ΜΟΥΣΕΙΟΝ Music-Making Courses 2026–27
Harp, Lyre, Aulos, Dance & Song – four four-day courses, November 2026–March 2027, in the ancient Sassi of Matera
Nobody knows exactly how ancient Greek music sounded. That’s what makes reimagining it from fragmentary evidence so exciting! These hands-on courses immerse you in that mystery, guided by leading specialists.
Course directors: Nikos Xanthoulis (lyre), Stef Conner (voice), Bill Taylor (harp), and Lukas De Clerck (aulos)
Programme director: Barnaby Brown
Guest tutors: Pino Basile (percussion), Stefan Hagel (ancient music), Nico Karadimas (dance), Melinda Maxwell (aulos improvisation), Ian Rutherford (poetry & metre), Marco Sciascia (instrument making), Nancy Thym (harp), Kamila Wysłucha (aulos scholarship)
Step into a 9,000-year-old cave city in Italy to discover ancient Greek music at ΜΟΥΣΕΙΟΝ Matera. Join us for four immersive courses – Harp, Dance & Song, Lyre, and Aulos – built on the oldest evidence and the newest thinking. Courses are suitable for all experience levels.
Only 16 places are available on each course, so reserve now to avoid missing out!
- Explore ancient music in practice through building, playing, singing, dancing, composing, and performing
- 24 hours of tutor time per course, with internationally recognised performers, instrument-makers, and researchers
- Hone your craft working with ancient Greek rhythms, modes, metres, tuning systems, and period pronunciation
- Take home everything you need to continue learning including working instruments on the Aulos and Lyre courses
- End the week with a collaborative performance alongside tutors and fellow participants in Matera’s magical setting
Each course focuses on a specific area of practice, led by specialists in that field. Courses combine ensemble sessions, coached performance, and close study of the surviving evidence, testing ideas in practice rather than approaching the material only through theory. We welcome multiple approaches – historicist and avant-garde – expanding the perimeter of the unknown together.
Open to performers, scholars, instrument-makers, teachers, and curious beginners alike, the courses offer a rare opportunity to explore ancient Greek music as a living, social activity: something sung, played, moved to, debated, and shared. No prior instrument-making, performance, or research experience is required – only curiosity.
About each course
23–26 November 2026
Make new harp music based on ancient Greek evidence with Bill Taylor, Nancy Thym, Barnaby Brown, and Pino Basile
Explore new research into ancient Greek harps through collaborative practice in rhythm, tuning, harp technique, vocal accompaniment, and composition, working with both diatonic and chromatic systems. The course takes a holistic approach to fragmentary sources – musical documents, surviving instrument remains, iconography, and song texts – drawing on material from the 5th to 3rd centuries BCE.
Through practical workshops, ensemble sessions, and collaborative composition, you’ll work alongside the singers, dancers, and instrumentalists of ΜΟΥΣΕΙΟΝ Matera, bringing this music to life in performance. Particular emphasis falls on the rhythms of ancient Greek verse, drawing different modes and emotions from a single tuning, navigating diatonic and chromatic systems, understanding how reconstructed harps are built and strung, and building fluency in accompanying poetry.
By the end of the week, you’ll have contributed to a growing body of exercises and repertoire, bridging Classics, Historically Informed Performance, and diverse harp traditions. Join us in creating new music that’s grounded in awesome evidence and shaped by creative teamwork, at a pace tailored to your level. You may bring any kind of harp (or lyre with 9+ strings that can be played like a harp) and a limited number of instruments are available to hire.
18–21 January 2027
Sing, dance, and compose in ancient Greek metres with Stef Conner, Barnaby Brown, Stefan Hagel, Nico Karadimas, and Ian Rutherford
Working with poetry by Pindar, Sappho, and Alcman, alongside some of the carmina popularia (anonymous popular songs from antiquity) and pieces that survive with their original notation, you’ll explore how ancient Greek metres come alive when sung, danced, and performed collectively.
The course combines choral rehearsals, rhythm workouts, movement sessions, performance coaching, and collaborative music-making with close study of surviving musical and textual evidence. Sessions with Ian Rutherford and Stefan Hagel explore metre, pronunciation, musical fragments, and historical context, while Stef Conner leads work on vocal technique, breathing, interpretation, stagecraft, and creating new music for ancient texts, including vocal warm-ups developed specifically for the challenges of singing in ancient Greek. Physical warm-ups in the movement sessions do the same for embodying ancient metre. You’ll also work with live accompaniment from lyre, aulos, and percussion, guided by Barnaby Brown and Pino Basile, and explore traditional Greek dance with Nico Karadimas.
By the end of the week, you’ll have created and performed new historically informed settings of ancient texts, sung surviving Greek and Roman melodies, experienced ancient metre through movement, and gained practical tools for bringing ancient Greek poetry into living performance.
22–25 February 2027
Build, play, and sing with the lyre, guided by Nikos Xanthoulis, Stef Conner, Marco Sciascia, Stefan Hagel, and Barnaby Brown
Discover the ancient Greek lyre as both a solo and accompanying instrument through ensemble sessions, technical coaching, composition, and collaborative music-making. Working closely with Nikos Xanthoulis – the leading figure in the modern revival of the ancient Greek lyre – you’ll explore surviving ancient melodies alongside newly created music rooted in ancient metres, modes, rhythms, and tuning systems.
You may choose either to build and take home your own lyre, with guidance from Marco Sciascia and Barnaby Brown, or to focus more intensively on performance using an instrument you already own. Sessions with Stef Conner and Stefan Hagel explore self-accompaniment, singing with lyre, composition, and the relationship between poetic rhythm, instrumental gesture, and vocal delivery.
By the end of the week, you’ll have contributed to new performances and compositions, deepened your understanding of ancient sources through practice, and built a more confident, personal relationship with the lyre. And you’ll take home the resources you need to continue developing your own music for ancient lyre.
15–18 March 2027
Play the aulos and make reeds with Lukas De Clerck, Stefan Hagel, Melinda Maxwell, Marco Sciascia, Kamila Wysłucha, and Barnaby Brown
Explore the extraordinary diversity of the aulos through hands-on work in reed making, technique, improvisation, accompaniment, and ensemble performance. Open to all levels – musicians, educators, researchers, students, anyone interested in ancient cultures – this course offers practical training in aulos playing and musicianship, while engaging directly with ancient Greek sources.
If you already own an aulos, you can make reeds for it; if you don’t, you’ll take home your own reconstruction, based on originals from the 6th and 5th centuries BCE, along with new skills to support your own creativity. Guided by leaders of the aulos revival, you’ll build real technique through craft workshops, one-on-one coaching, and collaborative sessions, gaining fresh perspectives on how this harmonic and polyphonic instrument led musical culture in Classical Antiquity.
You’ll explore instruments from Egypt (the ‘Louvre’ and ‘Berlin’ auloi), Magna Graecia (the ‘Giglio’ and ‘Poseidonia’ auloi), and Sudan (Queen Amanishakheto’s auloi: chromatic instruments from Meroë in the kingdom of Kush) – making and adjusting your own reeds, developing embouchure and breathing technique, and discovering how these different auloi relate to ancient theory, notation, and musical practice.
Sessions with Stefan Hagel examine the history and compatibility of different instruments and tuning systems. Melinda Maxwell explores new music for the Louvre aulos through improvisation, blending ancient and modern musical sensibilities. Lukas De Clerck leads work on circular breathing, improvisation, and bringing the aulos into today’s artistic practice. Marco Sciascia and Barnaby Brown focus on crafting reeds that are a joy to play, giving you control of your sound and effort level. And Kamila Wysłucha leads sessions on ancient musical notation, exploring how to turn the surviving melodies into rewarding aulos music.
You’ll join the singers, dancers, and instrumentalists of ΜΟΥΣΕΙΟΝ Matera, as well as singer Stef Conner, for rhythm, melody and movement workshops, embedding your training in a collaborative musical environment. Together, we’ll discover how these instruments expand our understanding of the past and open up possibilities for the future.
A once-in-a-lifetime setting for ancient music
The course takes place at ΜΟΥΣΕΙΟΝ Matera, in the heart of the Sassi district — part living museum, part creative laboratory, where archaeology, music, and imagination meet. Stone interiors and curated reconstructions carry thousands of years of history into every session.
Workshops unfold in spaces designed to connect you to the past, to Mother Nature (after which Matera is named), and to each other.
The ancient world feels unusually close here. Rehearsals spill from stone rooms onto terraces above the Sassi and the ravine, and rhythms first found with feet and voice take on new life in the open air. We walk the streets together and sing into rock-cut spaces, discovering how place itself shapes sound. With only 16 participants per course, there’s time for conversation, shared meals, and music-making that often continues long after the formal sessions end — for many, place and community become inseparable from the work itself.
What Participants Say:
“I very much enjoyed the “experience first” based approach that mimics the aural tradition.”
“It is wonderful to be taught to practise in a way that supports your body and your health, rather than being a painful and unpleasant chore. Focusing on how different bits of your body feel, how to be completely with yourself and your body. And it’s fun: it stops practice being a miserable experience!”
“Having the individual instructor feedback is excellent and the information content is top tier.”
“I’ve been to many instrument making courses and symposia, but this is by far one of the best! The fact that you get an instrument made by yourself at the end of it , on top of all the research, is the cherry on the cake!”
“I felt completely safe doing things that are normally out of my comfort zone. [Barnaby] was so positive and I think that makes a huge difference because it makes us more confident.”
All the practical info
Dates, times, and course structure
Each course begins at 10am on Monday and ends after an informal concert and farewell meal on Thursday evening at Le Botteghe (a 1-minute walk below the ΜΟΥΣΕΙΟΝ).
Mornings and late afternoons are devoted to workshops, rehearsals, coaching, and ensemble sessions, with a longer break in the middle of the day for rest, sightseeing, practice, or exploring Matera. Evenings often include shared meals, music, ancient-style symposia, and other optional social activities
Discover the Ancient Greek Harp: 23–26 November 2026
Discover Ancient Greek Dance and Song: 18–21 January 2027
Discover the Lyre: 22–25 February 2027
Discover the Aulos: 15–18 March 2027
Location
ΜΟΥΣΕΙΟΝ Matera, Via Gradelle S. Nicola del Sole, 3, Sassi di Matera, Italy
What’s included
- Formal tuition (24 hours: 10am–1pm and 4pm–7pm, Monday–Thursday)
- One-to-one and group sessions with all tutors
- Informal learning and social exchange, sharing meals, walks, and spa sanctuary
- On the lyre and aulos courses, everything you need to make and take home a working instrument
- Final collaborative performance
- Lifetime access to audiovisual materials produced by the tutors and customized for participants during the course
Who’s it for?
Open to beginners, enthusiasts, and skilled musicians alike. No prior instrument-making skills, performance experience, or research background are required. We find that a tapestry of disciplines and motivations, approaches and backgrounds, strengthens the value of the courses for all.
Language
English is the primary language, with Italian also spoken. Tutors speak several languages between them and may translate as needed; since MOYSEION’s staff are Italian, Italian translation is generally on hand as standard.
Course fees
- Standard: £600 Includes all your tuition. For the lyre and aulos courses this also includes a student instrument and reeds you craft yourself, with protective hard case.
- Supporter: £750 Everything in the standard rate. Your additional contribution will help us provide access for all, to include tutors from the Global South, and to create more music for you.
- Discounted: £450 For participants who cannot afford the standard rate: everything is included.
You can also save by signing up to multiple courses:
- 2-course deal: 15% off
- 3-course deal: 25% off
- 4-course deal: 33% off
The course fee does not include refreshments, meals, or accommodation. There are many excellent (and economical!) places to eat within walking distance of the ΜΟΥΣΕΙΟΝ. Our closest restaurant, Le Botteghe, offers a special price of €7 or €12 for course participants throughout the week for lunch and dinner.
Accommodation
Rooms are available at the ΜΟΥΣΕΙΟΝ at a special reduced rate for course participants arriving after 3pm Sunday and departing before 10am Friday: €90 for single occupancy, €115 for double occupancy per night (over 50% off). This includes the ΜΟΥΣΕΙΟΝ’s unique Water Sanctuary Ritual (compulsory period dress provided!), use of magnificent subterranean pools (a sacred space dedicated to the goddess Demeter with replicas of archaeological finds), and sumptuous breakfast, carefully curated by food anthropologists and historians. Unforgettable! To book, please contact: info@moyseion.com / +39 0835 197 1880.
Participants living locally or staying elsewhere are warmly invited to join informal social activities after 7pm each day.
Travel
Closest airports
Bari (BRI) is closest – about 75 minutes from Matera by direct bus, taxi, or private transfer. Naples is a further alternative (~3 hours) if it suits your route better.
Coming by train?
Matera is connected to Bari Centrale by the FAL line – about 1.5 hours, with frequent daily departures.
Departure and arrival times
Arrive: Sunday afternoon/evening (ΜΟΥΣΕΙΟΝ rooms available from 3pm). Courses start at 10am on Monday, so land the day before if you can.
Depart: any time from Friday morning onward (courses finish Thursday evening; checkout is 10am Friday).
Can’t make Sunday? Landing in Bari very early Monday can still work, though we can’t guarantee the 10am start. Arriving around lunchtime means joining from the afternoon session onward. Let us know your arrival time in advance and we’ll do what we can to help you catch up.
Instruments
Don’t worry if you don’t already own an instrument, or aren’t able to bring one. On the lyre and aulos courses, you have the option to build your own simple, playable instrument as part of the course (about 2 days of the four) – it’s included in the fee. The instruments are affordable, easy to make, and ideal for getting started. They also produce a beautiful sound!
A small number of lyres and harps are available to borrow, if needed – just let us know in advance so we can reserve one for you (first come, first served).
Frequently Asked Questions
Rooms at the ΜΟΥΣΕΙΟΝ are available at a reduced participant rate (from €90/night single, €115/night double, including breakfast and use of the Water Sanctuary). To book: info@moyseion.com / +39 0835 197 1880. Plenty of accommodation is also available nearby in the Sassi if you’d rather stay elsewhere and just join us for course times.
Bari (BRI) is closest – about 75 minutes from Matera by direct bus, taxi, or private transfer. Naples is a further alternative (~3 hours) if it suits your route better.
Arrive: Sunday afternoon/evening (ΜΟΥΣΕΙΟΝ rooms available from 3pm). Courses start 10am sharp Monday, so land the day before if you can.
Depart: any time from Friday morning onward (courses finish Thursday evening; checkout is 10am Friday).
Can’t make Sunday? Landing in Bari very early Monday can still work, though we can’t guarantee the 10am start. Arriving around lunchtime means joining from the afternoon session onward. Let us know your arrival time in advance and we’ll do what we can to help you catch up.
Exact daily timetables aren’t finalised yet, but every course follows the same rhythm: 10am start, a long midday break (~2 hours) for lunch and rest, sessions resuming in the afternoon, and dinner around 8pm. Evenings often include shared meals, music, and optional social activities. Click here to see an example schedule from last year (scroll to ‘All the Practical Info’).
English is the primary language, with Italian also spoken. Tutors speak several languages between them and may translate as needed; since MOYSEION’s staff are Italian, Italian translation is generally on hand as standard.
No. On the lyre and aulos courses, you have the option to build your own simple, playable instrument as part of the course (about 2 days of the four) – it’s included in the fee. The instruments are affordable, easy to make, and ideal for getting started. They also produce a beautiful sound!
Want to borrow an instrument? A small number of lyres and harps are available – just let us know in advance so we can reserve one for you (first come, first served).
Yes. Every day includes music making. Mornings open with a group session (singing, movement, playing, warm-ups); afternoons are flexible, so you can weight your time toward playing, one-to-one coaching, or making – and even change your mind as the course goes on.
No dates are finalized yet, but we intend to run each course once a year in Matera, with others in different locations. Keep an eye on our course pages, or get in touch and we’ll let you know as soon as new dates are announced.
We also recommend attending more than one course within this season, as they are sequential and include the same repertoire. For example, you could join the Song & Dance course but still spend a lot of time playing the lyre – you’d just be focusing more on accompanying song and dance than honing your harmonics technique.
Still got a question? Email us at: events@lotos-lab.com
Only 16 places available on each course – book now to avoid missing out!
If you would like to hear about future events like this:
A collaboration between Lotos Lab and ΜΟΥΣΕΙΟΝ Matera in association with the Austrian Archaeological Institute
Lotos Lab: +44 78 1000 1377 • events@lotos-lab.com • www.lotos-lab.com
ΜΟΥΣΕΙΟΝ: +39 0835 197 1880 • info@moyseion.com • www.moyseion.com