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#Intensive is an annual weekend of workshops delivered by exceptional practitioners curated by MDBrunch. This immersive weekend is an opportunity to meet colleagues, peers and allies allowing you to network and socialise with other vocal leaders, whilst also learning and developing your own skills in a safe and welcoming environment.
Hyatt Regency Stratford
Accommodation Package
Single Room - £214 per night
Twin Room - £214 per night (£107 per person)
All rooms include breakfast, Wifi and VAT. Rooms will be confirmed on receipt of 50% of total stay now and the balance will be due by 1st Oct 2026. Rooms are standard twins, view room details here.
"MDBrunch are on a constant drive to provide useful, lasting tools for Vocal Leaders at every level"
Craig, MD Young Voices
"MDBrunch continues to be the mainstay of my CPD training [...] my choirs have profited hugely from all I have gained"
Laura, Treblemakers
"A wonderful community of talented choir directors. Encouragement and advice was given and beautiful friendships were made. I couldn't be more grateful to this amazingly inclusive organisation which continues to motivate and challenge me on a daily basis"
Rachel Little, Amabile Choirs
MDBrunch deeply values the fact that MDs invest so much in their communities. #Intensive26 promises to be another action packed weekend empowering vocal leaders through collaboration and learning. We look forward to introducing you to the programme of events below and can't wait to welcome you to the wonderful community of MDBrunch.
PROGRAMME
Friday
#WarmUpExchange
10:30-11:30
Mel Field & Naveen Arles
Our first day welcome session is designed to not just grow your bank of warmups but simultaneously explore and learn from each other's teaching approaches. Kickstart the weekend, go home with several new and exciting warmups while connecting with each other. Bring your tried and tested warmups to share throughout the weekend's #WarmUpExchanges.
The Protective Voice:
When the Body Tries to Help
11:30-13:30
Dr Jenevora Williams
Understand the body-mind connection in vocal health. We'll explore the idea that some of these responses may be protective patterns of the voice. Looking at the meeting point between the body and the mind we'll consider how physical sensations, emotions and experiences can shape how the voice behaves. And how learned behaviours, and the body's fear of them, can actually protect us in harmful ways.
The Power of You:
Empower and celebrate ALL of your traits
15:00-17:30
Luke Shaw
Luke is back by popular demand after his last session caused the most follow-up chatter in our groups of any of our sessions ever. Luke Shaw is a leading facilitator working globally to bring people to a greater understanding of their own potential. This session will require the pre-completion of an online self-awareness tool that will generate a report that Luke will utilise to explore the strengths and personalities in the room; showing us ways to acknowledge ourselves, celebrate our own powers and enable us to motivate and mobilise ourselves.
Showstopper! The Improvised Musical:
Make Up A Show. Now.
19:30-21:30
Duncan Walsh Atkins & Team
The award winning MD and members of the team of this entirely improvised musical will show us how their magic works. After putting on a 15min show from ideas generated by us, the audience, the team will then enable us to play with the techniques and ideas they utilise to scaffold the creation of a 'show-on-the-go'. Prepare for musical bravery and hilarity all at the same time.
Saturday
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Songwriting 101; Processes to Hone Creativity in Your Group
Emily Barden
11:30-13:30
Emily is a songwriter and one of the most experienced workshop leaders enabling people to better craft their songs and finding processes to enable their musical ideas to become structured song segments. Emily will take us through the processes and techniques of creating a song which we will record; modelling the entire process from start to finish.
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Letting the Sound Out; We Don't Fear Creating Music
Aga Serugo Lugo
Aga is a workshop leader to many of the national outreach projects thanks to his unstoppable unique energy. He creates an environment where you forget to be scared of 'creating' sound and has a wealth of workshop tricks and ideas that enable groups to take safe steps towards improvisation and song-writing. We will explore these various strategies to create music.
15:00-17:30
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#SingLive with 'The Choir of Man'
Creator/Musical Supervisor Jack Blume & Cast
19:30-21:30
Open to all singers of all standards, Jack will pre-share 2 arrangements from The Choir of Man for us all to sing under his direction. An insight into how they have to arrange and sing these arrangements to work in the theatre. Jack and the cast members of The Choir of Man will share stories behind the creation, process and evolution of the shows, both on the West End but also on tour and on the international cruise ships. This is a very rare opportunity to spend time 'making the show' with the 'makers of the show'.
Tickets (open to all singers too) for this evening session are available separately HERE.
Sunday
#WarmUpExchange
10:30-11:00
Mel Field & Naveen Arles
Warm Up Exchange
[Session Title to follow]
11:00-13:30
Pete Churchill
Pete, former lead of Jazz programmes at Guildhall and now Professor of Jazz Composition at the Royal Academy of Music here in London and the Brussels Conservatoire, is back!! A firm favourite of Intensive, Pete's unbelievable skills, couched in his completely unassuming style, will model for us the exceptional ways to get our singers to lock into the 'groove' of any tune and deliver diction, rhythm and meaning with effortless teaching ease. Pete is not to be missed and we will inevitably spend most of the session singing some amazing tunes you didn't even know you needed in your life.
LEADERS
DR JENEVORA WILLIAMS
Dr Jenevora Williams is a leading exponent in the field of vocal health and singing teaching. After a successful career in Opera, Jenevora turned her attention to investigating healthy and efficient vocal function. The combination of academic study and practical experience has resulted in a unique perception for understanding the human voice.
EMILY BARDEN
Published songwriter, choral leader and specialist in composing for young singers, join Emily Barden for an interactive session exploring how a song can be written as a collective, and then arranged, rearranged and played with to make it work for various settings. Need a quick warm up? Need a new round? Want to explore improvisation..? All can be done within this creative workshop! Be prepared to share ideas, improvise harmonies and have fun making something new together that you can immediately take back to your choirs.
PETE CHURCHILL
As a pianist, Pete spent 15 years as accompanist to the legendary Jazz singer Mark Murphy and, more recently worked with Sheila Jordan. He has been a member of both Kenny Wheeler’s and Abdullah Ibrahim’s Vocal Projects and had the privilege of being conductor of the Kenny Wheeler Big Band, culminating in the final album, ‘The Long Waiting’.
LUKE SHAW
Luke is back by popular demand after his last session caused the most follow-up chatter in our groups of any of our sessions ever. Luke Shaw is a leading facilitator and Coach working globally to bring people to a greater understanding of their own potential and how to reach it. This session will require the pre-completion of an online self-awareness tool that will generate a report that Luke will utilise to explore the strengths of the personalities in the room; showing us ways to acknowledge and celebrate our own powers, overcome limiting beliefs and how to maximise our strengths to lead with more confidence
AGA SERUGO- LUGO
Aga serugo-Lugo is a vocalist, clarinettist, composer and workshop leader. He sang for the 9 piece Funk band “Gefunkt”, and also extensively composed for the six-piece jazz-fusion group ‘Eclectiv’.
Aga’s interests lie in narrative-based community music-making, focusing on accessibility and inclusivity. This has given him the opportunity to work with, amongst others: Sing-up, The ROH, ENO Baylis, Music in Detention, Create, Turtle Key Arts, Streetwise Opera, Trinity Laban, Mencap, Pegasus Opera, Creative Partnerships, Wigmore Hall and Britten Pears Arts.
SHOWSTOPPER! TEAM
The award winning MD and members of the team of this entirely improvised musical will show us how their magic works. After putting on a 15min show from ideas generated by us, the audience, the team will then enable us to play with the techniques and ideas they utilise to scaffold the creation of a 'show-on-the-go'. Prepare for musical bravery and hilarity all at the same time.
JACK BLUME CHOIR OF MAN
Jack Blume is a Composer and Music Producer working across Film, TV and Theatre. He is the composer,
orchestrator and vocal arranger of Olivier nominated West End production The Choir of Man, as well as globally
touring stage shows Noise Boys and Gobsmacked!, which have performed multiple seasons at world renowned
venues including the Sydney Opera House and the Kennedy Center. The Choir of Man has held residencies in
London, Chicago, Shanghai and Seoul, has toured the UK, USA, Europe and Australia, and can additionally be
seen on board three Norwegian Cruise Lines ships.
Who are MDBrunch?
MDBrunch is a skills sharing, training, networking and support organisation for people who make singing happen (MDs). We create a community for these often lonely leaders and also promote the vital health and wellbeing aƯect that 42,000+ choirs in the UK have on their communities. We now deliver teacher training across the UK, singing events from Derry to Manchester, annual high level training programmes for vocal leaders and are involved in consultancy and advocacy work through both sitting on the council of the Association of British Choral Directors (abcd) and our membership of the Singing Network UK. Having grown over the last 8 years MDBrunch is led by two directors:
Naveen Arles BCA FRSA
Founding Director: After 30 years of running vocal groups Nav has conducted on most of the major stages across the UK. Nav’s social justice work has led to being a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and being selected to receive a British Citizens Award. He runs several choirs and youth education projects in London and delivers teacher training and education consultancy around the globe.
Mel Field
Events Director: has been a performer her whole life running youth choirs over the last 15 years. She studies voice with Juliet Russell and has performed on TV with Michael Bublé, toured with Hugh Jackman, Take That and Lulu. Mel has managed many large scale events which have raised both awareness and hundreds of thousands of pounds for Haven House Children's Hospice, a charity where she now runs a new choir for parents, staff and volunteers.
Follow us on: @mdb_uk
Terms and Conditions:
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All sessions will be live hybrid.
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Friday and Saturday 7.30pm sessions will be held at Chobham Academy, 40 Cheering Lane,East Village, E201BD; which is a 7 minute walk from the Hyatt Regency.
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All session recordings will be made available via dropbox between 20 and 30 days after the event finishes. These resources remain the copyright property of MDBrunch and are not shareable.
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All recordings and images/videos recorded by MDBrunch during the event remain the property of MDBrunch and can and will be used in various formats (digital and print media) to publicise and advertise our work. By purchasing a ticket to this event you are tacitly giving MDBrunch permission to use your likeness in any of our publicity campaigns.
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Refunds, if granted, will incur an administration charge (regardless of which type of ticket):
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Within 14 days of purchase, full refund minus £20 charge (if cancelled before 11am on 30th Oct)
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Cancellations within 14 days of the #Intensive weekend, i.e. after 11am on 30th Oct, will be eligible for a 50% refund.
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Cancellations within 3 days of the #Intensive weekend will not be eligible for any refund.
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ALL refunds will be dealt with within 7 days following the #Intensive weekend.
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Materials bought during #Intensive direct from a workshop leader/organisational partner will not be the responsibility of MDBrunch and any/all queries must be taken up with the vendor directly. This includes the "Clifton Strengths" online tool for Luke Shaw's workshop.
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Room Bookings will be confirmed on receipt of 50% of the total stay price with the balance due 1st October 2026.
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Room Bookings are non-refundable.
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MDBrunch will attempt to find a way to replace and name change the room but we are ultimately not responsible for cancellation charges.
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Both Chobham Academy and The Hyatt Hotel is entirely accessible. If there are any further assistance needs, please DO NOT hesitate to get in touch with us.
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There is no free parking at The Hyatt Hotel. Car parks nearby: Stratford International Car Park (International Way - £) or Westfield Shopping Mall Car Parks (£££).
Mel Field
Events Director
mdbrunchuk@gmail.com
www.mdbrunch.uk
@mdb_uk