Silence Singing
Autumn Retreat
Welcome, as we bring Silence Singing to Hurleyville, New York, nestled in the Catskills outside New York City. This Indigenous Peoples’ Day weekend, we will explore the movement of song and the stillness of meditation with Silence Singing founders, friends, and facilitators, Thomas Walker and Satya Hertz. This will be a weekend of connecting to our innermost spirit of creativity, while learning to be in harmonious communion with one another. We welcome musicians and meditators, as well as those new to these practice, to enter into a time of cultivating deep silence, as well as joyful creativity.
In our time together, we will familiarize ourselves with the indestructible nature of our being— that source through which inspiration, love, and creativity are born. Through meditation and music, we will deepen this knowing within our own selves and in community in order to realize harmony within whatever arises.
All levels of experience are welcome. Read on, or register below.
A
The Hurley House
Hurleyville, new York
October 9-12, 2026
“Silence Singing is a deeply playful space for artists and meditators to realize that we are all singing in the same glorious silence. It is medicine for creatives wanting to dip into deeper presence, meditators to play, and for all humans to connect and be who they are.”
—Dr. Kent Drever
Guides + Land
This retreat will be led by Thomas Walker and Eric “Satya” Hertz, cofounders and the primary facilitators of Silence Singing.
Thomas and Satya met in 2018 at Great Vow Zen Monastery, and found a shared love for music and spirituality, often going into the forest to sing, both together and apart. In 2025, after years of finding one another in retreat and in ceremony, Thomas and Satya brought the vision of Silence Singing to life through friendship.
Thomas Walker, M.Div, is a hospice chaplain and facilitator of music and meditation experiences. From Northern California, and now living in Brooklyn, New York by way of Oregon, he brings together his love for inner transformation through silence together with devotion through sound and song. Thomas holds a Masters of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary, where he studies Buddhism and Interreligious Engagement, particularly studying transformation through sound and ritual.
Satya, MA, MFA, is a psychotherapist, musician, and mythic storyteller. Song and silence are his passions in life. He is devoted to cultivating and sharing the Bardic Arts— that is, the ancient tradition of telling stories and singing songs around the fire, the reforestation of the Imagination, and the profound healing power of beauty and communal creativity. And he is equally passionate about exploring the depths of silence and stillness, having lived and trained at Great Vow Zen Monastery for two years as well as having completed a total of 1 year of silent meditation retreat. He currently lives and works as a therapist at Bells Mountain Dharma Center, a Zen village in the PNW —where even the Zen priests love to sing. supporting folks in healing through study, spiritual inquiry, and the creation of the greatest work of art: a soulful, sincere, surrendered life.
This retreat will be hosted at the Hurley House, near the town of Hurleyville, just a couple hours from New York City.
The house is an old boarding home, filled with lots of quirks, and lots of love. The house is an ongoing collective project in generosity, where community members volunteer their efforts to renovate the house, and to host retreats and workshops in order to sustain this work of love.
We are grateful to be able to be converge at this wonderful location, where we can listen to the sounds of the fire and watch the leaves fall.
“This retreat was a beautiful experience. I felt so much love, care, and intention in the way it was held. The blend of silence, song, and meditation, the small, intimate group size, the simple nourishing food, and the generosity of spirit from all who gathered contributed to a unique and deep heartfelt retreat.” — Kelsey
Retreat Structure and schedule
Arrive on Friday evening by 7 PM.
Departure on Monday at noon.
Sample daily schedule:
6:00 Wake up
6:30 AM Meditation and Group Song Service
9 AM Breakfast
10 AM Vocal Exploration and Community Workshops
1 PM Lunch
Open, Rest
5 PM Musical Exploration or Meditation
6 PM Dinner
7 PM Meditation and Evening Program
9:30 Retire
Our retreats are based on the structure of meditation retreats. The basic container which we rely on is “spirited silence.” That is, outside of our time together in activities, we ask that participants stay in touch with their inner silence and deep listening, while also making space for creative inspiration to arise.
Because speech and sound can stir up the mind, we consider this practice of “spirited silence” to be somewhat of an advanced, and more integrated, way of practicing with meditation and silence. In this, we are learning to listen deeply to our experience, rather than manipulate it. And, we are all learning together.
Our retreat schedule utilizes spaciousness in order to provide for creativity, rest, meditation, and togetherness. We aim to honor the needs, gifts, and abilities of all.
“Silence Singing was a safe place for me to exist as I was in that moment without needing to change. With a true foundation of safety, many beautiful gifts came from it into my life. It opened doors to creativity that I didn't know even existed.” — Aruna
Who is this retreat for?
This retreat is for participants with all levels of experience in meditation and music, including:
Musicians and lovers of sound who want to find a deeper connection to the silence.
It is very different to play a nice sounding melody than to offer a melody that comes as a medicine, a teaching, or a celebration from the depths of your inner silence. Great music comes from beyond ourselves, and we contact this “something beyond” in the practice of stillness and silence.
Meditators who want support giving create expression to the truths they find in the silence.
It is one thing to find the meditative space of silence, and another to let it sing through you. Since we will express ourselves in this life, it is important that we learn to express ourselves fully and wholeheartedly, without self-criticism and reservation. This is how we can find our truest expression and healing potential.
Those who have a story they are “not creative” or “not musical”, or creatives who feel stuck.
Come join us and challenge this limiting, false belief and open to the creative connection that is the birthright of every human being.
Those new to meditation who would like an introduction that is filled with fun, lightness, and loving community.