The first ever Span Arts Acapella Festival will take place at the Queen's Hall in Narberth this weekend.

Starting today (Friday) and running until Sunday, the event, which is intended to become an annual fixture, is a celebration of the unaccompanied human voice, whether the perfect four-part harmonies of Far Flung Voices, or the massed voices of one of the most stunning and extraordinary choirs in the country, the London Bulgarian Choir.

The festival begins with an evening concert today (Friday), featuring Far Flung Voices, Su Hart, and Molara and the One Voice Choir.

Far Flung Voices are a vocal quartet who combine breathtaking harmonies and powerfully emotional performance with a wry and witty good humour.

They sing intricate and beautiful arrangements of songs, both old and new, from around the world and from close to home.

An evening with Far Flung Voices will make you laugh, make you cry, and make you think - and above all it will make you want to sing!

Su Hart is best known for her work with Baka Beyond, a band who have been a cornerstone of the UK's world music scene for many years. Su has spent many months living with the Baka Pygmies in the rainforests of the Cameroon, where she learned their distinctive vocal techniques and singing styles.

"The women get together before the dawn to sing, enchant the animals of the forest and ensure that the men's hunting will be successful. Song and dance are used by the Baka for healing, for rituals, for keeping the community together and also for pure fun!" says Su Hart.

Su's singing is a haunting and authentic glimpse of a different musical world.

The One Voice Choir, led by Molara, are a Pembrokeshire community choir that sings an eclectic mixture of contemporary and traditional music. They are dynamic, powerful and they bring a wonderful energy to their singing - you will go away inspired and uplifted! 

Tomorrow (Saturday), there are singing and voice workshops throughout the day. The programme begins with registration for workshops (and coffee!) at 9.30 am at the Queen's Hall. Then, from 10 am until 10.30, there will be a warm-up session with Sarah Harman and Judith Silver, of Far Flung Voices, both highly experienced singing teachers. The warm-up session is open to anyone who is taking part in a workshop.

There are then two morning workshops.

At 10.45 am, there's Find Your Voice, a beginner's singing workshop led by Sarah Harman. This is for anybody who wants to sing, but who lacks confidence - or for singers who want to learn a little more from a wonderful teacher. Sarah will build your confidence and help you to experience the sheer pleasure of singing together.

For a totally different way to use your voice, meanwhile, also at 10.45 am, at Span Arts, there will be a rap workshop led by rapper BDS, with DJ Cut La Vis, from Soul Syndicate. This will be a chance to work on rhyme, rhythm and delivery, with the fantastic scratching and mixing skills of DJ Cut La Vis to power the session along.

Then in the afternoon, from 2-4 pm, there will be a choice of two workshops - Luscious Harmonies with Far Flung Voices, a chance to practice the exquisite close harmony singing that Far Flung Voices have made their own; and Yele singing with Su Hart, in which Su will teach the singing techniques of the Baka Pygmies.

Then, in the evening, the London Bulgarian Choir will appear at the Queen's Hall, led by native Bulgarian Dessislava Stefanova. Winners of Radio 3's highly prestigious Choir of the Year Award, a performance by the London Bulgarian Choir is a truly stunning experience. People who hear Bulgarian music for the first time are often impressed and touched by its immense power, vitality and beauty.  

Bulgarian singing has a unique style, whose fiery rhythms and unusual harmonies 'melt' the soul, a vocal technique which gives power to the voice and voice to the heart. Bulgarians are born and die with music. 

There seems to be a special song - of joy, praise, lament - for every moment of a person's existence, turning life into a sacred ritual of sound and blessing. The richer and fuller the sound, the greater the vibration, the more powerful the blessing. This is truly a rare opportunity to see one of the finest choirs in the country.

On Sunday morning, the festival will conclude with a Bulgarian singing workshop led by Dessislava Stefanova, from 10 am until 12 noon, at the Queen's Hall.

Tickets are £8/£7 for the Far Flung Voices concert tonight (Friday); £10/£9 for the London Bulgarian Choir; £8/£7 per workshop; or £20/£18 for any three workshops.

For tickets and information, visit http://www.span-arts.org.uk">www.span-arts.org.uk or telephone 869323.