Registration now OPEN!!

Cup o' Kindness

October 23-25, 2026

Big Springs Garden Retreat Center
in the Yuba River watershed of the Sierra Nevada

Gather in a beautiful natural setting for a synergistic and joy-centered weekend of music making, taking inspiration from nature, and tapping the deep wellspring of traditional music, song, and dance, with a focus both on individual creative expression and enhancing an awareness of commonality and sense of community.

REGISTRATION

An Autumn weekend retreat for sharing Music, Tradition & Creative Adventure

At its heart, "Cup o' Kindness" retreat is about the pleasure of making music and being together in community: generations learning from one another, musicians finding their own voices, and sharing tunes, stories, and meals in the extraordinary natural setting of the Sierra Nevada.

The weekend will move naturally between learning by ear, harnessing rhythm and groove, discovering the stories and character within tunes, arranging music together, improvising, composing, and finding greater freedom of individual expression. Through workshops, ensemble playing, informal jams, and nature activities, and we will explore creative approaches that have shaped our lives.

Come prepared to listen, play, experiment, laugh, learn—and venture a little further into the music.

"Traditional music is alive! - to be played with, learned from, reshaped and carried forward." -- AlasdaIr Fraser

Galen Fraser & Maria San Miguel
Celtic-Castilian violins, cittern, tune writing,
song, dance, percussion

Alasdair Fraser
Traditional fiddle music of Scotland and beyond

Sally Ashcraft
songs, nature reverie

Cameron Fraser
lead and rhythm guitar skills,
jam sessions, musical revelry

Your hosts
We love to sing it - let's do it! - Alasdair Fraser