There is enormous destruction throughout the region and we witnessed how endless the clean-up work is and will be until the end of October. Keiner weiß, wie lange es dauert. And experts doubt whether a few winter storms will be enough for the sea to recover.
During our last Hellazz workshop Typhoon “Daniel” flooded large parts of Thessaly on 5 September and also hit us and our hosts.
Alexandra’s Menelaos Apartments, our home base, was hit particularly hard. But all of Dimitris Xouxounikos‘ flats are also uninhabitable. Lefokastro war über einen Monat ohne fließend Wasser.
Pelion, the infrastructure, the beaches and the people need time.
And last but not least, Marcus, our sound engineer, also needs time. His losses are also immense, that is now clear. The car is a total loss (it was only a few months old) and only a few of the technical components are salvageable.
Taking all this together, I hope you will understand that we are taking a year off and Hellazz in 2024 is taking a break. Before we move on, we want everything to be as we know and love it.
We will meet again in 2025 for a fantastic anniversary workshop in Greece.
10 years of Hellazz!
We will celebrate that.
3 one week courses. Singing vacation for jazz and pop vocals.
next time again in 2025
Hellazz – that means singing and vacation!
We offer you a mixture of music and relaxation, challenges and success, good food and good mood.
Chris Brochier and I have been a great team since 2015 and are dedicated to this special blend.
You’re going to meet excellent professionals with lots of experience and empathy. Look forward to lots of inspiration and passion.
Our vocal coaches are competent, inspiring and motivating. They will accomodate you at your level with experience and sure instinct. Then they will help you use the appropriate stylistic devices for your interpretation and to find, or improve, your own style.
You’ll experience what it’s like to be supported by professional technology (sound engineer, stage, lights, PA, microphones, monitoring).
And the schedule is designed in such a way that, despite all the input, there is still enough time to relax, for example, with a morning swim in the calm bay, sunbathing on the beaches of the somewhat livelier Aegean Sea, or expeditions through the wild and romantic nature of the peninsula. Last but not least, the venue, the idyllic fishing village of Lefokastro on the Pagasitic Gulf, with its guaranteed romantic sunsets, is a source of good vibrations for musicians, singers and coaches alike.
Look forward to an unforgettable time on Pelion We are looking forward to you!
By the way, you’re welcome to bring somebody with you. They don’t have to take part in the course.
You shouldn’t feel overwhelmed, but you shouldn’t feel bored either. That’s why we offer the right course for everyone.
Kein Kurs
Our workshop will take place in the small fishing village of Lefokastro on the Pagasitic Gulf.
Lefokastro is located 36 km away from Volos and 8 km or 15 minutes by car from Argalasti, the center of South Pelion.
In Lefokastro there are several housing options, three of which we present to you in more detail below. They are located very close to each other in a park-like setting, which is perfect for our workshop.
In fact, when we populate the three houses Menelaos, Andromahi and Houhounikos with Hellazz participants, we and the neighbors are nearly undisturbed and can even make music in the garden.
The hub of our workshop is the Menelaos House in Lefokstro.
This is where classes are held and where we jam with the band in the evenings.
The house is nestled in a wonderful flower and palm garden with an outdoor bar, and in just a minute you can walk to the beach.
We give tips, but everyone books his own accommodation.
We recommend these three options, as they are in close proximity to our workshop hub and are attractively priced.
The owners reserve the houses for us and will not release them to an agency (booking.com) until April. In order for them to be sure that the requests are coming from workshop participants, you must include the keyword “HELLAZZ” in your request.
This is where the classes take place, this is also where you can stay and this is why the Menelaos apartments are also our preferred option.
There are four apartments of different sizes, all with small kitchenette, some of them large enough to share. At Menelaos, Alexandra, the owner, serves us a delicious breakfast every morning.
Our plan is to have a house fully booked with workshop participants so we don’t have to worry about disturbing other guests. Therefore, kindly contact Alexandra first.
More information and booking: http://www.menelaospelion.com or info@menelaospelion.com And don’t forget the keyword “Hellazz”.
A few steps further back, between Andromahi and Menelaos and nestled in a garden with palm trees, are the apartments of Dimitrios Chouchounikos.
The rooms are suitable for one or two people and favorable in price.
Please send your bookings directly to: xouxounikos@gmail.com
Again, nothing works without “Hellazz” in the request.
It is hardly possible to get closer to the sea. The picturesque view of the Pagasitic Gulf is a dream especially at sunset.
There are seven studios here: all studios have a kitchenette, a bathroom and usually a room with two beds. If many of you book with Kostas, the owner, he will also give a discount.
bookings directly to: k.papakwnstantinou@gmail.com
Here, too, remember the magic word “Hellazz”.
Fresh, authentic, local products are the motto.
We organize breakfast and dinner for all of us.
Breakfast is served at Menelaos, where classes are also held. Our host Alexandra is known for her rich and delicious breakfast. Olives, cucumbers and tomatoes are from her garden and the eggs from her son’s farm. And the marmelade is homemade of course.
We have dinner in the small taverna of Stefanos – directly on the beach with sunset guarantee. Stefanos offers traditional, typical dishes with the ingredients that characterize Greek cuisine. He knows exactly where our olives grow, knows butchers, fishermen and shepherds who supply him with meat, fish and fresh cheese and the winemaker from whom the wine comes.
At lunchtime everyone provides for themselves, in most apartments there is a small kitchenette or you go to one of the three taverns that there are in Lefokastro.
We adjust to food intolerances or certain diets with Alexandra and Stefanos as best we can. Please indicate this when registering, as we can only react to it on site to a limited extent.
By the way: Mamma Mia!, the successful musical adaptation, was filmed among other places in the small romantic village of Damouchari, on the east side of Pelion.
Pelion is a crescent-shaped peninsula on the Greek mainland, located between Thessaloniki and Athens on the east coast.
The Aegean Sea to the east and the Pagasitic Gulf to the west, with the large and modern port city of Volos, give the Pelion Peninsula something very special with their different charms.
The villages on the Aegean side are surrounded by chestnut forests, high above the sea and are built on cliffs that drop steeply to the wild sea.
On the Gulf side, on the other hand, the sea is gentler, and the towns reach right down to the water’s edge. There are natural harbors and small waterfronts. It is still not easy to get to Pelion, but for this very reason, this enchanting stretch of land has been able to preserve an pristine quality that is exceptional even in Greece.
by plane:
The nearest airport is Nea Anchialos (VOL) near Volos, from where it takes just over an hour to get there. Condor flies directly from Munich to Volos. Eurowings flies from Düsseldorf, Stuttgart and London.
From Thessaloniki (SKG) it takes three hours to reach the venue, but the flights to SKG are much cheaper.
It is worth renting a car, e.g. (economycarrentals.com or billiger-mietwagen.de).
The onward journey with the express buses (every 2 hrs.) also works without problems, but takes longer because you first have to get from the airport to the bus terminal in the city. By bus it takes about 60 min, by cab 30 min. KTEL.gr
We are also happy to organize a shuttle from the airport for you.
In our member area – the login data is available after registration – we will go into more detail. You can use it to network with the other participants and coordinate the rest of the trip.
by car and ferry:
from Italy (Venice or Ancona) to Igoumenitsa and then from there about 4.5 hours drive to Lefokastro. Tip: greekferries.gr
