Sixteenth Annual
LONDON FIDDLE CONVENTION
Sunday 24 February 2008
Evening Concert 8.00pm
Workshops - 1.30-3.00 and 3.30-5.00pm
Tickets - Single Workshop £10/£8 Concessions
Two Workshops - £16/£12 Concessions
Day Pass - (All Events) - £22/£17 Concessions
Children under 12 are admitted free when accompanied by a paying adult
Tickets can be obtained on the day - there
is no advance booking.
The 16th Annual London Fiddle Convention will take place on Sunday 24th February at Cecil Sharp House (2 Regents Park Road NW10 7AY), one of London's premier Folk music venues. The day will begin at 1.30pm with Fiddle Workshops presented by Pete Cooper (English Fiddle Tunes), Chris Haigh (Polish fiddle tunes), Joe Townsend (improvisation) and Bob Winquist (Bluegrass). The Workshops are each one-and-a-half hours -- from 2.00pm to 3.30pm and from 4.00pm to 5.30pm.
From 5.30pm there will be an Open Session in the bar -- all musicians welcome -- a chance to try out some of the tunes you've learned in the Workshops!
The Fiddle Contest begins at 6.00pm, entrance free and open to all comers Entrants should play for a maximum of five minutes -- any piece, any style, either solo or with own accompaniment. The prize: an appearance in the Evening Concert.
WHO WON LAST YEAR?
The Evening Concert begins at 8.00pm, tickets £10/£8.
Featured at the EVENING CONCERT in February will be S.Harikumar, ,Pete Cooper, Chris Haigh, Kate Hands, , Karen Ryan, Joe Townsend, Bob Winquist, Sarah Harrison, Igor Outkine, Pete Quinn, Richard Bolton (Guitar and Cello), and Bernard O'Neill (Bass).
Contact Details:
Bob Winquist - 020 8930 8467
Email - robert.winquist@googlemail.com
Pete Cooper - 020 8340 7760
Website - www.petecooper.com
Cecil Sharp House - 2 Regents Park Road, Camden, NWl 7AY
Website - http//www.efdss.org
Tickets can be obtained on the day - there is no advance booking. Anyone seeking to enter the Fiddle Contest should contact either Pete or Bob as soon as possible, since numbers will be limited by time.
An article from "Fiddle
On" magazine:
It was in a chance conversation in 1992, between bassist Bernard
O'Neill and mandolinist Dermot O'Connor that the idea of a London
Fiddlers' Convention was first mooted. When Dermot rang me and
explained the idea I was skeptical to say the least. Ten fiddlers
would each be invited to play a ten minute slot in whatever style
they wanted, with backing from the "house band" of Bernard
along with guitarist Frank Kilkelly. My reservations were that
every fiddler was sure to want to be star of the show, was bound
to overrun the allotted time, and there would be more infighting
than at a Labour Party conference.
To my surprise and delight, when the big night came at the
Weavers Arms it was an occasion to remember, and for all the best
reasons. There was a tremendous range and depth of fiddle playing,
a warm and relaxed atmosphere, no signs of megalomania, and a
hugely enthusiastic audience. The "massed fiddles" which
opened and closed the evening were a sight to behold!
For the next eight years it ran as an annual event at the Weavers,
coordinated by Bernard along with bluegrass supremo Bob Winquist.
Almost every conceivable type of fiddle music has been represented,
including Irish, Scottish, Jazz, Western Swing, gypsy, Cajun,
Klezmer, Indian, Scandinavian and Greek. Some of the highlights
have been collaborations and multi-fiddle arrangements, and the
old Zumzeaux anthem "Blazing Fiddles" has become a regular
favourite.
In 1997 the Weavers Arms closed, a great loss to the
whole London music scene, and the Convention moved to Cecil Sharp
House, with the welcome addition of afternoon workshops and jam
sessions. A slimmed-down, four fiddle of the Convention also happens
each Autumn at the Festival Hall Foyer.
If you're a fiddle player, fiddle owner or fiddle fan, it's the
only place to be!
Chris Haigh
A list of people
who've performed at previous conventions:
Sylvia Hallett
Ashley Reed
Rick Townend
Mateus
Bob Winquist
Robin McKidd
George Kaye
Tim Kliphuis
Olly Blanchflower
Bernard O'Neill
Alan Dunn
Graeme Taylor
Cedric Thorose
Chris Wood
Frank Kilkelly
Theresa Heaneu
NetiVaan
Tony Moffatt
Bobby Valentino
Pete Cooper
Pierre LeRue
Anne Wood
Dave Wright
Chris Haigh
Johnny Van Derrick
Sean Smith
Miriam Kavenagh
Barry Wickens
Jenny Gardiner
Alice Gwinnell
Richard Collins
Joe Giltrap
Dermott O'Connor
Karen Ryan
Pete Quinn
Kate Lissauer
Joe Locker
Robin Gillam
Richard Bolton
Steve Moffatt
Naomi Anner
Ian Pressland
Ade Ward
Laurel Swift
Mary Ward Fiddle Band
Joe Townsend
Kate Hands
Kubryk Townsend
Tymon Dogg
Sarah Harrison
Igor Outkine
Freddie Smith
The London Fiddle Convention is sponsored by:
Chris Haigh is a freelance fiddle player based
in London; he has had lots of experience in almost all types of fiddle
music including British, Celtic, American, East European and jazz
styles. He works with a number of different regular bands and
frequently assembles "custom" bands for particular gigs.
He is also a session player and composer.
Telephone 020 85343887
or 07759 680533
Email me : Chris@fiddlingaround.co.uk
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