We've been playing together for over 30 years: early music, folk music, classical music, modern music - well almost anything we can get our hands on - just for fun. Older players have dropped out, new ones have joined, the usual rotation of musicians in any group.
We're all recorder players, and over the years have added windcaps, shawms and percussion to the mix so the sounds we make are lively and varied now. We've got loads of percussion too, spicing up the mix. A few of us have solo instruments, bagpipes, hurdygurdy, harps etc and most of us sing some of the time too.
We're all recorder players, and over the years have added windcaps, shawms and percussion to the mix so the sounds we make are lively and varied now. We've got loads of percussion too, spicing up the mix. A few of us have solo instruments, bagpipes, hurdygurdy, harps etc and most of us sing some of the time too.
It's only a few years ago that we began to work seriously at improving our music and taking on performances, mostly as background entertainment to banquets, cream teas (we're based in south east Cornwall so there are a lot of those going on!) fetes, etc. as well as participating in a few multi-performer concerts, street performances and doing closed concerts like for a local Shakespeare Society.
We made (or bought) costumes which approximate Elizabethan wear, some very stylish and classy, some representing poorer people, and we wore them whenever the occasion demanded. Then we got a logo and put it on t-shirts so we looked like we knew what we were doing, even when we didn't.
We made (or bought) costumes which approximate Elizabethan wear, some very stylish and classy, some representing poorer people, and we wore them whenever the occasion demanded. Then we got a logo and put it on t-shirts so we looked like we knew what we were doing, even when we didn't.
But last weekend we gave our first ever mono-concert, in a small but very old venue. Scary, with people paying good money to come along, sit down for 90 minutes and listen to just us. We worked hard to ensure our playing was up to scratch, and our presentation was pitched at a friendly, informative level and we were stylish and slick.
Hurrah! It was a huge success, a good audience, friendly and supportive, even though most of them weren't already our friends. We played well, spoke well, entertained and informed - it all went as smoothly as we could have hoped and we're on a huge high now. We've been invited back (an excellent sign!) and now have the courage to tout for other higher profile gigs. Watch out for us in south east Cornwall, we're up and coming.
