Welcome Letter Arabic Music Retreat 2025

Dear Participant,                                                                                                                                                                                              

We are pleased to welcome you as a participant in the 29th Annual Arabic Music Retreat. We know you will approach the retreat with a spirit of dedication so we can make the most of our time together. We look forward to gathering in-person once again to see old friends, and to welcome our new participants.

Please read this over carefully, because it includes many details to help you.

Information on Saturday August 9th – Check-in and the first day: Check-in officially starts at 2:00 PM at the Willits Hallowell Conference Center. Everyone, including those staying in the dorm and commuting, should check in at Willits. If you arrive earlier, someone will be at Willits starting at noon. You can leave your luggage there until check-in starts.

At approximately 4:00 or 4:30 pm, we will make an informal walking tour around campus. To join the tour, just come to the living room at Willits. We’ll also run a quick orientation session to familiarize newcomers with the schedule. If you arrive too late to take part, no worries, you’ll be fine.

Schedule of events for Saturday August 9th:

2:00 pm – Check-in begins at Willits Hallowell for all participants – continuing into the evening

4:00 – 6:00 pm – Informal orientation sessions and walking tour of campus –Willits Hallowell.

6:30 – 7:30 pm – Dinner 

7:30 – 8:15 pm – Dessert Reception and Introductory Remarks by Simon Shaheen

8:30 – 10:00 pm – Participant Introductions

If you are delayed and will miss dinner on Saturday August 9th, please email arabicmusicretreat@gmail.com or text to 617-512-8122.

Key events:

Faculty Concert – Wednesday, August 13th – Performances by faculty members. Open to the public. Free admission.

Informal Participant Recital – Friday, August 15th – Performance by the participant chamber groups. Open to the public – free admission.

Oud Players: Najib Shaheen will be holding an oud care and maintenance clinic. He’ll also be bringing some oud repair tools and will be happy to look at ouds that might need some quick work or maintenance.  He’ll also have some ouds for sale.

And at night…. Once again we’ll be featuring some ‘open mic’ nights. All are invited to perform. You don’t have to play Arabic or Middle Eastern music; any performance art goes (comedy, dance, poetry, etc.).

Curfew: In order to be sure that everyone gets enough sleep to attend morning classes, we set curfew at 2AM. The curfew won’t apply on the night of our final concert, August 15th.

COVID Protocols: Be sure to follow the instructions for preparing for the Retreat, self-testing, and masking at the link below regarding our COVID policy. All registered participants have agreed to follow these guidelines. Thank you for your cooperation. https://arabicmusicretreat.org/covid-19-policy-2025-retreat/

No Smoking Rule: Mount Holyoke College is now a tobacco-free campus – smoking (including e-cigarettes) is not allowed anywhere on campus- even outside the buildings. To smoke, you will have to leave campus property.

The following will give you more detailed information to help you get ready. If you have other questions, please call me at: 617-512-8122 or e-mail me at: arabicmusicretreat@gmail.com

We look forward to seeing you on August 9th.

Sincerely,

Kay Campbell
Administrative Director

General Information and Packing List

Contact Number:  We will be staying at the Willits Hallowell Conference Center and two dormitories on campus at Mount Holyoke College. The front desk phone number at Willits is: 413-538-2217.  Cell phone reception is good everywhere on campus.

If you are staying at Willits Hallowell, people calling for you can ask for you by name and the front desk will ring your room. They can always reach you on your cell phone too.

If you are staying in the dormitory, cell phone reception is excellent. Leave the Willits main number (413-538-2217) with your family for emergencies in case they can’t get you on your cell phone.

Parking: Willits Hallowell has a parking lot, primarily for those who are staying there. There are also student parking lots for dorm residents if needed. On our first and last day, dorm residents can park in front of the dorm to unload and load their belongings. Otherwise, cars parked in front of the dorm are subject to towing.

Local Shops/Restaurants:  Mount Holyoke is located in the very small town of South Hadley, MA. The campus is a short walk from the town center where there are several shops, restaurants, and a movie theater.  The nearest big grocery store is a ten minute drive away.

Food and drink: All our meals will be provided at a private dining room in the Willits Hallowell Conference Center. The first meal is dinner on August 9th, and the last meal is lunch on August 16th. You can bring food and drinks into your rooms, but not to the dining tables.    
Please do not invite outside guests to meals without permission. 

Wifi: The campus has WIFI.

Shipping something?: If you need to have something shipped to you at the Retreat, please have it sent to you care of Conference Services, Willits Hallowell Conference Center, 50 College Street, Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, MA 01075, phone:  413-538-2217.

WHAT TO BRING TO THE RETREAT:

  1. A music stand  – this applies to everyone except those studying voice.
  2. The primary musical instrument you listed as the one you want to focus on, as well as anything you want to play for the ‘open mic’ and jam sessions.
  3. Oud and violin players – bring extra strings, picks, etc.
  4. Qanun players – you’ll need a means to transport your instrument across campus – some use a small fold-out luggage carrier with wheels and a bungee cord. Others make do with a padded case with a shoulder strap.
  5. Record your classes – use your phone or bring another device
  6. Extra batteries.
  7. A notebook.
  8. Pencils
  9. Insect Repellant: The Northeastern part of the U.S., and Massachusetts in particular, has a high incidence of Lyme Disease, which is caused by tick bites from deer ticks. To prevent it, you should bring insect repellent (preferably with DEET) and use it on your pants, socks, legs and feet when you are walking in the woods on campus. We want to make sure you protect yourself from possible tick bites.
  10. Clothing:  The weather may be hot during the day, with some cooling at night. Willits Hallowell and our classrooms are air-conditioned. Therefore, dress for hot weather but bring some things to layer in case it does turn rainy and/or gets cold.   Informal and comfortable dress is encouraged.
  11. Doing Laundry at the Retreat: Please bring enough clothing for the entire week! You can spend an afternoon in the dorm washing your clothes, but that will cut into your practice time.
  12. Walking/Running shoes: We’ll be walking a lot on campus and there are several beautiful places to stroll and/or jog in your spare time.
  13. Concert Dress: For the Friday concert, informal clothing is OK, with two exceptions: no ‘cut off’ jeans and no white sneakers/tennis shoes.
  14. Linens: Willits Hallowell Conference Center provides regular linen service – towels and sheets. The dorm provides one set of basic towels, sheets, and soap.  See packing tips for dorm residents below.
  15. We have access to the college’s athletic facilities (weight room and tennis courts). The campus swimming pool has very limited (and some years no) hours during August, and we can’t guarantee that swimming will be available. If you want to swim, bring a bathing suit. We cannot guarantee the pool schedule – it is under the control of the college.
  16. If you are sharing a room with someone: Bring a set of earplugs, and if you know you snore at night, bring plenty of ‘snore strips’ (Breathe Right is a great brand).
  17. Umbrella  just in case! We usually have at least one day of rain during the Retreat.

Additional Packing List for Dormitory Residents

Note: this year every dorm room will be provided with a ‘box fan’.

 

If you’re staying in the dormitory, consider bringing the following:

  • Your favorite pillow – the pillows provided are very basic.
  • Small ‘headlight’ or clip-on light, or even a small bedside lamp  – the dorm rooms only have overhead lights.
  • Bath towel (the ones they provide are small)
  • Lounge wear for those trips down the hallway to the bathroom
  • Small mirror – Be aware that not all the dorm bathrooms have mirrors over the sinks.

TRAVELING TO THE RETREAT: 

You will need to find your own transportation to the Retreat, including the last leg of your journey from the airport, bus or train station. It is a 45 minute drive to the college from the Hartford (Bradley Int’l) airport, and about 20 minutes from Springfield, Amherst, and Northampton.

Flying to the Retreat:  The nearest commercial airports are 1) Hartford, CT – Bradley International Airport, and 2) Boston’s Logan Airport. We do not recommend arriving in New York the day of the Retreat, since it is very difficult to get to the Retreat quickly from there.

Buses from New York City: There are several buses that run from NYC to Hartford, CT and then on to Springfield, MA. From both places you can book an Uber or Lyft to get to the Retreat. (The buses to Springfield stop in Hartford for half an hour before proceeding to Springfield.) https://peterpanbus.com

Buses from Boston:  Peter Pan runs from Boston to Springfield, MA. From there you can get an Uber or Lyft. Book at https://peterpanbus.com

Getting to campus from Hartford and Springfield:  From Bradley International Airport in Hartford or the bus station in Springfield, MA, you can take a taxi, Uber, or Lyft.

DRIVING DIRECTIONS to WILLITS HALLOWELL CONFERENCE CENTER

Using directions apps, search on “Willits Hallowell Conference Center, 25 Park Street, South Hadley, MA”. State Rte. 116 runs right to the college campus. If you’re going north on 116, turn right onto Church Street. If you’re going south on 116, turn left onto Park Street. Those two streets merge as you go down the hill. Cross over a little stream. Just after the stream turn right into the parking lot…that is the lot for Willits Hallowell Conference Center and the Center is right there at the parking lot. Park there and come inside to register (even if you are a dorm resident).