What can I say about the recent Gong camp Europe, held just outside of Tomar, Portugal? It exceeded my expectations. What a fabulous and well organized event. I was there as a teacher and featured performer, but I must tell you that I was as much a student as anyone else. That’s because I’m always learning and take advantage of opportunities like this to add to my skills and knowledge.
The camp was held at a farm in the countryside that has been turned into a retreat center. Everyone was able to either stay onsite or close by, thus we were together 24/7. Mornings started with an optional yoga/meditation session, followed by breakfast, then a morning of instruction. After lunch, there was more instruction and on some days a featured performance. After dinner, there was always a main performance in the big gong hall.
The gong hall was a short walk down a path and a gravel road from the main facility. I found it refreshing to take that walk in the scenic countryside. The whole area was stunningly beautiful, with rolling hills and lush vegetation. The view from my second story window was always inspiring.
I loved joining in with all the students for the various training sessions. It was fun to play along with them and be just another student. Mike Tamburo lead most of the session and really presented solid ideas. All the students were able to have a gong to play on and the group exercises were really excellent. Mitch Nur also provided various lectures and practical training. Beside myself, the other main instructors were Thomas Orr Anderson and Yin Xiong. Featured performers were Suzy Price and Anna Petrovic.
One of the bast parts of camp was having 3 amazing gong makers on hand with their gongs. Rolf Nitsch from Gongland came down from Germany, Madhava Carrara and Margherita Cioffi of Grotta Sonora came from Italy, and Miguel Lourenco from Universe Gong came from nearby in Portugal. It was great to hear them each play their own creations, as well as being able to interact with them. Where else can you find a group of teachers and guests like this?
~ MB
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