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
Mar
15
Fri
‘Music for a Spring Evening’
A programme of music from light classics to folk and swing, with the fiddles of Alan Edwards, Stewart Hardy & Bryan Jackson
Creighton Hall, Embleton 7.30 p.m. Tickets £10 at door, raising money for Creighton Hall funds.
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🎧🎻🎹 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!)
It was lovely to play this tune again with Grace Smith Music. Thanks for the invitation to be a part of this fabulous project!