Songs of Santiago

All songs happen somewhere: Come write songs along the historic Camino de Santiago, walking through vineyards and mountain towns during the day, sleeping in small albergues and writing songs on farms, in alpine villages and in the wine country of "el Bierzo," each afternoon and evening. Guided mindfulness meditation and songwriting ​prompts and mentoring offered.

This is a two week-long songwriting retreat  in northern Spain that focuses on mindfulness, songwriting, walking and their intertwining. Beginning in the small city of Astorga (León, Castilla y León), along the historic “Camino Francés” (also called the Camino de Santiago), and ending in the small village of Trabadelo (El Bierzo, Castilla y León), we will walk, each morning, along this historic road, in the company of one another and other pilgrim ‘peregrinos.’ Between days of walking, we will write songs together (‘cowrites’), every other day. We will walk through one of the most beautiful sections of the Camino, through ancient towns, through the vineyards of “el Bierzo,” through a region known worldwide for its cuisine, wine and Celtic music and cultural traditions.

Each day, songs and song prompts will focus on a different sense and section of the Camino, allowing us to slowly arrive in the new places we are walking through. On the final night, we will perform our songs in a final concert for other pilgrims in the medieval town of Villa Franca del Bierzo. (Option to continue walking on your own to Santiago de Compostela to receive your “Compostela'' after the end of the retreat.) Retreat is taught in bilingual, English-Spanish fashion. While Spanish language skills are not required for successful participation in the retreat, knowledge of Spanish and English is immensely useful for navigating the Camino, being in Spain, and writing songs. Therefore, priority is given to participants with knowledge of a musical instrument and Spanish-language speaking ability. Workshop capped at 10 participants to ensure a low participant-facilitator ratio, relationships with our Spanish hosts,  and successful community building, throughout.

We will walk approximately 6-9 miles (10 -15 km), every other day, from roughly  9 a.m.-1 pm, totaling 52 miles (84 kilometers) over twelve days. On the days we are not walking, we will write songs. On all days, we will begin with a guided mindfulness meditation and guided creative writing prompts. 

 We will stay in a different hostel or “albergue,” most  nights. Transport service for both musical Instruments and backpacks is available for an extra fee, each day ($7/day/item). Songwriters wishing to participate but unable to walk the daily distances are still welcome to register; affordable alternative modes of transportation (bus, taxi or train, depending on location) are available at roughly $20/day. Sleeping accommodations are a combination of shared, mixed-gender rooms and in private double and triple rooms, also in Albergues (rooms are assigned as same-gender unless otherwise requested). Accommodations are simple, comfortable and clean; each Albergue (hostel) where we will stay has been personally vetted by the facilitator. In most cases, dinner is offered by the Albergues where we will sleep/stay.

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