VOCES8 METHOD WITH PAUL SMITH

Education

Mission Voix Occitanie invites Paul Smith, co-founder of the British ensemble VOCES8, teacher, singer and international figure in music education, to lead an exceptional project introducing the VOCES8 Sing’in method, a method of vocal pedagogy, ensemble work and choir conducting.

Transmission, Creativity and Collective Joy through the VOCES8 Pedagogical Method

In February and March, Mission Voix Occitanie will have the pleasure of welcoming Paul Smith, an internationally renowned vocal pedagogue and co-founder of the British ensemble VOCES8, for two major events dedicated to transmission, collective practice and the shared joy of making music together.

Through these exceptional encounters, an entire philosophy of choral singing will be shared: a profoundly human, rigorous and playful approach, in which technique serves expression, and in which the collective becomes a true space for creativity.

 

February: A Training Course to Enrich Practices of Transmission

The first course, to be held in February, will bring together all those involved in leading or supporting vocal ensembles: teachers from the national education system, choir conductors working with amateur groups, specialist music educators (DUMI), students currently training in choral conducting, and teachers from the conservatoires of Toulouse and the Tarn—each and every one deeply committed to the act of transmission.

Over the course of these working days, Paul Smith will guide participants in developing their technical, artistic and pedagogical skills through sessions that are resolutely practical, interactive and inspiring.

Above all, this course is conceived as a living toolbox: a source of concrete ideas to renew one’s practice, to foster listening, musicality and creativity within groups, and to restore a central place to the pleasure of singing together.

 

March: A Week of Immersion, a Masterclass and a Unifying Concert

The second highlight will take place in March, with Paul Smith’s visit to Toulouse for a full week of pedagogical work with students from the choral singing classes of the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional de Toulouse.

A full week dedicated to the practical application of the VOCES8 pedagogical method.

This immersion will make it possible to implement, over an extended period, the artistic and pedagogical tools shared, within the real context of collective practice. The aim is to build, step by step, an ambitious yet accessible musical project, culminating in a unifying final concert bringing together all participants.

A particularly anticipated moment of this week, the final performance will be enriched by an exceptional collaboration with:

  • 4 British singers from the VOCES8 Scholars,

     
  • the amateur vocal octet from Toulouse Quinte et Sens ,

     

who will join the students on stage to share in the energy and spirit of the project.

This will be a powerful artistic and human encounter, founded on sharing, joyful excellence and the celebration of the collective.

 

FINAL CONCERT

Saturday 14 March at 7.00 pm Saint-Pierre-des-Cuisines

A pedagogy that recognises each individual as a bearer of culture, that values the participation of all, and that makes choral singing an artistic, educational and profoundly civic act.

Through these two complementary initiatives, Mission Voix Occitanie continues its commitment to supporting cultural practitioners across the region in renewing vocal practices, encouraging transmission, and creating spaces in which the voice becomes a powerful lever for connection, creativity and cultural emancipation.

To welcome Paul Smith and the VOCES8 method is to offer participants a rare experience both formative and inspiring, deeply human in nature and an invitation to consider pedagogy as an artistic act in its own right.

 

PERFORMERS

Choral singing classes of the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional de Toulouse
(classes of Frédéric Terrien and Rolandas Muleika)

VOCES8 Scholars
Beth Yates, soprano
Phoebe Wakefield, alto
Sebastian Roberts, tenor
Iris Oliver, bass

Quinte et Sens, vocal octet
Marie-Noëlle Coulon, soprano
Elsa Sigrist, soprano
Marie Susini, mezzo-soprano
Zdenka Vodickova, alto
Frédéric Terrien, tenor
Louis Salkin, tenor
Geoffrey Allix, baritone
Patrick Sublaurier, baritone and conductor

Daniela Mars, octobass flute

Paul Smith, conductor

SCHEDULE

VOCES8 pedagogical method training course:
 7–8 February 2026, Toulouse

Pedagogical residency:
 9–14 March 2026, Toulouse

Information and bookings available online.

 

Interview with Paul Smith, co-founder of Voces8

Interview de Paul Smith, la méthode pédagogique Voces8

interview with Paul Smith (english version)

DISCOVER MORE

The website of Mission Voix Occitanie
PAUL SMITH WEBSITE

BIOGRAPHY

Paul Smith, Composer, choir conductor
Paul Smith is a charismatic teacher. Co-founder of the VOCES8 ensemble and author of the eponymous method, Paul explores the use of music in leadership development, team building, health and wellbeing. More than 400,000 young people around the world, notably in the United Kingdom, the United States, but also in France, Germany and the Middle East, have benefited from his teachings.
Paul Smith Compositeur, Chef de choeur

GALERIE