Studio France - Singing with Wilma MacDougall

Discover your voice in a supportive environment and enhance your performance and interpretive skills whilst improving your basic vocal technique (posture, breath control and vowel production).

The course is aimed at adult singers who are in the early stages of learning to use and understand their voices. Each day of the course there will be a group warm-up, individual lessons and coaching sessions, opportunities to perform (solo or group) at informal concerts and masterclasses, finishing with a small concert at the end of the week.

Develop your voice in a supportive environment and enhance your vocal performance and interpretive skills, gain experience, build confidence, and share the enjoyment of making music in a wonderful setting.

It is a workshop aimed at adult singers who are in the early stages of learning to use and understand their voices. Each day will begin with a group warm-up of approximately one hour. This will be followed by daily individual lessons and coaching sessions each of 30 minutes’ duration and will be aimed at improving your basic vocal technique (posture, breath control and vowel production). Each day there will be opportunities to perform either solo or in small groups at informal concerts and masterclasses. The week will finish with a small concert performed for a local audience.

Poulenc's Gloria,
Conductor: Christopher Bell with NYCoS,
Royal Scottish National Orchestra. The Usher Hall, Edinburgh.
Photo Drew Farrell

Wilma was born in Scotland, and studied music in Cambridge and Glasgow. She leads a busy career as a recitalist and soloist, working with many leading orchestras and ensembles – on stage, broadcasting and recording. She is also in great demand as a teacher and has pupils of all ages, adjudicates, takes masterclasses and gives voice presentations throughout the country.

The week is a platform to gain experience, build confidence, and share the enjoyment of making music in a wonderful setting.

What is included:

This workshop is arranged that we have tried to include as much as possible within the price of the workshop, hence you need not worry about a single aspect of this week, except for one evening meal in a restaurant at the top of Cordes (depending on the choice of your restaurant this can be €20.00-€55.00 and not more than €5.00 each for the taxi back to Labarthe-Bleys. So from the moment you arrive into Toulouse, you will be met at the airport (or train station) and driven the 1hr 15mins to the hamlet of Labathe-Bleys.

On Sunday, and for the next six days, you start your day with a delicious breakfast of warm croissants, hot coffee/tea, seasonal fruits and homemade jams in Pippa & Julia's kitchen. We serve a lavish picnic lunch in the grounds of Chateau-Labarthe Bleys (where also your classes will be held) - and maybe there is the time for a quick swim, in the wonderful swimming pool before going back to class.

Each evening, a three course dinner is served, celebrating all the delicious local produce that is in this beautiful area, as well as a fantastic evening of dining with Pierre & Isabelle Chatelus in their private home of the 14th Century Chateau.

Finally, we hope to have a small evening to celebrate your work with an opportunity to perform with an audience and a celebration last night dinner before we transfer you back to the airport on the last day.

All of this is and every aspect of your tution and accommodation is included in the price of the week