First target reached! Stretch target: £5,700
• Photography and documentation of the festival • CIC registration and ticketing pla...
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• Photography and documentation of the festival • CIC registration and ticketing pla...
Help us create Gathering Song: a festival of voice, connection, and nature through collective vocal improvisation.
Beautiful people! Something special is ready to be born!
We are the UK Vocal Improv Collective (UKVIC), and we’re trying to raise £4,200 by June 7th to bring Gathering Song - a brand new festival of vocal improvisation and nature connection - into the world.
For the past five years, we’ve been creating vibrant spaces for human connection through the magic of collective vocal improvisation.
Now, we’re ready to make our next vision into a reality.
Who we are: UK Vocal Improv Collective
We are a group of artist-facilitators creating performances, workshops, recordings, and festivals rooted in vocal improvisation. For us, this artform is more than music - it is a tool for human connection, creativity, wellbeing, and transformation.
Over the past five years, we’ve hosted retreats, festivals, and international collaborations, building a vibrant and growing community of vocal improvisers across the UK and beyond, and we’ve dedicated a whole lotta love to celebrating this shared delight. We’re super proud of what we’re creating together and we love this community and artform deeply.
Why this matters (and why now)
At a time when many of us feel increasingly disconnected, this work offers something simple but vital: the power to bring people together in meaningful ways - fostering joy, collaboration, and a deeper connection to ourselves, each other, and the world around us.
We believe so strongly in the potential of this art form to make a difference in peoples’ lives, and we believe that vocal improvisation can help train us humans in the skills needed to be part of the big paradigm shift that our society and our planet so clearly need!
The Vision: Gathering Song
Gathering Song is a new kind of vocal improvisation festival experience.
It will be a 3-day retreat for vocal improvisers, followed by a 1-day public outdoor festival, set in the beautiful landscape of Braziers Park in Oxfordshire.
We’re excited to be intentionally bringing this work into the natural world. Why, you ask?!
1. Nature changes how we listen, how we relate, and how we create. It invites spaciousness, presence, and attention which are qualities at the heart of vocal improvisation
2. We want to make our offerings more financially accessible with a big beautiful festival campsite, as well as some indoor accommodation options
3. We want to share the work with the wider world, and believe that an outdoor festival brings together music, community, and the natural world in an immersive, accessible and exciting way
Why we need your support
We are raising £4,200 to cover essential upfront costs that make Gathering Song possible.
These are the practical foundations that must be in place before we can open ticket sales or bring participants into the space.
We’ve already invested years of unpaid work, building the behind-the-scenes organisational structure, honing our vision and culture, making necessary partnerships, and more. Now we need support to take the next concrete step.
Where your money goes
Your support directly funds the creation of the Gathering Song event:
If we exceed our target:
Rewards: Ways to take part
We have a smorgasbord (literally 39) rewards in exchange for your kindness, so keep scrolling down the page to see them all! You can also donate money if you want to help without receiving a reward, or choose a reward and add a donation on top.
Both the UK Vocal Improv Collective and the wider community are in on this to support the vision and say THANK YOU, and many of these offers are made directly by members of the collective and community and reflect the spirit of improvisation, play, and connection that this festival is built on.
For example:
£12 upwards - Workshops from the community - Vocal improvisation workshops from various gorgeous members of the community in London, Bristol, Stroud, and more!
£30 upwards- Merch Merch Merch! Gathering Song tote bag / T-shirt / sticker set OR Merch contributions from various fabulous artists from the community - e.g. Liz Ikamba, Eve Goodman, Polly Gone Wrong
£50 - Personalised song or jingle - A bespoke vocal piece created for you by the team
Can be a song, jingle, vocal sketch, or creative sound gift
£80 - 1:1 mentoring session - A personal 1:1 session with a member of the team
Vocal improvisation coaching, mentoring, or creative guidance tailored to you
£120 - Winter Improv Bazaar - A day of collective creation in the south-west with the UK Vocal Improv team
Join us in making this happen
From just £5, you can help us create a space where people feel more connected to their voices, each other, and the living world.
Join us! Back Gathering Song, and help us bring this vision into the world.
Funding method
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 7th June 2026 at 8:00pm