Upcoming Events
Experience the joy of community singing at an upcoming workshop, song circle, or participatory concert
Playshop Series at Kin Hut, Nanaimo
A series of informal workshops / song circles at the beautifully resonant "Kin Hut" on Departure Bay Beach
At each event, Sylvia will teach a set of accessible, harmony-rich songs on a theme (earth, rivers, peace, hope...) and April Laurie will accompany us on percussion, and lead some vocal play. On two dates, April also offers her "Sound Sculpting" vocal playshop**!
Sunday July 5, 2 - 4pm - Songs of Peace
Tuesday July 14, 7 - 9pm - New Moon Circle - Songs of renewal, the balance of light and dark, and planting seeds of hope.
**Sunday, July 26, 3:15 - 6:15pm - Earth Songs with Sylvia and Sound Sculpting with April
Sunday August 16, 2 - 4pm - River and Ocean Songs
**Sunday, August 23, 2 - 5pm - Gratitude Songs with Sylvia and Sound Sculpting with April
Sunday August 30, 2 - 4pm - Songs of Hope and Resilience
Sliding Scale cost:
$20-30 for each song circle
**$35-50 for the full event on July 26/ Aug 23 (or $20-25 for half)
Please click below to see more details and RSVP:
Song circle at Kin Hut, June 2025
Tuesday Evening Beach Drop-In Singing - Nanaimo
Drop in and sing for joy at a Tuesday evening song circle at Pipers Lagoon or Neck Point park.
Sing heart-opening songs of peace, hope, resilience, and nature. Learn harmonies by ear, imperfectly. Move to the rhythm. Share a song during the "round-robin" portion if you'd like. All voices welcome regardless of experience.
Tues, July 7, 6:30-8pm - PIPERS
Tues, July 21, 6:30-8pm - NECK POINT
Tues, July 28, 6:30 - 8pm- PIPERS
Tues, August 11, 6:30-8pm - NECK POINT
Tues, August 25, 6:30-8pm - PIPERS
Tues, September 1, 6:30-8pm - NECK POINT
Suggested Donation: $10-20. No one turned away.
Please click below for more details and to RSVP:
Photo by VoiCheck
Thursdays at Foster Park Gazebo- Parksville
Drop in and sing in imperfect harmony under the resonant gazebo at Foster Park, on a Thursday afternoon.
Sing heart-opening songs of peace, hope, resilience, and nature, taught by call & response, with room for creativity and movement. All voices are welcome.
Thursdays at 4:00pm (to 5:30ish)
July 16, 23, and 30
August 13, 20, and 27
September 3
Suggested Donation: $10-20 per date (no one turned away). Please click below for more details and to RSVP:
Song Circle Campout:
Sept. 11-13
A weekend of community singing where the Nanaimo River meets the sea.
I'm delighted to host my first weekend gathering! With help from my Ubuntu Choirs Network colleagues, we're planning three glorious days of heart-opening, playful, immersive community song circles. Explore harmony, rhythm, creativity, and movement. Sing for joy, connection, peace, and hope, and celebrate in nature.
Join me along with a wonderful lineup of Island songleaders:
Cathy Baker and Dick Jackson, Musica do Circulo facilitators, "Gettin' Higher Choir" directors
Leah Hokanson (Gabriola Island)
Cari Burdett (Duncan)
Michael Geselbrecht (Nanaimo)
Bernhard Spalteholz (Victoria)
April Laurie (Nanaimo)
Dave Ashwell (Courtenay)
Details TBA. 50 people max. Registration will be for the whole weekend only (Friday evening to Sunday mid-day), but camping is optional. I have reserved 25 waterfront camping spots.
All voices are welcome and belong.
If you'd like to be notified when registration opens (late July) please leave your name and email below:
Living Forest Oceanside Campground is a beautiful spot on the south end of Nanaimo, with many places to sing: both sheltered and on the waterfront!
PAST EVENTS
Sounds Of Summer - FREE CONCERT July 25, Nanaimo
July 25, 1-2pm, Wesley Square in the Old City Quarter
Join me, April April Laurie and Jude Wong for our trio performance as part of the Old City Quarter's "Sounds of Summer" concert series. We'll sing uplifting harmony-rich songs written by some of my favourite artists, as well as some of my originals, inviting the audience to lend their voices along the way. Join us in raising some community spirit!
(arrive early and bring a chair if you'd like to sit).
Read the Nanaimo Bulletin article
Big Sing with Humble Harmony
Saturday June 27, 2026
Huddlestone Park, Lantzville
Raise and weave your voice in community and sing songs celebrating the earth and our connection to it. All voices are welcome and belong, regardless of singing experience.
Huddlestone Road, Lantzville (please park across Lantzville Rd. at the school if you can walk; save parking for those with limited mobility.)
Song Circle: 11 am Optional Potluck/Picnic: 12:30pm
Followed by a "round robin" - anyone can share a song
Suggested Donation $10-20
To see our song list and RSVP, click below.
Video clip from last summer's Big Sing in Lantzville:
Instead of a concert, we celebrate the end of each season of my Humble Harmony community singing group with a BIG SING, where everyone is invited to sing along with us!
These uplifting songs are easy to learn by ear, with exciting layers of harmony and rhythm. While this is a participatory event, listeners are welcome too.
Summer Solstice Song Circle
Saturday, June 20, 2026
Let's raise our voices in celebration of light in a joyful, heart-opening gathering to honour the longest day of the year. All voices are welcome and belong.
Learn simple, uplifting chants and short songs about light and all that blooms, with layers of harmony and rhythm. I teach by call & echo, with room for creativity and movement. Percussion and vocal play by April Laurie.
At Dharti Mata Centre, a beautiful, community-oriented, sacred earthen space just south of Nanaimo.
4pm - doors open, tea/social, possible swimming
5-7 pm - Song circle (with tea break) $25-45
7pm+: Three-course Indian dinner and social, swim and campfire (weather permitting). $25 (optional)
See details and register below
(space is limited ; pre-registration required).
OPEN HOUSE WEEK at Humble Harmony
May 18 - 21 (Nanaimo & Parksville)
Humble Harmony is part of a growing movement of community singing... reclaiming our human birthright to sing together for pure joy. We are a non-audition, non-performing group, oriented around experience, fun, depth, and connection. No experience is needed. All voices are welcome.
Week one of our "Late Spring" season is open for drop-in (by donation) - come see if you love it!
Monday May 18, 2pm at St. Andrews United Church, NANAIMO
Tuesday May 19, 7pm at Rotary Field House, NANAIMO (with April Laurie's vocal play and percussion)
Thursday May 21, 3:30pm at McMillan Arts Centre, PARKSVILLE (this timing may change in future; let me know your preference here)
Check out our song list by clicking below:
Spring Singing Circle at Kind Yoga
Sunday, May 17, 3pm (Nanaimo)
Chant, hum, tone, and let your voice rise and weave in community! Gather with others for this joyful, inclusive song circle celebrating the rejuvenation of nature and of human connection this spring. Sing harmony-rich chants and songs from the community singing movement led by Sylvia Humble, and a sprinkling of Kirtan led by April Laurie.
Singing relieves stress, strengthens the heart and lungs, enhances mood, and creates social cohesion and unity. All songs are taught in the oral tradition of call and response, incorporating opportunities for creativity and movement.
No experience is necessary; all voices are welcome and belong.
Space is limited; please pre-register through Kind Yoga:
Photo by VoiCheck
Outdoor New Moon Song Circle
Saturday, May 16, 4pm (Parksville)
Where? Parksville Community Park Picnic Shelter (near bandstand)
Why?
The new moon symbolizes beginnings, renewal, and planting seeds for what we wish to grow in our lives and in the world. Let’s raise our voices and spirits together and make some joyful sounds!
What?
Learn easy, uplifting chants and short songs about hope, renewal and the balance of light and dark, with layers of harmony and rhythm. All songs are taught by call & response in the oral tradition, with opportunity for creativity and movement. We will sing mostly acapella, with some ukulele and hand drum to spice it up.
Who? All voices are welcome regardless of experience, age or gender. This is community singing; it’s about joy and connection rather than talent or perfection.
Cost? By donation.
No RSVP necessary - the more the merrier!
Please dress for the weather and bring water or a hot drink to stay warm and hydrated.
Photo by Bernd 📷 Dittrich on Unsplash
Nanaimo Parks & Rec: Community Singing. Saturday, May 16, 11am
Experience the joy and connection of singing in harmony imperfectly! Sing uplifting songs of peace, hope and unity and world music taught by call-and-response in the oral tradition with layers of harmonies that are easy to learn by ear without sheet music. Creativity and movement are encouraged, and all voices are welcome regardless of experience. Sylvia Humble belongs to the Ubuntu Choirs Network which believes singing is a universal human birthright. (Please register via links below or call 250-756-5200)
Sat, May 16 | 11 am-12:30 pm | $20/1 | 162867
Sat, Jun 13 | 11 am-12:30 pm | $20/1 | 162869
Sat, Jul 18 | 11 am-12:30 pm | $20/1 | 162870
Rotary Field House
Big Sing with Humble Harmony
Saturday May 9, 2026
Oliver Woods Rec Center, Nanaimo
Raise and weave your voice in community and sing songs of peace, love and freedom with us! All voices are welcome and belong, regardless of singing experience.
Oliver Woods Rec Centre
Song Circle: 5:15 p.m. Optional Potluck: 6:45pm
Suggested Donation $10-20
Instead of a concert, we celebrate the end of each season of my Humble Harmony community singing group with a BIG SING, where folks from my three groups in Nanaimo and Parksville gather to share the songs we’ve been learning (including "One Love" by Bob Marley and "Shosholoza" from South Africa), and invite the community in to sing along with us! These uplifting songs are easy to learn by ear, with exciting layers of harmony and rhythm. While this is a participatory event, listeners are welcome too.
Click below to see our song list and more details:
Video clip from our March Big Sing in Lantzville:
Singing with Fiddelium!
Friday, May 8, 2026, 7pm
Port Theatre, Nanaimo
I am incredibly honoured to be the special guest and invite the audience to sing along at this SIXTH Port Theatre performance featuring Canadian Folk Music Award winners Fiddelium!
Fiddelium has represented Nanaimo on the national stage for ten years, garnering two CFMA nominations as well as the award for Young Performer of the Year (2023). This youth string ensemble plays intricate and thrilling arrangements of traditional and contemporary folk music from around the world. Fiddelium will absolutely shatter your expectations with their high-calibre playing and professional stage presence.
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