"An absolutely transformative experience. I would wholeheartedly recommend this retreat to anyone who feels called to deepen their connection not only to their physical voice, but to their inner voice as well. The combination of meditation and hot yoga created the space to quiet the constant mental chatter. Both the external pressures of the industry and my own internal doubts began to soften and through that I found freedom in my voice, body, and mind.

The retreat offered a rare and beautiful opportunity to reconnect with myself and examine long-standing patterns with honesty and compassion. The group mediations served as a pathway to help let go of those stories and patterns that didn’t serve my authentic self. Doing so within a community rooted in grace, empathy, and genuine support made the experience even more worthwhile.

Matt led with exceptional care, integrity, and presence, creating an environment where vulnerability felt safe and personal growth felt possible. Through both his guidance and the thoughtfully designed program, I was able to unlock new aspects of my voice with ease and confidence."

"This really was a special time... I left feeling at peace with where I'm at in my life and career. I found a deeper version of myself and I discovered ease and meaning with everything I'm doing. I am now a part of a wonderful new community of performers and friends and I can't wait to see what the future has in store for all of us together. Truly a life changing trip, Matt curated the most beautiful itinerary and space to truly reconnect."

"This retreat was a truly special experience. It goes nearly without saying that the vocal training was absolutely world class, but the way that the rest of the retreat fostered creativity, openness, and community created an environment that inspired growth beyond was what I expected possible in just one week's time. I left the retreat with a presence of mind and a confident peace that I'd felt had alluded me for a long while. The final time spent there didn't feel like an ending, but a beginning to the next chapter in my life, not just artistically, but personally as well. I was nervous heading into the retreat, but walked away feeling so proud and grateful to have taken the leap. I couldn't possibly speak more highly of my time there and was honored to be a part of it."

"Words cannot do justice to this retreat. What I can say, that captures the truth of it, is: I am forever changed and forever grateful. My time in Tavira with Matt and our cohort was one of the most profound experiences of my life and will forever be handprinted on my heart.

The retreat is so beautifully and aptly named: Free Your Voice.

I said yes to this retreat, not entirely sure how I was going to make it happen; the financial investment was one that intimidated me, yet something inside of me told me I needed to make it happen.

And thank God I did. I started the week desperate for a breakthrough. Life as an actor in NYC for nearing a decade had taken its toll on my spirit. My relationship with my voice had honestly become abusive–not in a physical way, but in a very real emotional way. I came to not trust my voice, to judge it before it even came out.

I could write a whole essay on my journey over the course of the retreat, and I will eventually, but I will start talking in broader terms.

The only people I knew going into the week were Matt and my husband–also participating in the retreat. After just 6 days, I now call each and every person in our group a dear friend. From day one, Matt created a safe and abundant space for us all to bring our burdens. The retreat began with the most luxurious sound bath meditation. What a gorgeous welcome for us all–one that landed us exactly where our feet were and committed us to the journey at hand.

As the week went on, Matt guided us through reflections of our relationships with ourselves, the industry, our dreams, and more. While expecting us to be honest with ourselves and one another, Matt was honest with us all, as well. Matt was one of us. There was never any ego leading the way. No judgement. And whenever guidance was needed to dig deeper into our stories, Matt was there, walking us through the discomfort, helping us face it and walk through it to the other side, rather than shrink away from it.

The hot yoga practice was the perfect way to begin our days. It forced me to meet myself and stay with myself, to face discomfort head on and prove to myself daily that my thoughts are just thoughts and that I am bigger than them.

A moment for the hotel, too. Our home for the week was gorgeous. It was a true retreat whenever we would come back to our home base. The hotel was tranquil and pristinely clean, with lifegiving biophilia and warm, generous hosts. The breakfast every morning after yoga was exquisite–so nourishing and a real opportunity for us to love on our bodies and delight the senses as we embarked on our days together.

The vocal masterclass sessions were true opportunities to work. To take our voice and really look at it as it is, working with all of the discoveries we’d been making in our reflection work.

My personal experience was, I will not lie, extremely challenging. I really had to meet voice where I was at, in tandem with opening my awareness of how unkind I have been to myself for so long, and how angry and resentful I had grown towards the industry. And it was like I was meeting my instrument for the first time. Matt’s unparalleled coaching and presence worked with me as the whole person that I am–and that is what allowed me to ultimately break through and find my voice.

Paying witness to everyone else’s journeys was equally as important to my experience. We all came from different careers, walks of life, various trainings. In watching Matt work with each individual, I better understood the integration of the work we were all doing. I got to tangibly see the work that so often feels ethereal due to its mostly invisible nature.

One final thing, and this captures the gift that Matt gave us all, he literally welcomed us into his home. He hosted us all at his beautiful home, bringing us into his sacred space with his dearest family. I mean. To not feel known and loved and valued when someone does that is impossible. But that’s just Matt. When you commit to him, he commits to you, and you are both better for it.

This retreat was the best gift I have ever given myself. I am softer, I am kinder, I am more able to receive, I have the gift of truly knowing in the power of now.

Thank you. I am still spilling with joy and gratitude."

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“I’ve already been telling anyone who will listen to sign up for Matt Farnsworth’s “Free Your Voice” retreat because of how much it impacted my life. And in such a full way, not just vocally. The community I gained from this experience will remain lifelong friends after so many shared moments of vulnerability. The breakthroughs I had as a vocalist and simply being more present in my body are discoveries I’ll take with me for the rest of my career. I can’t recommend this retreat enough to those who want an opportunity to briefly step away from the industry, from their lives and pour into themselves in an intentional, meaningful way. From hot yoga to nourishing food to rediscovering our gifts and ourselves. Thank you, Matt, Andre and the other 9 individuals who put their whole hearts into this space. Cannot even wait to hear how much of a success the next retreat will inevitably be!”

"This retreat was everything, a complete paradigm shift. After seven years, New York was getting to me. Seeing one instance of carelessness on my commute or at work could ruin my day. I had grown increasingly bitter and resentful of the industry and the city and everything felt like a personal attack. Then, I made the pilgrimage to Portugal to discover that the world didn’t need changing, my relationship to it did. “Free Your Voice” was a profoundly grounding and truly enlightening experience from start to finish. Stepping away from the city’s relentless go-go-go, I was able to dial up my own inner frequency. The yoga and meditation practices gave me the chance to meet myself, and the masterclasses provided a space to integrate that mindfulness with singing and performance. Matt pushed me beyond what I thought I could do. Strong narratives, most of which I had no awareness of, became conscious and started to lose their hold on me by simply naming them. I was able to work through and let go of a lot because I had intentional uninterrupted time. When I arrived back in New York, I quit my day-job of two-and-a-half years that pays too little and asks too much and for the first time in ages, I feel like I have space in my life. I am open and ready for what’s next, whatever that may be. It might be great, it might not, but I’m ready."

"The Free Your Voice retreat exceeded every expectation that I had going into the experience. I feel lighter and more in touch with my instrument and myself than I ever have before. From the hot yoga, vocal masterclasses, and family dinners, every moment felt infused with love and intention. I am so grateful to Matt for his guidance and leadership. He has created something truly unparalleled and I am so excited for what will continue to make itself known as I integrate what was accomplished in the retreat into the real world that is NYC. I have been gifted a community within all the amazing performers who were a part of this experience, and for that, I am also incredibly grateful. It gets so easy to feel alone and disheartened in this business, and I feel like now I have a group of amazing humans to lean on and talk to when things get too heavy."

"I walked into the free your voice retreat hoping to gain a better understanding of my instrument, my body, my soul, and my mind. I had an awareness that all of it is connected, but I wanted to go deeper and explore my own personal road blocks when it comes to singing/auditioning. Matt and his curated team of professionals helped me go deeper through workshops of many kinds including several different types of yoga, meditation, breath work, body alignment, and vocal masterclasses. I feel like I achieved what I set out to do, but I also gained so much more. I walked out of the retreat with a whole new community of artists who are navigating this business alongside me, feeling the same things I feel, who are having the same frustrations as me. I feel far less alone coming out of the retreat, which in tandem with all of the work we did, has also calmed my nervous system significantly. Tavira is the perfect location for this type of work. I feel so fortunate to have been able to slow down, reset, and soak up the sun in such a beautiful place. My hope is that every artist can experience a week like I had, it was so incredibly healing in so many ways."

"Free Your Voice is a life-changing, core memory experience created by Matt. It is so evident the thought and care that went into curating this retreat that I felt so cared for and attended to before I even arrived. Seeing and hearing how the energy work, the body work and the soul work, translated into the voice work was the most profound for me. To learn how it’s all connected. If we have an energetic block in our body or our minds, it shows up in the voice. Matt’s ability to work on the whole human to allow the voice to soar is his true super power. I can’t recommend participating in this retreat enough. Not only will you walk away feeling closer to your authentic self than ever before, but you will walk away with a community who helped you get there."