Corsican ensemble, Spartimu – Residential weekend

Name: Corsican ensemble, Spartimu – Residential weekend
Start: 2025-10-17T17:00:00+01:00
End: 2025-10-19T15:00:00+01:00
Location: Milton Abbey School

Schedule

Fri, 17 Oct, 2025 at 05:00 pm to Sun, 19 Oct, 2025 at 03:00 pm

UTC+01:00

Location

Milton Abbey School | Blandford Forum, EN

A residential weekend with Corsican ensemble, Spartimu, forming part of a UK wide tour.
SPARTIMU
Spartimu are an internationally renowned Corsican group, dedicated to teaching and performing ‘cantu in paghjella’ – the UNESCO listed distinctive, highly ornamented and improvisational traditional polyphony of Corsica.
The ensemble has performed in Sardinia, Lithuania, Georgia, Chicago and Melbourne (Australia), and been recorded and documented by the US Library of Congress, as well as providing original music for the recent Ridley Scott film, Napoleon, and being featured in an upcoming episode of the BBC TV series Great Railway Journeys.
'I have been so fortunate to work with Frederic Vesperini and Spartimu for several years and can not recommend them highly enough.'
Karla Mundy, Director, SongRoots, Vancouver BC
'Spartimu bring a wealth of experience and enthusiasm to their encounters with audiences and workshop participants as they take them on a fascinating journey into Corsica's captivating musical heritage.'
Prof. Caroline Bithell, Professor of Ethnomusicology, University of Manchester
RESIDENTIAL WEEKEND
The weekend is open to anyone who is interested to explore Corsican polyphony in greater depth. We will have a full weekend of workshops, including larger ensemble songs and cantu in paghjella, for which we will work in smaller groups, giving plenty of opportunity for individual tuition. Accommodation is available on site, or you can choose a non-residential option if you prefer.
Our venue will be the magnificent setting of Milton Abbey School in Dorset. If you choose to stay on site, accommodation will be in one of the comfortable and well appointed boarding houses. All meals will be provided in the grand, fifteenth century Abbots Hall, with workshops to be held in various state rooms within the historic school buildings.
On the Saturday evening we will enjoy a concert with Spartimu in the stunning abbey itself.
TICKET PRICES
We work hard to keep all of our events accessible to as many people as possible, while still adequately compensating our expert music leaders. To that end we are offering a range of options for participating in this workshop weekend, including residential passes, non residential passes, and Saturday passes. For each ticket there is a choice of three price bands, Supporter, Standard:, and Concessionary.
£325/275/225 Weekend, boarding (two nights accommodation, workshops, three meals each day, concert)
£235/185/135 Weekend, non boarding (workshops, lunch and dinner each day, concert)
£125/105/85 Saturday (workshops, lunch and dinner, concert)
£25/20/15 Concert (Saturday evening concert only)
As always, if you are keen to attend but cost is a barrier for you, please contact us directly to discuss options.
ACCOMMODATION
Accommodation is arranged in residential houses, each with 40 to 50 beds, in single, twin, triple or quad rooms. Each residential house is equipped with a small kitchen and a lounge area.
CATERING
Boarding passes include all meals. Non boarding and day passes include lunch and evening meal. Vegetarian and vegan options are available, and special dietary requirements can be catered for. Please specify when booking.
GETTING THERE
Travel by public transport is of course encouraged. The nearest railway stations are at Dorchester (12 miles from the school), or Wareham (14 miles). There are direct trains from London to Wareham and Dorchester, or buses to Bournemouth. The local bus CR8 stops at Dorchester railway station, and runs to within 1.3 miles of the school. Collection from the bus stop may be possible. Please email us if you would like to arrange this.
If arriving by car there is plenty of car parking on site. Please consider car sharing if possible. If you can offer a space in your car or are looking for a lift, please feel free to post your lift offer or request on the Facebook event page.