Jun
23
Thu
The summer concert of the Tyneside Fiddle Alliance will be held in St George’s Church, Jesmond on Thurs 23rd June, and already the group are rehearsing their favourite sets. Windy Gyle Band have been invited to be the special guests for the evening and there will no doubt be some exciting extra numbers from TFA members. Tickets for this are now available from TFA members, or email fiddle.alliance@gmail.com.
Nov
19
Sat
Tyneside Fiddle Alliance have been again invited to be Special Guests at the Allendale Community Choirs’ Showcase. This is the final concert at then end of a workshop day for local Community Choirs and in past years has been an exciting event to be a part of.
Nov
24
Thu
Northumbrian and Traditional Music presented by the Tyneside Fiddle Alliance.
7.30pm (doors open 6.45pm)
Tickets £5 from TFA members, on the door or email fiddle.alliance@gmail.com
For this concert the Tyneside Fiddle Alliance led by tutors from the wonderful Bottle Bank Band, will perform music from their ever expanding repertoire. The programme will feature a feast of traditional music blended with beautiful harmonies and accompaniments. In the concert this year we will be joined by Woolsington Strings, a smaller ensemble whose members are familiar faces from the region’s community music groups and who will be giving their debut performance. This year the Fiddle Alliance has been winning awards at Northumbrian music festivals in Morpeth and Rothbury, and this is your chance to hear them in their spiritual home.
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.”
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
Nov
23
Thu
Northumbrian and Traditional Music presented by the Tyneside Fiddle Alliance.
7.30pm (doors open 6.45pm)
Tickets £5 from TFA members, on the door or email fiddle.alliance@gmail.com
For this concert the Tyneside Fiddle Alliance will perform music from their ever expanding repertoire. The programme will feature a feast of traditional music blended with beautiful harmonies and accompaniments. In the concert this year we are delighted to be joined once again by Woolsington Strings, a smaller ensemble whose members are familiar faces from the region’s community music groups. There will also be solo and duet performances from some of our leaders and members. The Fiddle Alliance has enjoyed supporting the local music festivals this year, and have again been winning awards in Morpeth and Rothbury, and this is their final performance of the year – where better than the beautiful surroundings of St Mary’s, Gateshead.
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NEFS Block 3 starts this week!Sign up now 🎻We have a new block starting on Zoom this week!
Join us for our five weekly Wednesday evening Zoom sessions starting on 24th April with video tutorials on demand, and/or our in-person workshop in Wylam on Saturday 11th May. Bookings now open!
www.northeastfiddleschool.org.uk/shop/
More details are available on the Classes page of the NEFS website. Get in touch with Ali if you have any questions 😊
🎶 This block we have two more fabulous video tutorials, both English jigs collected in the middle of the nineteenth century from “Wheelwright Robinson” of Abbots Bromley, Flaxley Green Dance from Stewart Hardy Music and, of course, The Abbots Bromley Horn Dance, this one from Kevin Lees - Music. Grace Smith Music will be teaching alongside Stewart on our Zoom calls, and will be introducing a lovely Shetland jig as our new live tune.
We are also delighted to announce that Chris Meredith will be teaching with Stewart on our Saturday Workshop in Wylam on 11th May. Chris is a wonderful player and teacher, and was the force behind FiddleTutor.com with some wonderful online tutorials.
📣 Sign up now!
🎧🎻🎹 Our next set of Zoom workshops is this weekend, on Friday 12th and Saturday 13th April. Each workshop can be booked individually, and all will be available on-demand after the weekend. Book now on the website!There will be lots of favourite tunes with harmonies and chords provided for the Friday evening play-along session. All instruments are welcome, and alternate clefs or keys for transposing instruments can be provided on request. Then on Saturday in the fiddle workshops, we'll be looking at a fabulous north east tune by Geroge Mitchell of the Cheviot Ranters, call Geordie's Rant, in the morning. In the afternoon, it will be the turn of Shrewsbury Lasses, one of the classic country dance tunes of the English repertoire. Full resources including audio files and a worksheet are provided.
Visit the website for more info and bookings 😃
There will be lots of fascinating facts and insights into the life and times of William Shield, presented by Dr Amélie Addison on Saturday afternoon, illustrated with a few fiddle tunes! We'll be at the Morpeth Chantry Bagpipe Museum at 4pm.Morpeth Northumbrian Gathering
(Disclaimer: more recent photos are available!)