A thrilling range of traditional harmony singing from across the world will offered by the vocal quartet Northern Harmony in a concert on Saturday, March 13, at 7:30 p.m., at the Garberville Presbyterian Church, 437 Maple Lane. The quartet will also present a singing workshop in world harmony styles on Sunday afternoon, March 14, from 1-5 p.m., at the Beginnings Octagon in Briceland. Admission at the door to the concert is on a sliding scale of $15-10. Advance registration is advised for the workshop, and admission is on a sliding scale of $35-25. For more information on the concert, call 707-923-4346 or, for the workshop, 707-986 9310.

The unusual concert program features a wide range of singing styles: Ancient sacred and secular songs from Caucasus Georgia, featuring a dark, sonorous sound and startling, dissonant harmonies; oral tradition songs from Corsica, with two highly ornamented upper voices over a harmonic bass; village and arranged songs from Bulgaria and Macedonia, using the arresting Balkan “hard voice;” lively and contrapuntal, traditional and contemporary American shape-note songs; 1930s tight harmony quartet gospel; ornamented Appalachian harmonies; hearty and rhythmic South African songs and dances; and delicate medieval motets. Performing primarily a cappella, the group accompanies some numbers with accordion, banjo, guitar and keyboard.

The Sunday workshop features South African folk songs and dances, Appalachian harmonies, contemporary shape-note songs, doo-wop, and songs from Corsica and the Republic of Georgia. The teaching is particularly efficient with the four Northern Harmony singers there to lead each vocal part. Close attention is paid to the distinctive vocal style of each singing tradition.

Bring a potluck snack to share at the workshop, if you wish.

Larry Gordon and Patty Cuyler are the founder and co-director of the Vermont-based Village Harmony singing camps and the renowned touring choir Northern Harmony. For twenty years their inspirational teaching has introduced thousands of singers to these thrilling vocal traditions. Suzannah Park and Nathan Morrison are among the most talented and charismatic of the younger generation of Village Harmony leaders, having toured and performed with Village Harmony and Northern Harmony since their early teens.

Patty is a very powerful and passionate singer with a wide range, plays accordion, and has particular expertise in Georgian, Corsican and South African music. A long time leader of shape-note singing, Larry also has expertise in medieval, renaissance and early baroque music, and his strong bass voice anchors the quartet. Coming from a family of three generations of traditional musicians, Suzannah is particularly at home in the ornamented singing styles of Appalachian music, but her rich and flexible voice shines in other genres as well. Nathan has a beautiful tenor voice and also plays banjo and keyboard.

A range of Village Harmony/Northern Harmony CDs and songbooks will be for sale at the concert. For further information visit the Village Harmony Web site: www.villageharmony.org.