Dec
9
Fri
My friend, Bryan Jackson and I get together whenever possible to play through his wonderful arrangements of classical and folk music. I got to know Bryan through the Monkseaton Morris Men for whom he played fiddle and danced for many years. We will be providing music for the RNLI weekly coffee morning, in the form of carols arranged by Bryan for two fiddles. All proceeds will go to the RNLI – come along and get into the festive spirit!
Mar
29
Wed
Two workshops with Stewart Hardy
Wednesdays 29th March and 12th April
These workshops will be rehearsing arrangements of tunes written by Stewart to commemorate the tricentenary of Morpeth Town Hall, for a performance at the Golden Gala Concert. All bowed string players of intermediate standard and above are welcome.
Participation £6 (one or two workshops)
School age children are free.
Golden Gala Concert, Fri 21st April
Morpeth Methodist Church, 7.30 pm
Resources (sheet music and recordings of the tunes) for those wishing to take part can be found here.
Apr
12
Wed
Two workshops with Stewart Hardy
Wednesdays 29th March and 12th April
These workshops will be rehearsing arrangements of tunes written by Stewart to commemorate the tricentenary of Morpeth Town Hall, for a performance at the Golden Gala Concert. All bowed string players of intermediate standard and above are welcome.
Participation £6 (one or two workshops)
School age children are free.
Golden Gala Concert, Fri 21st April
Morpeth Methodist Church, 7.30 pm
Apr
21
Fri
The Morpeth Northumbrian Gathering is celebrating its big 50th Anniversary this year and there is lots planned. On the Friday night there will be the Golden Gala Concert in the Methodist Church, in which I will be playing with Bottle Band Band, Tyneside Fiddle Alliance and leading the Morpeth Community Strings group in their debut performance. On the Saturday there will be the usual competitions, and I will be supporting family and friends in the fiddle classes, and might even be persuaded to enter the instrumental duos! The Tyneside Fiddle Alliance plan to defend their title in the Concert Band category and there will be many other great things going on. Do come along and support this wonderful celebration of Northumbrian traditional music, song and dance.
“An exciting three-day annual festival of street entertainment, indoor events, music, dance, craft, dialect, heritage and traditional fun – held the weekend after Easter in the medieval market town of Morpeth, 14 miles north of Newcastle upon Tyne.
The festival is a true gathering of people who come together to enjoy the traditional culture of Northumberland and the wider NE region. It features concerts, dance, crafts, battle re-enactments, dialect, stories, drama, workshops, sessions, singarounds, competitions, stalls, bellringing, orienteering, tours, walks, talks and street performances which include a young people’s pageant as part of the Saturday morning Border Cavalcade.”
Apr
29
Sat
“A Northumberland journey in Photographs, Songs and Music”
This show brings you not only a fascinating collaboration of music and photography but it also brings together two great local artists for the first time.
Andy Craig is a professional photographer and has been photographing the Northumberland Coast since he moved to the area in 2008. “Earning a living from photography is a fantastic way of life and it has allowed me to explore the art of photography and delve deeply into the creative process. My music and my photography go hand in hand for me so it seemed appropriate to combine the two together into this music & photography presentation.” Andy feels that it is the same creative process that informs photography and music “it is about seeing, feeling or experiencing nature and then passing that on to an audience so that they can share the moment through my photographs. It is really exciting to work with Stewart on this project. To have Stewart playing and interpreting my music takes it to a new level.”
Stewart Hardy “Having experienced Andy’s work from the other side of the lens for some years now, it’s terrific to finally have a chance to collaborate with him. In this project his photography allows us to see Northumberland through his eyes, whilst his music captures the essence of Northumberland landscapes, giving us an opportunity to share in his personal response to this beautiful part of the world.”
What the press say:
“Andy Craig is a local singer/songwriter and guitarist whose home-spun tales of life on the coast are reflected in beautiful songs like “All This Is Ours” and “Home” and in evocative instrumentals.
“A professional photographer by day, Andy transfers the skills of capturing exceptional images to his music.” Blues in Britain
Nov
18
Sat
Learn to play some wonderful Northumbrian tunes from a Master of the tradition. These two workshops celebrate the rich and glorious musical heritage of the North East of England. Saturday is for fiddle players only, Sunday is open to players of any instruments. Plus ‘An Evening with Stewart Hardy’ at the Swan Inn, Aston Munslow.
Saturday: “The Flesh and Bones of Fiddle Tunes”
Level : intermediate & advanced
Taking some great fiddle tunes as examples, Stewart will introduce you to the secrets of the distinctive Northumbrian fiddle style. Stewart is known for his attention to detail, covering bowing, ornaments and how to discover the rhythmic personality of each tune.
Sunday: “Make a Joyful Noise” – all instruments welcome
Expect a day of uplifting music, fun and a few challenges along the way. Stewart is an expert arranger of music for mixed instrument groups. Whether you play melody, chords or bass lines there will be a place for everyone in this day of ensemble playing.
‘An Evening with Stewart Hardy’ (Saturday)
The Swan Inn, Aston Munslow SY7 9ER
Short concert followed by a tunes session .
Workshop fees (including lunch& hot drinks):
EarlyBird: £53 per dayor £105 both days.
After May 1st: £58 per day or £110 for both days
Evening event: £10 including curry. Must be pre-booked, priority to course participants.
Overnight accommodation & campervan parking available – please ask for details.
How to book: e mail Kitty: folkfiddleteacher@gmail.co
Apr
6
Sat
Apr 6 @ 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
WILLIAM SHIELD: Northumbrian Fiddler and Piper??
Presentation by Dr Amélie Addison with Stewart Hardy (fiddle)
My friend, Dr Amélie Addison, will be giving a presentation at The Chantry Bagpipe Museum as part of the Morpeth Northumbrian Gathering on 6th April. She is the leading authority on local composer William Shield, a man with close ties to the fiddling and piping traditions of the North East, and I am delighted to be illustrating her talk with some tunes on the fiddle.
Tickets £5 adult / £2 school-age
Recordings
Facebook Feed
🎶 The Tune VaultWe are coming to the end of another cracking Block of workshops with North East Fiddle School. Many thanks to Grace Smith Music, Chris Meredith and Kevin Lees - Music for their fantastic tuition. Here’s one of the tunes I taught in a video tutorial series, heading for The Tune Vault - a favourite English jig, Flaxley Green Dance.
Flaxley Green Dance
A fabulous English jig - one of two sent by Robert J. Buckley to Cecil Sharp in the summer of 1911. Mr Buckley had collected tunes from a wheelwright in Abbots Bromley, William (or Henry!) Robinson, in the middle of the nineteenth century, including the celebrated Horn Dance.
Flaxley Green Dance | The Tune Vault
youtu.be
Flaxley Green Dance- The Tune Vault by Stewart HardyA fabulous English jig - one of two sent by Robert J. Buckley to Cecil Sharp in the summer of 1911. Mr B...
Less than a month to go to our Arrangement Techniques course for mixed instruments, which will be my 100th residential JSArts course!* 🥳There is just one place left if you would like to join us. Get in touch quickly, so we can book you in with the venue - the beautiful Shepherds Dene near Riding Mill in Northumberland.
We will be learning a lovely selection of tunes, and choosing which to work on - exploring options for introductions & endings, varying instrumentation, creating harmony lines and different ways of accompanying the tune to produce alternate soundscapes and narratives. With a limited number of participants, there will be plenty of time to explore ideas from everyone. All instruments are welcome, and if you require notation in different keys or clefs, that can be provided. Dots and audio files are provided in advance, and any recordings from the weekend are sent on afterwards.
*There will be cake! 🎂😊
This content isn't available at the moment
When this happens, it's usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it, or it's been deleted.
Finally, a new tune for The Tune Vault, and to pick up where we left off, here’s another sparkling tune by Tyneside fiddle supremo, James Hill in the key of "F for vescence" 🤣Tykeside (James Hill) | The Tune Vault
youtu.be
Tykeside (James Hill)- The Tune Vault by Stewart HardyThis enigmatically titled reel in F major is another gem by Tyneside fiddling legend James Hill. No tr...