Sing Eat Retreat gave me Maria von Trapp-level confidence – in a beautiful Mediterranean setting

“George, can you try and not sing so loud, as we can’t hear the other kids.”

The words of my primary school choir teacher, Miss Lamin, repeat in my head as I await my flight to Spain. It’s almost time for me to embark on a very exciting retreat! Though not your average retreat, this is Sing Eat Retreat. “Sing Sondheim!” to be precise.

Days are structured around vocal warm-ups, ensemble singing, small-group technique sessions, and one-to-one coaching to refine individual performance. All leading up to the showcase evening at the end of the week with a live audience.

The retreat unfolds on the southern coast of Spain a short drive from Tarifa. Huerta Belinda is where we lay our scene, a large Spanish villa featuring stunning gardens, a pool and views right across the Strait of Gibraltar. This is just one of the company’s many locations, with retreats also hosted in Sitges, Salzburg and Zakynthos.

Coming into the retreat, something I want to work on is the technical side of singing, scales, harmonising and maybe finally finding out what vocal group I fall into: alto, tenor or no hope. Now I must admit, I have never seen a Sondheim production (I know you’re shouting through the screen now my dear WhatsOnStage reader, but don’t worry, so is the rest of my team). Though I used to sing in school choirs and kids theatre groups, I’ve never had an actual singing lesson, but that has certainly never stopped me from performing my one man arena show every night in the shower!

Mornings begin with a leisurely breakfast, a mix of continental and hot options as you sit overlooking Morocco, I can’t think of a better way to start your day. Once breakfast is over it’s time for the warm up to begin in the beautiful courtyard area, stretching both the body and the vocal cords.

We have a great mix of people, some newcomers like Howard (who is already planning his next one) and others like Doris, who is on her eighth retreat! (And has six more already booked). There is a great sense of community amongst the group with our coffee breaks and lunches spent chatting away, talking about our favourite musicals, songs and so much more.

The team features Leigh Stanford Thompson, our highly accomplished music director, who works extensively with Cameron Mackintosh. He is our lord and master as we prep towards the showcase. We also have Michael O’ Donnell who served as resident director of the 25th anniversary production of Les Misérables.

One of my favourite sessions was vocal technique led by accomplished vocal coach Claire Underwood who is currently resident coach on Wicked (West End) and also vocal supervisor on Cabaret. Alongside her is Sake Wijers current resident vocal coach for Disney’s The Lion King (West End).

As someone who is completely new to the technical side of singing, I found these sessions fascinating, with the techniques Claire and Sake taught us both valuable and accessible for newbies like myself. I particularly enjoyed the “cork method”, though lord knows how many bottles of wine they had to go through to provide the 20 of us with a cork each!

I also had the privilege of a one-to-one vocal session with Claire, my first singing lesson ever! But being in the hands of someone so skilled I immediately felt at ease. She taught me breathing techniques and I sang a few bars of “As long As You’re Mine”. Claire mentioned how she had taught a few Fiyeros: as a Wicked super-fan I was in awe that I’d had lessons with the same teacher as the West End cast!

As our short but sweet session came to an end Claire’s words, “you have a really, really lovely instrument in there and clearly a musical ear” hit me hard, in a good way! I’ve loved singing for as long as I can remember, but after years of “here he goes again” and “give it a rest George” I’d resorted to the shower singing life. Like most of us, I’m not good at receiving compliments but Claire’s words struck a chord with me, and I thought back to that little boy in the primary school choir, who just wanted to sing, If I’d have told him that a top West End vocal coach who works on his favourite musical, encouraged his love for singing, he probably wouldn’t believe it. Also, I finally got the answer I was looking for with what group my voice belongs to, countertenor/tenor.

But enough about little old me and back to the retreat! Now of course it’s not just called “sing, retreat”, eating is another big part of this experience, with delicious dishes for breakfast, lunch and dinner, no worrying of what to eat or where to go as the meals are all prepared for you, with a buffet style breakfast and lunch, and a sit down dinner in the evening. One of the nights we dined at the nearby hotel Mesón de Sancho, where myself and a few other members of the retreat were staying. The hotel is but a short ten-minute walk to the villa, but there are also timed shuttles to and from the hotel to the villa if you don’t fancy the stroll!

On Thursday afternoon we had a Masterclass with two time Olivier Award-winning actress Joanna Riding (Carousel, My Fair Lady, Billy Elliot the Musical). Joanna told us her first experience of Sondheim was performing Company during her training at theatre school, mentioning that she had never wanted to sing, but that through this show she found a love for how Sondheim was able to merge the world of singing and acting together through his music.

A confident few got up and performed for us with Joanna offering her expert advice to guide them. How many people can say they have sung for such talent, in such an intimate and personal setting?

In the evenings after dinner there were open mic sessions, as we all sat around enjoying wine and each other’s voices. I had the courage to get up one night and give them my rendition of “Climb Ev’ry Mountain” which to my surprise was met with a standing ovation and a hug from Joanna who of course played Mother Abbess in the acclaimed 2025 production of The Sound of Music at the Curve in Leicester. I was more shocked that founder Zane Rambaran’s beautiful rescue dog Charlie, who was a welcome treat every morning, wasn’t howling at my warbling.

Everything led up to the showcase on Friday evening which was a good mix of ensemble and solo performances for the local residents who had turned out to see us. it’s been a long time since I’ve sung for more than my four walls, but after a long day of final prep, we were ready for the spotlight. The performance ends with an ensemble rendition of “Sunday” from Sunday in the Park with George, before the celebrations begin with lots of wine, a delicious curry buffet and of course even more singing!

As the final notes fade and the week comes to a close, it’s clear that this retreat is about far more than just singing. It’s about rediscovering a love of music, building confidence, and sharing something special with a group of like-minded people, all in a setting that feels a world away from everyday life. I came away with a new sense of confidence in not just my voice but myself in general, eagerly looking for vocal lessons in my local area. Who knows, maybe an am-dram production or two could be in the future, I guess life really does start at 30!

There really is nothing quite like Sing, Eat, Retreat, and I’m already keeping an eye out on their website for my next one!

You can find out more about upcoming Sing Eat Retreat opportunities on their website.