可到達，地理位置十分便利。

【當日行程】

11月27日

10:00-12:30（2.5小時）
          投入! 第一次即興課程

          +反思! 探索即興作為一種存在與身心健康的方式

12:30-13:30（1小時）
          休息

13:30-16:00（2.5小時）
          我們使用的方法。遊戲、溝通、技巧
          應用和測試這些方法

16:00-16:15（15分鐘）
          休息

16:15-17:15（1小時）
          自由即興 #1 

11月28日

10:00-12:30（2.5小時）
          投入! 新的即興活動

        +反思!  一些答案，更多的問題，再次探索…

12:30-13:30（1小時）
          休息

13:30-16:00（2.5小時）
          磨練方法
          如何丟失自己並重新找回自我？
          新的遊戲與技巧
          關於存在、存有與身心健康

16:00-16:15（15分鐘）
          休息

16:15-17:15（1小時）
          即興 # ∞
          最終反思

活動舉辦方保有異動時間權利。

【工作坊詳細介紹】

2003年，Mark與Phil Dadson (NZ)、Makigami Koichi (JP)組成「人聲雜耍」（Vocal Acrobats）三人組到紐西蘭巡迴演出後，來到台灣。台北藝術大學的鍾明德教授給予Mark表演和工作坊的自由，並從Mark的想法中挑選了一句話來告訴他在台灣該做什麼： 「抓住當下的精神」（Catch the Spirit of the Moment）。這句話至今仍像當年一樣清晰。

如何活著、行動、創作，同時完全活在當下？如何什麼都不做，卻又什麼都做？如何學會相信某種流動會來到你的身邊，會穿過你的身體？如果根本沒有流動，而你計劃的一切都出錯了呢？因為你一開始就錯了嗎？或是因為其他人打亂了你對即興創作需要走向何處的想像？

訓練某些技巧是一回事，而且是很大的一回事。在這個兩天工作坊，我們會交替進行真正的即興創作，同時建立音樂和其他技能。了解即興是什麼和可以是什麼是另一件事。範圍幾乎是無限的。

我們將使用引人入勝的樂曲和結構，從有趣和娛樂性到挑戰性和複雜性。無論你擁有或缺乏什麼程度的經驗和信任，你都可以帶著許多新的想法和發現回家，發現當你完全沉浸在演奏中時，你還能成為什麼樣的人。讓我們認真玩樂！

【誰適合參加？】

任何人都可參加。只要你有足夠的好奇心和自信，去與他人一起唱歌、演奏、製造噪音或動作、跳舞、寫作、畫畫。

(最少 8 人，最多 16 人）

【語言】

英文以及中文即席翻譯

【帶領者介紹】

1992 年及整個 1990 年代，Mark van Tongeren 開始以音樂即興演奏家及物件劇場（object-theatre）創作者的身份演出。2000 年代，他轉向各種即興音樂，與 Fred Frith、Koichi Makigami、馬友友 和 Oorbeek 等人合作。2010 年代，他與更多舞蹈團體合作，也讓肢體表演在他自己的作品中扮演更重要的角色。到了 2020 年代，他的多元風格更加跨越音樂、文化和學科的邊界。在台灣，他是三人組合 ALLSYMT 的一員，與原住民、華人及國外藝術家合作演出，並領導他的聲樂實驗團體漪渦魚

(IUooUI)。他在台北每週舉辦的聲樂瑜珈課程，是一種有引導的、直覺的即興。

【支持團隊】

本次工作坊還由即席翻譯兼共同籌辦者者李紀辰協助，她負責聲音工作坊的翻譯，並受聲音的啟發，繼續探索相關領域；以及行政助理張惜音協辦，本身也是聲音療癒師，熱愛唱歌和創作音樂。

報名、詢問工作坊詳情，歡迎聯繫惜音 hsiyin724@gmail.com 

或直接透過手機聯繫Mark 0910382749

【報名費用】

全額費用：9500元

到10月20日

超早鳥優惠 / 75折：7125元 

學生；經濟方面需要支持的藝術家（需提供證明） / 75折：7125元

到11月6日

早鳥優惠 / 85折：8075元 

TOSA會員 / 年長者 85折：8075元

雙人報名 / 早鳥外加95折：7600元

舊生優惠 / 7折：6650元

11月6日之後

原價 / 9500元

雙人報名 / 95折：每人9025元

【報名方式】

1.請透過此連結報名

https://form.jotform.com/242682423145353

2.確認報名費用後，請在三天內進行學費匯款

3.匯款完成後，請聯絡

—————————————–

請以Line、Email 擇一聯繫惜音

—LINE ID: hsiyinchang

—-Email：hsiyin724@gmail.com

——————————————

4.經確認款項後，將在五天內發出報名確認信件，也會與您確認行程詳細事宜

【取消政策】
我們盡量保持合理的價格。如果您在課程開始前31至60天取消報名，我們將退還90%的費用。如果您在課程開始前15至30天取消報名，我們將退還50%的費用。如果您在課程開始前14天內取消報名，我們將退還20%的費用。如果您找人代替參加，我們只收取10%的行政費。

【責任歸屬】

報名此工作坊代表你了解:

1) 工作坊可能會有劇烈肢體運動，引起身體跟心理的衝擊。

2) 工作坊中的每項活動都不是強制性的，你必須衡量自身狀況(身體/心理/情緒)來決定要不要參與。

3) 你會對自己的身體及心理狀態負責，主辦方不承擔任何相關的傷害、損失及賠償責任。

PROGRAM IN SHORT

Impro! blends tried and tested techniques of improvisation with instant composing, a method that lent a group of Dutch improvisers worldwide fame. Your guide Mark van Tongeren is a self-taught improviser with a contagious passion for charting new territories of self-, self-expression and group dynamics. Like any good clown, he is not childish or naïve; he lets adults change the way they see the world and themselves, by creating new languages of sound, new ways of communicating, new ways of being yourself … until you wonder: what is that self? 

       feel 

Leave your comfort zone

DATES AND TIMES

Wednesday + Thursday November 27 + 28

10:00-17:15

11/27（週三）- 11/28（週四）

10:00-17:15

LOCATION

TREASURE HILL VILLAGE  

台北寶藏巖國際藝術村

Treasure Hill village is conveniently located in the Gongguan area in walking distance from the MRT Gongguan.

TIME SCHEDULE AND CONTENT

November 27

10:00-12:30

Dive! First improv sessions

Reflect! Explorations into improv as a mode of being and well-being

12:30-13:30   – – – break

13:30-16:00

Methods we use. Games, communications, skills.

Applying and testing methods.

16:00-16:15  – – – break

16:15-17:15

The Jam #1.

November 28

10:00-12:30

Dive! New improv sessions

Reflect! Some answers. Many more questions.

Dive again….

12:30-13:30   – – – break

13:30-16:00

Sharpening Methods. How to lose and find yourself again? 

New games and skills.

About modes of existence, being, well-being.

16:00-16:15   – – – break

16:15-17:15

Jam # ∞

Final reflections.

We keep the right to make changes to the time schedule.

FULL DESCRIPTION

Mark arrived on Taiwan’s shores in 2003, coming back from a tour in New Zealand as the Vocal Acrobats – a trio with Phil Dadson (NZ) and Makigami Koichi (JP). TNUA’s professor Chung Mingder gave Mark carte blanche for performances and workshops, and picked one phrase out of Mark’s ideas about what to do in Taiwan: “Catch the Spirit of the Moment”. That phrase still stands as clearly as it did back then. How to live, act, create while being completely in the present? How to do nothing, and yet everything? How to learn to trust that a certain flow will come to you, will move through you? What if there is no flow at all and everything you planned goes wrong? Because you started out wrong? Or because someone else messes up your imagination of where this improvisation needs to go?

Training certain skills is one thing, and a big one at that. We will alternate true improvisation with building musical and other skills. Understanding what improvising is and can be is another. The scope is virtually endless.

We will work with fascinating pieces and structures, ranging from fun and entertaining to challenging and complex. No matter what level of experience and trust you have / you lack, you will be able to go home with plenty of new ideas and discoveries of who else you can be when you indulge yourself completely in playing. Serious playing!

FOR WHOM?
Anyone who is curious and confident enough to sing or to play or to make noise or to move-dance-write-draw  with others.

(Minimum: 8, maximum:16 people)

LANGUAGES
English + Chinese  

YOUR TEACHER
In 1992 and throughout the 1990s, Mark van Tongeren began performing as a musical improviser and bricoleur in object-theatre. In the 2000s he switched to all kinds of musical improv, playing with the likes of Fred Frith, Koichi Makigami, Yo-Yo Ma and Oorbeek. The 2010s saw more dance collaborations and also a greater role for the performing body in his own work. In the 2020s, his polystylistic approach transcends musical, cultural and disciplinary borders ever more. In Taiwan, he is part of trio ALLSYMT, performs with indigenous, Chinese and foreign artists and leads his vocal experimental group IUooUI. His weekly Voice Yoga class in Taipei is a guided, intuitive improv-session of sorts.

SUPPORTING TEAM & CONTACT
This workshop is also brought to you by interpreter and co-organiser Chi Chen Lee, who interprets for sound workshops and is inspired by sound to continue the exploration; by administrative assistant Hsi-Yin Chang, who is also a sound and wellness practitioner, with an interest in singing and creating music.

▲ For any questions about the contents and registration, please contact Hsi Yin (speaks Chinese and English):

Email: hsiyin724@gmail.com
Line ID: hsiyinchang

or Mark: 0910382749

PRICES

Full price 9500

Up to Sunday October 20

Super Early Bird / 25% off 7125

Students & poor Struggling

artist (with proof) / 25% off 7125

Up to Wednesday November 6

Early Bird / 15% off 8075

TOSA members  & seniors / 15% off 8075

Bring a friend / 5% off each 7600

Old students / 30% off 6650

After November 6:

Full price 9500

Bring a friend / 5% off each 9025

REGISTRATION and PAYMENT

1. Sign up through this form: https://form.jotform.com/242612129392353
2. Make a transfer within 3 days and contact Hsi-Yin via email (hsiyin724@gmail.com)
3. We will confirm with you within 5 working days that you have completed the registration!

Make a transfer within  3 days to: 

Bank code: 822

Name of bank: China Trust

Beneficiary: Mark Christiaan van Tongeren

Account number: 163540306745 

CANCELLATION POLICY
We try to keep prices reasonable. we will return 90% of the fee if you cancel 31 – 60 days prior to the workshop.

We will return 50% of the fee if you cancel 30 – 15 days prior to the workshop.

We will return 20% of the fee if you cancel within 14 days prior to the workshop.

If you find a substitute for your spot, we will keep 10% of the administration fee.

DISCLAIMER

By signing up you automatically acknowledge your understanding that this workshop may involve potentially disrupting body-work and emotionally charged sessions with a deep impact on your well-being. It is understood that you yourself best know of any risks (physical, emotional, psychological) and that there is no pressure or obligation to do each and every exercise.

The post Workshop Improvise! Catch the Spirit of the Moment appeared first on Fusica.

The word Almanac for this book on sound words is well chosen by the initiator and editor, Bernd Herzogenrath since the entries differ a lot in length, in tone of voice, and in approach. For me it immediately brings to mind the somewhat haphazard nature of the Enkhuizer Almanak. Even a cursory look shows that the publishers (Bloomsbury Academic, mind you!) did not bother to do much editing. I did receive a request to check a word or phrase here and there, but while leafing through the final version now, I immediately and repeatedly stumble upon grammatical errors by contributors for whom English is not their first language, and other mistakes. Example: despite the fact that the almanac follows the alphabet, my own entry, ‘parafonie’, appears after the entries ‘patasurrealism’ and ‘pflotsch’. (Example 2: see photos).

I must say, I am honoured with this special non-alphabetical spot for my contribution; and I am also charmed by the uneven presentation: long and short entries, entries with and without photos, with and without bibliographic notes, some more or less objective and factual, others anecdotal, or highly personal. It is just very fitting for a Sound Word Almanac, which is neither dictionary, nor encyclopedia, and yet is designed to help Everyman navigate the world – in this case, through a list of typical and untypical sound words of foreign lands. The cover is brilliant and says it all: this is not your usual academic book, but some sort of historical relic. A special treasure of obscure knowledge that you cannot find anywhere else. I’d almost say: get it while you can, next year it may be outdated! But whether it’s worth the hefty price tag, is another question – this had better been an affordable artists’ book unless the publisher had done a proper academic-level editing job. Something for the long-term wishlist?

The post Sound Word Almanac Published appeared first on Fusica.

Upon arrival I had noticed a fascinating adobe-colored tower on the grasslands surrounding the museum. I had had a quick look and listen but was most eager to explore it more indepth and invited my singers to join me after the concert. It turned out to be a splendid work of art, of architecture, or something in between. A sonorous temple graced with the most intricate light patterns I have ever seen on adobe-like structures (earthy hues have been my favorite at least since the beginning of this millennium). These shifting light rays are the result of several horizontal slits placed in irregular intervals along the body of the tower. We stood in awe, listened in awe, walked around in awe. Notwithstanding the presence of a few other visitors, we began quite naturally to emit our first tones. The resulting resonance was as soft and layered as the plastered walls, which had uneven, undulating surfaces that still showed the signs of paintbrushes. Our voices bounced off the walls in a pleasant, smooth way, not as crystal-like and pure as glass-covered structures, but with a coarser grain of sound.

Walking around, you would hear your own sound, or someone else’s suddenly shifting from one direction to a totally different direction. Or even enveloping you from all sides. It is a familiar but surreal phenomenon in many round, resonant spaces with the wall or ceiling curving inward. In certain spots someone who is standing opposite you talking or singing, sounds as if she is behind you.

I knew already during the first glimpse: this is the kind of place I have been looking for in Taiwan for more than ten years. As time passed I knew I had to temper my expectations. There were occasional resonant places, like the one I had stept into earlier this year, but those were usually not very suitable for performing, or not very pleasant to be in, or too expensive or too inaccessible. This new tower was in fact many times better than what I had ever expected. It was not just a sonic treasure, which I somehow usually imagined to be a white or grey space, or otherwise colourless. This was the most intimate, warm, lush light I had seen in years, if I had ever been in such a building at all. It simply seemed to breath by itself already.

We did some more research and learnt to our astonishment that this treasure was not part of the newly opened museum, but it had been standing there for 14 years. Some months later, Sunny noticed an announcement of an event in the tower with the architect, the next day: the day when IUooUI rehearses! I quickly jotted down a simple idea we could sing and shared it. We rehearsed it in the morning and set out to the museum. Exactly at the designated time, the architect appeared from a hidden door, as if coming from nowhere. In the center of the spiraling form he began to talk casually about the history of his tower, its symbolism, problems he had overcome, adaptations to the original idea and more. The place came alive even stronger with these stories. Pei, as the tower is called, really was opened 14 years ago and virtually nothing happened with it, to the chagrin of the architect, Lin Shuen Long.

During the Q&A we introduced ourselves and asked if we could sing a piece to honour the architect and his creation. We spread out and sang Pi:Ecce (I thought the name of the tower was Pi, not Pei). I then started an improvised piece which IUooUI completed beautifully with several solo parts. The architect was enthusiastic about our musical performances and told me something that moved me to the core: “this tower has been waiting for you for fourteen years”.

This place is a treasure, a multi-faceted gem of a building. Not designed with a 3-D program, but by bare hands with mud or clay, just like all that amazing pottery that the small town of Yingge is famous for. Some pottery shops in Yingge have a history of 500 years behind them, and took their technology with them from the mainland. There is no more suitable architectural tribute to the town then a tower designed like most pottery is designed: from an ancient, artisanal practise. We can be greatful to the decisions-makers who planned to build something like this, for chosing this architect, and for both parties to overcome all the hurdles necessary to complete the project. And what is 14 years in the light of generations of pottery making? Now let’s hope steps are taken soon to celebrate the incredible potential of this tower, both visually and acoustically!

Our more or less failed outdoor performance on that early Summer day happened for a good reason. I feel blessed that we ran into something so special.

The post Discovering Lin Shuen-Long’s PEI appeared first on Fusica.

Tapestry by Kustaa Saksi for the myth of Sinbad

There were too many highlights during the opening, really, but I mention a few. Sanxia hosts many temples, tea houses, retreat centres, etc., and has its own magic atmosphere. Approaching the former minesite, and stepping into the actual buildings, now called Mineless, is a journey in itself. The design is an unbeatable combination of industrial, functional architecture repurposed very skilfully, to get the best out of the combination of trees and plants overgrowing the buildings and the interiors.

The short documentary film about what drives Kustaa is very moving, and shown near the entrance. You walk in and out of buildings, up and down stairs to see all the rooms – I guess I haven’t seen it all yet. June gave a moving poetic talk – two, in fact – based on Japanese stories. There was a fire performance which will still be performed over the next few weeks, and there was music played on a collection of wood fish, including some really huge ones, made of unlacquered, plain wood. I had a chance to add some last notes in a space with booming low resonances, and those high notes too, of course (you know me).

Yours truly illustrating June’s beautiful story of old age and flowing water

Raymond opening a book of secrets

Say hello to The Artist

Go check it out, there are many performances and I think it is all free! More info and review in Chinese here.

肯園 25 週年紀念展覽Ｘ芬蘭當代藝術家古斯塔‧薩克希

CANJUNE 25th Anniversary Exhibition X KUSTAA SAKSI

日期： 6月1 日至6月18日

地點：無礦 Mineless （新北市三峽區圳頭路119號之1）

時間：每週四、五、六、日　13:00-20:00

常設展演：免費入場自由參與

​𓇬 芬蘭當代藝術家 KUSTAA SAKSI – 巨幅手工織毯｜藝術作品｜

𓇬 KUSTAA SAKSI ​ – ​ 紀錄片播映｜影片播映｜

𓇬 肯園企劃「日 ☼ 造夢」 – ​ 香氣解藥舖｜互動藝術｜

𓇬 肯園芳療師 – 頌缽走神 ｜頌缽展演｜

𓇬 葡萄牙當代藝術家 André Uerba – 時間燃燒 ｜裝置展演｜

𓇬 台灣新銳藝術家/設計師 張家翎 – 潮濕的火 ｜裝置作品｜

其它主題專場活動：https://www.accupass.com/event/2305111013036498445300

Talking about Expos, there was more happening, and still going on. Some of my oldest friends here in Taiwan, Aichin Rao and Iming Mavaliw, have a joint-solo-exhibition in the Kuandu Arts Museum. They used to work in Dulan (recently adopting its more correct, indigenous name Atolan, which sounds so much better), and live in Jrben, Taidong. Away from the humdrum of Taiwan’s metropoles, where they are quietly but surely working on an oeuvre that is really impressive.

Iming’s work is part furniture that is almost (neo)classic in style, in the sense that you see it all over Taiwan: huge slabs of wood for marvelous tables and benches, smaller pieces turned into chairs, stools, etc. But the surprise was the original art works, and most of all the more unpolished pieces.

Aichin’s work consists of paintings, some sort of shelters, and mosaics, the latter of which you can encounter in larger-than-life-size on the East Coast of Taiwan as land-art, more and more often (we bumped into her two years ago, finishing her wall for the old train station in Taidong city).

Like some of my best artist-friends, Aichin never talks about her work, and I only learnt of the exhibition after running into Aichin. Another nearly accidental visitor, just like myself, was Scott Ezell, a somewhat elusive figure whom Aichin had often told me about. He used to live in Dulan and make music there shortly before I first set foot there, in 2004, but was expelled from the country. After many years, he turned up again and now we made the acquaintance. We exchanged our books: after some 15 years he published the account of his experiences in Atolan around the turn of the millenium. And I have to say it is a thoroughly enjoyable, poetic read, featuring Aichin, Yiming and many others of the burgeoning artist community, before Atolan became a hotspot for some sort of ethnic chic. Scott played some guitar, with flageolettes. A sure way to let me prick up my ears and introduce myself.

If you live in Taipei, go see both exhibitions while you can!

Scott Ezell playing guitar harmonics at Kuandu Museum of Arts.

Scott’s book about Atolan (Dulan) around the year 2000.

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or how to combine the art of writing meaningful non-sense texts with hypnosis methods

Next week I am teaching a group of hypnosis students in Taipei. They are the students of a man who goes by the nickname of La Mian (ramen, or Japanese thick noodles) who is specialized in hypnosis and teaches and applies it in a wide range of methods. He came to my workshop Ocean of Voices recently, a 3-day exploration of the richness of musical traditions around the world (focusing on the voice). We had several amazing sessions where everyone went through his or her own transformations while singing, chanting, drumming, playing, or just listening to everyone else. Paths to change the body, change the mind and empower your creative imagination through the voice: a dynamic key or bridge that sits in between the body and mind, working its logical and illogical ways in both directions.

Photos taken during the Oceaen of Voices of workshop in Nantou, Taiwan. Above, La Mian with the Bunun people from XinYi. Below, session during the workshop.

You could call the logical part the verbal: the voice as speech, as reason and gossip.

You could call the illogical part transverbal: the voice as sound and music, as noise and non-sense.

Transverbal is a term Michael Vetter coined to group together, and give purpose to, his vast corpus of creative work, in music, in visual arts, in writing. It led, among other things, to his writing of okyo’s, which is Japanese for sutras. His sutras were not Buddhist texts, but used the sounds of the Japanese language as a template from which he created ‘texts’ without meaning. It was not merely a capricious thing, a joke, or an anti-religious sentiment. Vetter was serious about it. He had practised chanting and reciting actual sutras for year after year during his 13 year stay in Japan, going about the streets begging for alms or performing ceremonial. But, in a true Zen vein, he would not eschew the occasional humorous twist in his own okyos either.

I got to know Michael Vetter’s okyos in the mid 1990s and was impressed with their form and sound and Vetter’s precise reasoning for why he created them. Later I began to write my own occasional okyos. Last year I decided to write an okyo every day for one year, to commemorate Michael’s birth (in 1943) and passing (in 2013), now eighty and ten years ago. I shape these okyos, naturally, but they also shape me, and invite me or teach me to push for new ideas about sound, language and symbol. Here is one example which I will take to the Hypnokyo workshop:

Here is another one

And here is one that you can listen to in the video, below:

 

So next week my okyos are going to be tested by students of hypnosis. They learn a range of sounding techniques that could enhance or expand their hypnosis practise. I am really looking forward to see what they will do with it, and hope I can be their guinea pig to test the efficacy of the okyos. Not long ago, hypnosis was regarded as somewhat occult, esoteric and strange. In recent years it has become more widely accepted and it began to loose its strangeness in public opinion. The approach now seems to be more practical: it is yet another way for us – complicated, sensitive and often limited and hyperrational human beings – to understand the mysteries of life and self, and to make sense of the world around us in new, more attuned ways.

You can enjoy listening to one of my okyos in this video (thanks to Sky for editing).

And I will read this week’s episode of one of my favorite newsletters, which happens to be devoted to clinical hypnosis.

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