Voices of the Mountain
An Embodied Voice Ritual for International Women’s Day
Sunday 8 March 2026 | 3:00–6:00pm
Somerset House, London
A gathering of voice, breath and mountain wisdom
In Central Asian mountain cultures, early spring marks a threshold — a time of renewal, care, and continuity. Across Kazakhstan and the wider highlands of Central Asia, 8 March is held as a national day honouring women, sitting just before Nauryz, the ancient spring new year celebrating balance and the return of life.
On this date, Voices of the Mountain invites participants into a ritual of embodied voice. where we bring these cultural rhythms into dialogue with International Women’s Day – a shared moment to honour feminine wisdom, lived experience, and collective care.
Open to all genders. No prior voice or performance experience required.
The Experience
Mountains teach steadiness, patience, and perspective.
In this intimate three-hour gathering, voice is approached not as performance, but as landscape – something we enter, explore, and honour together.
Led by artists Saadet Türköz and Uran Apak, the workshop moves through guided embodied practices exploring how voice lives in the body. Participants are invited to journey into the inner mountain: noticing how voice is shaped by experience, culture, silence, and the courage required to reach new peaks.
Together, we explore practices that awaken resonance, intuition, and collective listening — making space for both sound and stillness. Throughout the session, Uran introduces a live loop station as a creative tool, gently recording and layering fragments of participants’ voices in real time. Ancient vocal practices are brought into conversation with modern sound technology, interweaving individual expressions into a playful, evolving sonic landscape that reflects the collective atmosphere of the room.
The space is safe, non-hierarchical, and exploratory — inviting curiosity rather than performance.
Closing Performance
The afternoon culminates in a live improvised performance by Saadet and Uran.
Drawing on the textures and atmospheres that have emerged during the workshop, they create a closing soundscape as an artistic response — a ceremonial sonic offering for International Women’s Day.
The performance is informed by the collective journey, but participants are not asked to perform. The work is held and expressed by the artists.
Choose Your Experience
Workshop + Performance
Limited to 20 participants
Includes full participation in Parts I & II of the workshop, plus the closing performance.
£60 Regular
£45 Concession (limited availability)
Performance-Only
Open to a wider audience
Join us for the closing performance (5:00–6:00pm).
£15 Standard
£10 Concession (limited availability)
Performance-only guests are invited to arrive from 4:50pm. No participation required.
Programme
3:00–4:00pm
Embodied Voice & Ancestral Listening
Led by Saadet Türköz
(Workshop participants only)
4:00–5:00pm
Play, Voice & Sonic Weaving
Led by Uran Apak
(Workshop participants only)
5:00–6:00pm
Closing Performance
Open to all ticket holders
Supporting Source Mountain
Proceeds from this gathering contribute to the Future Stewards Leadership Programme — strengthening educational pathways and cultural continuity in high-altitude mountain communities. If you would like to extend your support, you can add a Future Stewards Contribution to your cart before checkout.
About the Artists
Saadet Türköz
Kazakh vocal artist and composer based in Switzerland, internationally recognised for her pioneering work in extended voice, improvisation, and ancestral sound traditions.
Born into a Kazakh family rooted in the highlands of Central Asia, Saadet’s parents fled political persecution in East Turkestan (Uyghur Autonomous Region) and settled in Istanbul as Kazakh refugees. Raised within a community shaped by displacement and oral transmission, she carries forward the songs and stories of mountain life, migration, and survival. Her work bridges experimental music with ritual, memory, and deep listening.
More: https://saadet.ch/
Uran Apak
Istanbul-born, London-based queer artist, musician, and creative facilitator.
His practice guides transformative voice experiences rooted in play, safety, improvisation, and embodied expression. Drawing from Anatolian influences and ancient vocal traditions, Uran integrates modern sound technology — including live looping — to create responsive sonic environments that reflect collective presence.
More: http://uranapak.com/