JOIN THE IMAGINARY SONG HUNT!
Gather every Wednesday to rummage through music history’s wondrous, mystical, and neglected corners, unearthing forgotten stories, strange texts, and enchanted fragments of song.
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Melody – Mythology – Manuscripts
No spam – only monthly updates, links, and musical mysteries!
How do you hunt an imaginary song?
The Imaginary Song Hunt is a monthly adventure into the lost, half-remembered, and beautifully mysterious corners of music history, guided by Stef Conner, alongside Lotos Lab's Barnaby Brown and Jonathan Bingham.
Much of the music we explore survives only in fragments – cryptic manuscripts, patchy evidence, inherited traditions, and folklore. We often can’t know exactly how the old songs sounded… but it’s great fun to make an educated, imaginative guess. That’s what the Hunt is all about: using real historical clues to spark creative reconstructions, new performances, and playful musical detective work.
Each month unfolds across four or five Wednesday sessions:
Week 1 – Main Episode (YouTube & Podcast, FREE for everyone):
Interviews with experts, manuscript deep-dives, and our own attempts at wrestling ancient evidence into fresh musical ideas.
Week 2 – Song Hunt Side Trails (for Patreon members):
Extra context, clues, and commentary, because we always have more to say than we can fit into one episode!
Week 3 – Song Hunt Zoom Choir (for Patreon members):
Open to all voices, no experience required. Learn by doing, and feel ancient song in your body through guided communal singing.
Week 4 – Song Hunt in Performance (for Patreon members):
A performance video or score inspired by the month’s mystery.
Bonus Weeks (when there's a 5th Wednesday) – Extra goodies (for Patreon members):
Mini episodes, secret songs, manuscript surprises. Something different every time.
Along the way, Song Hunters encounter:
Mystical incantations, strange notations, beautiful manuscripts, ancient instruments, tragic ballads, songs for forgotten saints, tavern tunes, musical riddles, heart-piercing laments, creepy curses, and wonderfully odd modern songs with ancient or folk twists. Our explorations are rooted in evidence, but always leave space for imagination, intuition, and delight.
If you love singing, stories, folklore, history, ancient magic, ritual, creative experimentation, or the joy of making something new from something old, this is absolutely for you!
How do we song-hunt?
Participate (or spectate) in any way you like: listen and learn, ask questions, sing along, harmonize, and even use the materials to reimagine your own ancient songs! You can take historical inspiration from these sessions to enrich your own music-making. You don’t need any musical training to enjoy this… but there will be plenty to keep hardcore music geeks busy too!
Is there any commitment involved?
No! All you have to do is sign up to register your interest. Really, that’s it. You don’t have to commit to attending every session. Just come whenever you have the time. When you join the Hunt, you’ll receive reminder emails with YouTube and podcast links. Patreon members also receive links to Side Trails, performance videos, extra goodies, and the Zoom Choir
What does it cost to participate?
Nothing. No, really! The podcast and YouTube are completely free. We sometimes rattle a Song Hunt Tip Tar, where you can throw a shilling or two when you’re feeling appreciative… but it's 100% optional! Dedicated Song Hunters who'd like to make a more regular contribution can join our Patreon for all the Song Hunt extras, alongside other Lotos Lab treasure.
