2026 Dhrupad Summer Retreat is going to be unique in its kind. The first four days of the course will take place in the wonderful Retreat center Pave. Located in south France on the foots of the Pyrenees, Hammeau the Pave is an enchanting Retreat center in the middle of green fields and forests.
The last two days of the Retreat, if the weather permits, the Retreat will continue on the mountains.
We will drive to the beautiful valley of Mont Valier, camp by the river and in the morning walk up to a beautiful lake and continue the lessons on the mountains, surrounded by inspiring natural beauty.
You can either join both parts of the Retreat or just the first part.
DHRUPAD
10/13.07.2026
This year’s Retreat is dedicated to exploring the vocal approach to Indian classical music, with a special focus on Dhrupad, one of the most ancient and profound musical traditions. However, this retreat is not only for vocalist, it is open to all instrumentalists who wish to deepen their connection to sound by integrating a vocal perspective into their playing.
As my teachers have passed on to me, Dhrupad is more than just a musical genre, it is a philosophy of sound, a way of perceiving, understanding, and embodying music.
This is a first of its kind Retreat, where we will dive deep into the essence of Dhrupad by unlocking the full potential of the voice not just as a means of singing, but as an instrument of profound expression. At the same time, instrumentalists will explore how to bring a vocal quality to their playing, allowing their instrument to “sing”.
In this Retreat you will learn trough oral transmission used in the Indian Classical Music tradition. This will allow you to learn music not trough reading but trough listening, refining your ability to understand music as a language, and give you the tools to start improvising and composing.
You will be learning Ragas, and how to develop the improvisation.
We will work on our listening skills, refining our ear for microtonal subtleties.
There will be group classes to work on general knowledge and as well individual attention, to work on everyone's personal needs.
In the middle of southern France forests, in this peaceful and silent surroundings we will dive deep into the contemplative nature of Dhrupad, into the essence of sound, listening awareness as well as it's technical intricacies.
The perfect Retreat for those that want to deepen their musical knowledge and at the same time be in an natural and peaceful environment that supports the learning process of this ancient art form.
MOUNTAIN
14/15.07.2026
I’m personally very drawn to mountains. They elevate me and inspire me.
Dhrupad is like a mountain path, but instead of climbing towards the peak of a mountain it feels like climbing towards the infinite knowledge held within this ancient musical art form.
I’ve always dreamt to bring music to the mountains. Therefore this year after a beautiful hike to Mont Valier, I’ve decided to bring the 2026 Dhrupad Retreat to the mountains.
The beautiful hike will be accompanied by music listening sessions of the Raga we have been studying, while we hike and under the vast summer night sky, in synchronized headphones. Classes will be held outdoors where we can get inspired by the stunning mountains around us.
The silence of the high mountain will help us dive deeper into sound and the contemplative nature of Dhrupad.
We will camp next to a breathtakingly beautiful high mountain lake and continue the classes in the morning, and decent towards the valley in the afternoon, where the Retreat will end.
The Retreat center
Hammeau de Pave
Hammeau de Pave is an enchanting Retreat center located on the foots of the Pyrenees. It offers a beautiful hall where the lessons will take place
