WHERE THE SEEDS OF OVERTONES AWAKEN AND GROW

This very complete workshop teaches you the principles of resonance by learning the basics of overtone singing: a special way of listening to and making vocal sounds that has many useful applications for singers and non-singers alike. It requires no previous musical training. It is taught by one of the world’s leading overtone singers, Mark van Tongeren, who spend decades documenting this fascinating technique by visiting and recording performers in all major traditions and interviewing many contemporary singers and composers.

R E S O N A N C E  is Mark’s most complete course. It gives you a thorough basis in practices based around overtone singing and the resonant voice in general. This course was first launched in 2014 and is now running for the 11th time. In recent years it was updated to take advantage of the fact that all three team members can assist through their long training with Mark as overtone singers and ‘resonators’. The result of this shift became clear at the end of the most recent 8-day courses (2025 and 2026): students perform better and learn quicker than in previous years.

We also introduced a new format that allows you to learn the basics at your own pace at home. The subsequent stages are:

– an easy-paced, one month online course that introduces many of the basic concepts and practices.

– a four-day in-person workshop to further explore your personal voice and ways to harmonise, resonate and sing overtones together.

– 9 weeks self-study at home or together

– another four-day group session with pieces and improvisations guided by two Teaching Assistants …

–  … also including a one-on-one class with Mark for each student to work on specific obstacles

– life-time access to the online modules

Are you not living in or near Taiwan and not able to join our retreat? Or are you not a beginner anymore? Then you can consider to take one or several 1-on-1 online classes with Mark.

 

TIMELINE RESONANCE 2026

Part I: The Seed Awakens: December 10 – 30: every week one new online module Overtone Singing – Basics

Part II: Emerging from the Soil: January 7 – 10 Guangfu Workshop

Part III: Blossoming into Light: March 18 – 21 Guangfu Workshop 2

 

DETAILED PROGRAM

Online December 10 – 30, 2026  (3 weeks) 2026

We start the learning journey online. The online video course contains 3 modules with 35 videos (2 hours total). You will receive one module per week. You can go through the videos at your own pace, and start to practice with the video instructions.

Module A (December 10 – 16): Introduction to resonance

Module B (December 17 – 23): The basic techniques of overtone singing

Module C (December 24 – 30): Polishing your listening and vocal skills

3 Online Live Q&A sessions: December 16, 23, 30 (19:30-20:00)

SAPIENTIA (Guangfu) January 7 – 10   (4 days fulltime) 2027

We come together in the tranquil, focused setting of Sapientia in Guangfu, Hualien, where we will sing, listen, sense and resonate together for four days. We immerse ourselves in the resonances of each other’s voices, building on the power that emerges from close-listening. We fine-tune our voices in harmonies – both conventional ‘outer’ harmonies and the ‘inner’ harmonies of overtones. These practices are interspersed with insightful stories from the world’s most iconic traditions of overtone singing, documented by Mark himself in the course of more than three decades of research and artistic exploration.

Day 1

Finding inner and outer harmony from embodied breath and natural resonance

Day 2

Traditional practise and wisdom explored and utilised for new forms of resonant singing

Day 3

Harmonics as/in healing and therapy: confronting fear, developing self-confidence.

Day 4

Boosting your Resonance and creative applications.

 

SESSION TIMES SAPIENTIA

Breakfast 8:00-9:00

Morning sessions: 9:30-12:30

Lunch break: 12:30-14:30

Afternoon sessions: 14:30-16:00 + 16:30-18:00.

Dinner break: 18:00-19:00

Evenings are for resting, self practice, jamming… till 22:00?

The last session finishes in the afternoon of Sunday at 4 PM.

 

THEMES FOR THESE FOUR-DAYS

SINGING

° learn to sing the basic techniques of overtone singing: NG (gong), RR (bird), LL (sygyt), vowel (ee-uu)

° enrich your vocal resonance

° meditative and therapeutic practices

° embodied listening, embodied vocalising

° musical ritual and wisdom from Christianity and Buddhism

° Mongolian, Siberian and Tibetan forms of throat singing

Like no other, Mark has single-handedly undertaken enduring, in-depth investigations into all the major traditions of overtone singing: Tuva and the Siberian and Mongolian Altai, Tibet, Sardinia, South-Africa.

 

LISTENING

° break through your habitual patterns of hearing and making sound

° ‘ear cleaning’: make a new start listening to all sound instead of familiar patterns

° hearing overtones in the colours and timbres of a voice

 

RESONANT ENCOUNTERS

° guided resonating with one or more voices

° giving feedback to each other’s voices

 

VOCAL STYLE and INSTRUMENTS

The main emphasis is on using / applying / hearing resonance with a relaxed, more occidental voice. Short introductions to the pressed, guttural voices of throat singing, for example Tuvan khöömei and sygyt are also given for comparison. We will learn some pieces and guided improvisations by by Mark and also create our own. In addition we will use instruments such as singing bowls, bells, lutes and fiddles. You are encouraged to bring your own – the greater the resonant spectrum, the better!

 

9-WEEK SELF-STUDY

As you continue your journey with your own voice, we provide you with a curated selection of some of the most interesting and important videos on the internet. These will guarantee to keep you inspired in your own practise and deepen your understanding. (Primarily English – Mandarin may not be available.)

Optional: organise your own online or in-person gatherings to learn with/from each other, discuss videos, etc..

 

SAPIENTIA (Guangfu) March 18 – 21 (4 days fulltime) 2027

During this second get-together, Mark and his teaching assistants will build upon the results from the previous 4-day immersive workshop and your personal journey over the past 9 weeks. Much time is spent on technical work, which will be diversified to cater for different types of students and their needs.

The basis of resonance is concentrated voice/body work, balance of body-mind exercise and good overtone singing skills. During these four days, each student will have a one-on-one private session with Mark to erase stumbleblocks. We also work in small groups, and collectively on pieces that we learn or to create new work. After this weekend, you will know your strengths and which direction to go. On the second afternoon students collaborate to create final pieces to round off their  R E S O N A N C E  retreat..

 

SESSION TIMES SAPIENTIA 

same as the part 1 workshop, please see above

 

ABOUT SAPIENTIA RESORT | GUANGFU, HUALIEN

For the sixth year, stylish Sapientia is the ‘home’ of the  R E S O N A N C E  retreat. We are happy to return to this wonderful place. The two-story building with Japanese garden-style architecture features a classroom with floor-to-ceiling windows, offering views on an expansive forest garden. The chorus of frogs, insects and birds are an exquisite setting to awaken your auditory senses. Host Peter brews different flavours of specialty coffee in his cosy coffee corner every day; hostess Ping serves delicious home-made breakfast for every guest. The guesthouse offers 7 uniquely designed rooms with comfortable large beds and Japanese-style tatami floors.

Unwind at Sapientia while enjoying our Sound Resonance Workshop experience!

 

 

LANGUAGE

The course will be conducted in English. Our interpreter Haopin WU will be present to summarise or translate entire parts of the course into Mandarin, depending on the needs.

 

FOR WHOM?

No previous musical experience is required. All levels welcome.

We’ve had office workers, people with speech problems, poets, singing bowl players, linguists, sanyassins, professional singers, dancers, academics and more in previous  R E S O N A N C E  courses. Anyone who is curious about developing her or his voice potential, whether professional or amateur or non-singer, will benefit from these lessons.

PRICING

Full Price 72.500 NT$

Up to 2 September 2026:

Super Early Bird / 25% off NT$ 54.375

Old Students / 30% off NT$  50.750

 

3 September – 16 September 2026:

Early Bird / 15% off NT$ 61.625

 

After 17 September 2026

Full price NT$ 72.500

TOSA members  / 15% off  NT$ 61.625

Bring a friend :  – NT$ 2.500

 

Included:

• • Tuition
• • Guangfu lodging in shared rooms (a private room if available).
• • Guangfu Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
• • Coffee and snacks

Not included:

• • Transport to the retreat in Hualien.

If possible, bring an instrument of your own. It is also possible to pre-order a shruti box from Mark to help your own practice during and after the workshop. For pre-orders, discounts apply: inquire for the details (depending on availability).

REGISTER

We reserve the right to change program time and contents.

Please sign up through this form: https://forms.gle/dcFHhmGyB9uN2WFD8

Let us know if you need help!

 

OUR TEAM

This workshop is brought to you by Jackal Mei, Yvonne Chichen Lee, Haopin Wu, Hsi-Yin Chang and Mark van Tongeren.

Mark van Tongeren 

Mark 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 of Performing Arts. In his work he combines all kinds of voice/music/performance, sometimes overlapping with contemplative practices (meditation, pranayama, yoga).

Watch this teaser from the online module showing the 7 basic techniques of overtone singing.

To get an idea of what this workshop is about, listen to Mark’s TEDx talk about listening and singing overtones.

Jackal Mei

An overtone singing / jaw harp enthusiast since 2019, Jackal is deeply involved with the Taiwan Overtone Singing Association and the Taiwan World Jaw Harp Culture Association. He is a member of IUooUI and Inner Galactic Wanderers. Jackal is also a passionate lover of dessert baking and coffee.

Haopin Wu

Haopin has been studying resonance and overtone singing for more than five years. He quickly comprehends what beginners need when learning overtone singing from various viewpoints. He holds a Ph.D. in mathematical sciences.

Yvonne Chichen Lee

Passionate for all ways of singing with instruments across traditions. Interpreter for Mark’s first R E S O N A N C E course in 2014 and again in 2026. Now a performer at times, singing, playing, or moving.

Hsi-Yin Chang

An intuitive singer and sound healing practitioner now living in Germany. She was trained in sound therapy since 2021 and is now dedicating her work to healing music and sound journeys.

CONTACT INFO

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

For registration ask Hsi-Yin, for lodging and food details ask Jackal.

Jackal Mei (Organizer)

Phone: 0936-596-910

Mail: jackallala@gmail.com

Line ID: jackallala

Mark van Tongeren (Course facilitator)

mark@fusica.nl

Phone: 0910382749

LINE: 091038274

Hsi-Yin Chang (administration assistant)

hsiyin724@gmail.com

 

PAYMENT

Payment upon registration by bank or Paypal.

Bank code: 808

Name of bank: E.SUN Commercial Bank

Beneficiary: Van Tongeren Mark Christiaan

Account number: 0314-979-191796

 

Make sure to send an email after your payment with the last few digits of your bank account.

 

CANCELLATION

We try to keep prices reasonable. We will return 90% of the fee if you cancel 60+ days prior to the workshop.

We will return 80% of the fee if you cancel 45 – 59 days prior to the workshop.

We will return 50% of the fee if you cancel 30 – 44 days prior to the workshop.

We will return 30% of the fee if you cancel 15 – 29 days prior to the workshop.

We will return 10% of the fee if you cancel 1 – 14 days prior to the workshop.

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

© Mark van Tongeren 2026

© Photos Jackal Mei

 

 

OTHER UPCOMING WORKSHOPS

Voice Yoga Winter Solstice Retreat 2026:

December 19-22 at Dulan

PLEASE ALSO CHECK OUT:

TOSA https://www.facebook.com/overtonesingingtw

 

R E S O N A N C E   X I I

will take place in early 2028