Bethan Lloyd
@bethanlloyd

Hello, I’m Bethan and I’ll be guiding you on this retreat. I have spent many years researching voice and how it is used across the globe in ritual, ceremony and magic. I started singing and performing when I was 6 years old, in Wales, where voice is still honoured as an integral part of our culture and I went on to train as a classical singer. My interest in spirituality was always deeply interwoven with vocal expression, I spent many hours singing up trees and rolling around in mud trying to uncover the secrets of the Universe! This interest led me to Theology and Religious studies at Cambridge University where I learned all that I could from an academic perspective, but ultimately, my real studies were experiential and embodied. After university I travelled the world, and came to focus my attention on the ancient wisdoms of India and Brazil. In both lands I learnt about the void, deep listening, spirit possession and Animacy. I lived with indigenous Tribes and in Ashrams deeply immersing myself in both cultures. 

A very deep remembering started in me however when I returned to my homeland of Wales and spent many months in silence. This re-sensitised me to the needs and the longings of this land, which is still singing, and has never forgotten its own indigenous wisdoms. I have worked alongside teachers such as Mac Macartney and countless numbers of vocal explorers in numerous retreats across the British Isles to try to bring back the ancient ceremonies of this land. Voice was one of the central modes of entering trance and connecting to forces beyond our everyday experience. By stepping into a ceremony with sound and voice, we are remembering the old ways and allowing the memory to fill us with a deep knowing of land and place. 

As well as teaching voice, I work as a professional musician and performer. I have four solo releases and have performed at festivals and shows across the globe. I collaborate with a number of artists on various musical projects and work as a vocal composer for film, TV and multi-disciplinary performances.