What is Vocalisation?
You can imagine a typical Vocalisation as a nontraditional form of vocal warm-up and exercises that help us reconnect with our voice, body, and inner child. Depending on the energy of the people in the circle, each session is different and may include stretching, movement, and even a bit of theater. Through these characteristic movements and vocal techniques, we restore and expand our vocal capacity, as well as improve our posture and diction.
Also known as “Orphic Singing”, it draws its name from the well-known legend of Orpheus – a legendary hero, renowned for his extraordinary musical gifts and his ability to enchant living and non-living beings alike with his lyre and melodies. The idea behind the term “Orphic Singing” can also refer, in a broader sense, to especially beautiful, touching, and elevated singing or music, which is accompanied by intention and has the ability to captivate and shift the states of listeners and performers.
Sometimes referred to as “healing singing”, this term has mostly come from feedback by practitioners about the improvements they’ve noticed in relation to internal and external challenges after such workshops.
In its current form, Vocalisation incorporates elements of Sound Therapy, Improvisational Theater and other activities that support the connection between spirit and body. Some people say they feel happier and experience better sleep after taking part.
Our intention in every activity we offer is that it be both pleasant and meaningful.
Would you like to improve the connection with your voice?
The existence of vocal emotional communication is a well-studied phenomenon. Different forms of sound expression can help you convey your emotions more effectively, leading to a more stable emotional state. (It has been shown that singing releases endorphins and oxytocin, hormones of good mood and stress relief.)
By encouraging the connection between speech and body, these exercises help you become more self-aware and more emotionally attuned, as well as improve your skills in verbal communication, which can have a significant impact on both personal and professional relationships by enhancing empathy and communication skills.
According to research, vocal signals are quite important for how people perceive and express their emotions. The benefits of practices like our “Vocalisation” are supported by the science of emotional vocal expression.
The Brunswik Lens Model, for example, explains how emotional states are encoded in vocal expressions, transmitted, and then decoded by listeners, thereby enriching the experience for both the singer and the audience. Participating in our “Vocalisation” workshop allows you to meet people who are passionate about music and self-expression.
Creatosphere is also the host of musical jam sessions, making this practice easier and safer. That feeling of belonging to a community makes participation safer and more enjoyable for the practitioner. While you work on yourself, both inside and out.
Who are the people behind the workshop?
The contemporary version is led by Anton Toshev (Anthony), one of the co-founders of Creatosphere, who has developed his own unique version that, in his experience, best prepares people to dive into this journey. While the original method was inspired by the late Ognyan Nikolov, a music educator, in 2006 Ognyan created the seminar Voice Manifestation, envisioned as a form of support for people who want to go deeper within themselves and develop their unique vocal instrument. Over the course of 42 seminars, he helped more than 700 people rediscover themselves through music. He shaped a large number of opera singers and often shared that this process continually brought him new knowledge on the endless path of exploring the human voice and singing.
Originally envisioned as a three-day seminar, it was continued by his student Emil Kyunov, with whom Ognyan began working back in 1995. Emil turned the seminar into a regular practice, with the hope that more people would be inspired to love and value their voice. In 2017, he met musician Todor Mladenov, who showed great interest in learning and began passing on his knowledge and skills. In 2018, Emil left Bulgaria to go on a European tour, leaving Todor to lead the practice as the main facilitator. That same year, Mina Parcheva and Anton Toshev discovered this form as an art, and quickly joined it.
After some time, Emil returned to Bulgaria and met Anton, who showed strong interest in the unique concept. Over time, Anton went from being a participant to a workshop assistant, and eventually became a facilitator, with Emil as his instructor and friend. Today, Anton Toshev, educator and co-founder of Creatosphere, leads his own version of the practice in Sofia and in other locations under the name Vocalisation. In the past, it was called “Orphic Singing”.
WHAT OUR PARTICIPANTS SAY
After the end of an Orpheus Singing workshop,
we often ask our participants for anonymous and
unfiltered feedback to help us improve for the future.
“Binding experience”
Anonymous
Singing participant
“Super cool, it was fun & confident, I felt in good hands!”
Anonymous
Singing participant
“Super awesome, next time I would like
to try with sounds from animals!”
This is my inspiration for this theme and it is something I recently discovered as a mindset. I found new logic for my entire life through caring for another and how much hope that brings to an individual when they have to do things to make another creature’s life better and not their own. Which of course makes everyone in the equation happy.