DATE:
3–5 April 2026

LOCATION:
Eden Rise, near Totnes, Devon

PRICE: Free! funded by Youth Music

Escape to the Devon countryside for three days of songwriting, creativity and connection with other developing songwriters.

You’ll write together, try new things, share ideas and make some noise - with plenty of good food, fresh air and time to simply be.

Come as you are, leave with new songs, new confidence and new people in your corner.

What to expect from your retreat

No two CHORUS retreats are exactly the same, but you can expect a mixture of collaborative songwriting, creative challenges, vocal work, games, discussion and plenty of time to make music together.

We’ll move between whole-group sessions, smaller writing groups, space to work independently or simply take a breather.

There’ll be optional morning movement to wake us up, playful songwriting prompts, lyric and melody challenges, opportunities to share your work and space to explore your own creative practice.

You might find yourself writing a chorus with a roomful of strangers, turning a completely ridiculous song brief into something brilliant, swapping lyrics with a new friend, or discovering that the idea you nearly threw away becomes your favourite one.

Evenings are for food, songshares, games, singing and hanging out - and there’s always some time built in to wander, rest or do your own thing.

The retreat is facilitated by Anna Anise and Anna Ling, with opportunities for participants to share their own skills, songs and ideas along the way.

Tucked away in the countryside just outside Totnes, Eden Rise is a cosy, secluded retreat made up of two beautifully converted 200-year-old barns.

Inside, there’s a spacious kitchen and dining area, a large workshop room and a comfortable lounge for hanging out. Outside, there are gardens, outdoor seating, campfire spaces and access to the surrounding land for walks and getting some fresh air between sessions.

The whole site is ours for the retreat, so there’s plenty of room to find your own little corner.

Eden Rise is around two miles west of Totnes, just off the Plymouth Road.

Based in the Devon countryside

LOCATION

food and feasting

We take food seriously at CHORUS. Meals will be vegetarian and provided by Food in Community, a local organisation with a brilliant ethos around rescuing surplus food and reducing waste.

Expect generous, nourishing, homemade-style food to keep you fuelled through all that writing, singing and thinking — previous retreats have included things like fresh soup and bread for lunch, and big communal dishes such as daal, curry and rice for dinner.

Breakfast will be available from around 8am, with lunch at around 1pm and dinner around 6.30pm, plus tea, coffee, and plenty of opportunities to make yourself a cuppa throughout the day.

We’ll collect your dietary requirements and allergies when you register and make sure the caterers have everything they need, and if you have a particularly specific diet or need extra snacks, you’re very welcome to bring some provisions of your own.

There’s also a well-equipped kitchen and a lovely communal dining space at Eden Rise, so grabbing a drink, making toast or sitting down for a chat is always an option.

nom nom nom!

You’ll be staying right at Eden Rise for the whole retreat, so once you arrive, you can properly settle in and forget about commuting anywhere.

The accommodation is cosy, organic, unique and secluded, with shared bedrooms mostly; some rooms have bunk beds and the bathrooms are shared.

You can let us know about any access requirements or sleeping preferences when you register. Breakfast starts from around 8am and the day's activities begin at around 9.30–9.45am.

There’s no expectation that you’ll spend every waking moment in a workshop, even though we have plenty planned for you - the programme includes downtime to wander, sit in the garden, write, nap, chat, read or simply stare at the Devon countryside for a bit.

Early riser? Go enjoy the quiet. Night owl? Stay up and chat or write. There’s structure to hold the weekend together, and space to make it your own.

SLEEP & DOWNTIME

ZZZ...

the team behind the retreat

anna anise

Anna Anise is a Cornish singer-songwriter and folk musician whose work draws on the stories, language and traditions of her homeland, singing in both English and Cornish. Anna holds a first-class degree in Songwriting from BIMM Bristol and is a Churchill Fellow, which saw her researching songwriting camps and retreats across the USA. She has performed widely across the UK, including at Green Man Festival and London’s Green Note, and has undertaken artist residencies at Hawkwood College, Brisons Veor and Halsway Manor. As a songwriter and facilitator, Anna is passionate about creating generous, supportive spaces where artists can take creative risks, develop their practice and find confidence through collaboration. She brings warmth, curiosity and a deep belief in the power of songwriting to connect us.

anna ling

Anna Ling is a self-producing alt-folk singer-songwriter, vocalist and choir leader based in Devon, whose work brings delicate folk melodies, and a love of harmony together to find the mythic in the everyday. Alongside her own songwriting and performance career (including the release and UK tours of her debut album in 2025) Anna is an experienced choir leader and vocal facilitator, passionate about creating spaces where people can find their voice, connect and discover new possibilities in their songwriting. Her approach is playful, intuitive and deeply collaborative, drawing on over 20 years of experience with voice, community music and participatory singing.

The retreat is facilitated by Anna Anise and Anna Ling

3rd - 5th April 2027

If you fancy three days of collaborative songwriting, workshops, good food and making new friends in the Devon countryside...

Free · Ages 18–25 · Women & gender-diverse developing songwriters · 15 places

This retreat is funded by Youth Music

This retreat is funded by the incredible Youth Music, the UK’s leading young people’s music charity. Youth Music works to break down barriers and equalise access to music, supporting young people facing inequity, exclusion and discrimination to make, learn and earn through music. We’re hugely grateful for their investment in the next generation of musicians.