Jun
1
Sat
Stewart & Frank / Guisborough @ The Church of St Nicholas
Jun 1 @ 7:30 pm
Jun
6
Thu
Bottle Bank Band at the Swaledale Festival @ St Oswald's Church, Askrigg
Jun 6 @ 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Bottle Bank Band at the Swaledale Festival @ St Oswald's Church, Askrigg

Excited that Bottle Bank Band are to be a part of the brilliant Swaledale Festival.

“Infectious jigs, reels and hornpipes brilliantly played by a quartet from the North-East of England – a region which enjoys a centuries old tradition of fiddle playing. The glorious sound of the four fiddles, rich in harmony and captivating arrangements, is underpinned by an instinctive understanding of traditional playing.”

Jun
29
Sat
Bottle Bank Band in Amble @ The Dovecote Centre
Jun 29 @ 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Bottle Bank  Band in Amble @ The Dovecote Centre

Join us at the new home of the Northumberland Theatre Company in Amble for a concert in the north of Northumberland.

Please contact the Dovecote Centre on 01661 713655 for tickets (£10 / £5)

Jul
13
Sat
30 Years Collection – Book Launch Concert @ Ushaw College
Jul 13 @ 8:00 pm – 10:00 pm

30 Years Collection – Book Launch Concert
Saturday 13th July, 8 pm (doors 7.30 pm)
The Presentation Room, Conference Wing, Ushaw College, Durham DH7 9RH

The 30 Years Collection is a brand new book of original compositions, covering Stewart’s 30 Years as a professional musician. To celebrate, there will be a small, informal concert in Ushaw College, with spots from Stewart with Frank McLaughlin, and guest a appearance from Bottle Bank Band, among others. The new books will be on sale, and do bring your instruments for a small session afterwards. Tickets £5 on the door, but seats must be reserved in advance please.

The book will be available to purchase on the website from Monday 15th July. You’ll be able to pay online and choose to have the book posted to you, or select Event Collection to pick up your copy at no extra cost from Stewart at an event or workshop. Cash is also acceptable in person!
www.stewarthardy.co.uk/shop

Aug
11
Sun
Bottle Bank Band in Alnwick @ Alnwick Music Festival
Aug 11 @ 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Bottle Bank Band in Alnwick @ Alnwick Music Festival

Bottle Bank Band is heading up to Alnwick on Sunday, 11th August to join in the festivities at the Alnwick Music Festival. We are particularly thrilled to be sharing the billing with two of our favourite musicians, Alistair Anderson and Dan Walsh. It’s a cracking line up for the whole weekend, so do check out their website and come along.

Sep
27
Fri
Advanced Fiddle Technique @ Rydal Hall
Sep 27 – Sep 29 all-day
Advanced Fiddle Technique @ Rydal Hall | Grantham | United Kingdom

Advanced Fiddle Technique

27th – 29th September 2019
Rydal Hall, Ambleside LA22 9LX

Join Stewart in the beautiful surroundings of Rydal Hall in the Lake District, for a weekend of intensive fiddle tuition. This course is aimed at proficient players with good to high technical competence, who are comfortable with their instruments and their repertoire and who may have some of the following experience and skills:

  • – Playing folk tunes at dance tempo
  • – Comfortable in key signatures of up to 3 sharps and 1 flat
  • – Familiarity with key signatures of up to 4 sharps and 3 flats
  • – Attending folk music sessions and joining in with the tunes
  • – Leading sets of tunes in sessions
  • – Playing in ceilidh and/or concert bands
  • – Teaching violin and/or fiddle

The workshop will typically take between 8 and 12 people from Friday evening until Sunday afternoon. All tuition, resources, accommodation, food and daytime refreshments are included. Sheet music and mp3 files of the tunes covered are sent out in advance, and recordings of exercises from the course are sent on to you afterwards.

These courses are centred around the technical issues that come with playing fiddle music, with as much emphasis on the how as there is on the what. Focusing on left-hand and bowing technique, with stylistic interpretation of the music a key feature, these workshops delve deep into the tunes, extracting exercises to improve technique and allow its application to a wider repertoire. Tunes are carefully selected for their technical or stylistic content whilst also baring in mind practical considerations such as their usefulness in folk music sessions or as dance repertoire. The tunes are taught ‘as if by ear’, meaning they are taught phrase by phrase at a tempo and with sufficient repetition to enable learning without recourse to reading notation, but with notation available at any point should that be desired or necessary. This encourages the development of aural pattern recognition and general musicality, enhancing musicianship and the enjoyment of playing music in social settings.

Places on Advanced Fiddle Techniques courses are available on application. For further information or to express your interest in this course, please email Ali (jsarts@stewarthardy.co.uk)

Dec
13
Fri
Holly & Ivy Roadshow – Jarrow @ Jarrow Hall
Dec 13 @ 5:30 pm
Holly & Ivy Roadshow - Jarrow @ Jarrow Hall

Holly & Ivy Roadshow
Friday 13th December
Jarrow Hall, Church Bank, Jarrow, South Tyneside, NE32 3DY
5.30 pm (until approx 6.30 pm)

Join David Oliver, Laura Connolly and Stewart Hardy for this lively, informal and participatory celebration of songs, stories, dances and customs associated with Midwinter, Christmas and the New Year.

Dec
15
Sun
Holly & Ivy Roadshow – London @ Cecil Sharp House
Dec 15 @ 7:30 pm
Holly & Ivy Roadshow - London @ Cecil Sharp House

Holly & Ivy Roadshow at the Festive Gathering 2019

 – Cecil Sharp House, London

Christmas concert with a folk twist.

This year special guests Holly & Ivy will bring their festive magic from the North East of England.  Performers Stewart Hardy, David Oliver and Laura Connolly will join Cecil Sharp House Choir on a lively and exciting journey through the midwinter customs and traditions of Britain. Join us for our annual yuletide celebration crammed with song, dance, music and good cheer.

Feb
21
Fri
Bottle Bank Band in Horsley @ The Hearth
Feb 21 @ 7:30 pm – 10:00 pm
Bottle Bank Band in Horsley @ The Hearth

Bottle Bank Band is delighted to be heading to The Hearth in Horsley, where the acoustics of the church are absolutely wonderful.

Tickets £12.50 / £7.50 (under 19s) from website.

The Hearth Cafe will be open for evening meals from 5.30pm, please book on 01661 853 563

 

Four exceptional musicians collaborate to create a new, exciting take on traditional fiddle music.

Bottle Bank Band brings together the fiddling talents of Sophy Ball, Chloe Jones, David Jones and Stewart Hardy. The glorious sound of these four fiddles, rich in harmony and captivating arrangements, is underpinned by an instinctive understanding of traditional playing, which gives voice and space to the musicality and talent of the individual players.

Their repertoire is firmly rooted in, but not limited to, the North East of England and its centuries’ old tradition of fiddle playing.  Individually the members of Bottle Bank Band have all established reputations as outstanding musicians, and by coming together in this combination they have created a new, exciting musical landscape.

May
1
Fri
Cancelled: Advanced Fiddle Technique @ Parcevall Hall
May 1 @ 3:00 pm – May 3 @ 3:00 pm
Cancelled: Advanced Fiddle Technique @ Parcevall Hall | Grantham | United Kingdom

Advanced Fiddle Technique

1st – 3rd May 2020
Parcevall Hall, Appletreewick, Skipton, N. Yorks BD23 6DG
3.00 pm start and finish time.

Join Stewart in the beautiful surroundings of Parcevall Hall in North Yorkshire, for a weekend of intensive fiddle tuition. The workshop will typically take between 8 and 12 people from Friday afternoon until Sunday afternoon. The residential weekend fee of £335 covers all food, tuition, daytime refreshments and two nights single occupancy accommodation, some of which is en suite (for medical reasons, then first come first served). The non-residential rate is £250 and includes everything except bed & breakfast. Sheet music and mp3 files of the tunes covered are sent out in advance, and recordings of arrangements created during the course are sent on to you afterwards.

These courses are centred around the technical issues that come with playing fiddle music, with as much emphasis on the how as there is on the what. Focusing on left-hand and bowing technique, with stylistic interpretation of the music a key feature, these workshops delve deep into the tunes, extracting exercises to improve technique and allow its application to a wider repertoire. Tunes are carefully selected for their technical or stylistic content whilst also baring in mind practical considerations such as their usefulness in folk music sessions or as dance repertoire. The tunes are taught ‘as if by ear’, meaning they are taught phrase by phrase at a tempo and with sufficient repetition to enable learning without recourse to reading notation, but with notation available at any point should that be desired or necessary. This encourages the development of aural pattern recognition and general musicality, enhancing musicianship and the enjoyment of playing music in social settings.

This Advanced Fiddle Technique course is aimed at proficient players with good to high technical competence, who are comfortable with their instruments and their repertoire and who may have some of the following experience and skills:

  • – Playing folk tunes at dance tempo
  • – Comfortable in key signatures of up to 3 sharps and 1 flat
  • – Familiarity with key signatures of up to 4 sharps and 3 flats
  • – Attending folk music sessions and joining in with the tunes
  • – Leading sets of tunes in sessions
  • – Playing in ceilidh and/or concert bands
  • – Teaching violin and/or fiddle

Places on Advanced Fiddle Technique courses are available on application. For further information or to express your interest in this course, please email Ali (jsarts@stewarthardy.co.uk)