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.”
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
Oct
11
Thu
James Hill was probably the most famous fiddler on Tyneside during the late Georgian and early Victorian period. He wrote more than 40 tunes, mainly for hornpipes, inspired and informed by the places and characters he came to know.
This story is a reflective account of his life, told through ‘Jimmy’s ghost’ and set in and around The Hawk public house, which was owned by his future father-in-law. The narrative unfolds to a back-drop of James Hill’s own compositions, clog dancing and songs from the time, incorporating some newly commissioned pieces.
Featuring two top virtuoso fiddle players Tom McConville (BBC Musician of the Year) and Stewart Hardy, this show provides fantastic entertainment for all the family. Tom and Stewart will be joined by two of the North East’s finest singers Alan Fitzimmons and Jim Mageean and clog dancing champion Natalie Rae.
Oct
27
Sat
James Hill was probably the most famous fiddler on Tyneside during the late Georgian and early Victorian period. He wrote more than 40 tunes, mainly for hornpipes, inspired and informed by the places and characters he came to know.
This story is a reflective account of his life, told through ‘Jimmy’s ghost’ and set in and around The Hawk public house, which was owned by his future father-in-law. The narrative unfolds to a back-drop of James Hill’s own compositions, clog dancing and songs from the time, incorporating some newly commissioned pieces.
Featuring two top virtuoso fiddle players Tom McConville (BBC Musician of the Year) and Stewart Hardy, this show provides fantastic entertainment for all the family. Tom and Stewart will be joined by two of the North East’s finest singers Alan Fitzimmons and Jim Mageean and clog dancing champion Natalie Rae.
Recordings
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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!)