Hire Northumbrian Bells | String duo in Alnwick

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From£200

1 hour

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Northumbrian Bells at Howick Hall

Northumbrian Bells

About Northumbrian Bells

Mum and daughter duo playing violin/flute and clarsach (lever harp)/piano - beautiful music to accompany your weddings or special occasion!

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String duo

Alnwick

Public liability insurance of £10 million

Claire and Rachael, Mum & daughter, have been performing together since Rachael was 6 years old. Rachael achieved Grade 8 Distinction in both Violin and Flute exams, accompanied on the piano by Claire. Rachael loved her musical life at Durham Uni graduating with a BA music, MA ( orchestration & arranging) & PGCE! Claire took the opportunity to return to her music with Piano, Violin & Harp playing over the last 20 years. Our professional lives are now taken up with Primary School Reception teaching for Rachael, and Harp & Piano teaching for Claire. We love playing our music together so much, from Classical to Folk and Musical Theatre. We usually make our family listeners cry with such beautiful arrangements, but promise to bring you a happy performance to remember forever!

Northumbrian Bells

5 out of 5

3 verified reviews

Northumbrian Bells' Reviews

5 out of 5

Northumbrian Bells, Claire and Rachael are a hugely talented mother and daughter duo who play the most beautiful music, that will bring you to tears. They are super sensitive in finding the right pieces to suit the event. As well as being magical in their musical recitals, they are very special people who I thoroughly recommend.

5 out of 5

The sound of music being played as we entered Howick Hall was enchanting. The ambience and setting in the Chinese Room for the lovely harp and flute duets being played by Claire and Rachael were so relaxing and very welcoming. What a great combination, music and location, well worth a visit to experience and enjoy!

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Northumbrian Bells' Song list

Popular Wedding Songs:

Pachelbel's Canon in C

Can't Help Falling in Love - by Elvis Presley

Turning Page - by Sleeping at Last

La Vie En Rose - by Edith Piaf

Hallelujah - by Leonard Cohen

Wedding March - by Mendelssohn

I Giorni - by Ludovico Einaudi

Wonderful Tonight - by Eric Clapton

Northumbrian Traditional Music:

Bonny at Morn - Trad., arr. Janet Bennett

Blow the Wind Southerly - Trad., arr. Janet Bennett

Felton Lonnen - Trad., arr. Janet Bennett

Elsey's Waltz - Archie Dagg, arr. Janet Bennett

Scottish Traditional Music:

Farewell to Stromness - by Peter Maxwell Davies

Return to Tiree - by Isobel Mieras

Tiree Bridal March - by Isobel Mieras

Loch Katrine's Lady - by Phil Cunningham

Gentle Light That Wakes Me - by Phil Cunningham

Irish Traditional Music:

Sheebeg and Sheemore - Trad., arr. Isobel Mieras

Romantic Piano Music (arranged for violin/flute and piano/harp):

Fairytale - by Ludovico Einaudi

Soulmate - by Andrea Vanzo

Wedding Ballet - by Austin Farwell

Deep Breaths - by Austin Farwell

Christmas Eve - by Austin Farwell

River Flows in You - Yiruma

Popular Music:

Annie's Song - by John Denver

Love Story - by Taylor Swift

Enchanted - by Taylor Swift

At Last - by Etta James

Music from Musicals and Films:

Moonriver - from Breakfast at Tiffanys, by Henry Mancini

Send in the Clowns - from A Little Night Music

I Dreamed a Dream - from Les Miserables

A Whole New World - from Aladdin

Young Lovers - from The King & I

Ladies in Lavender - by Nigel Hess

Sunday - from Sunday in the Park with George

Northumbrian Bells' Prices

Last updated: 2024

Note: prices may vary based on travel distance. For an exact quote, click “Check availability”.

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Customer questions

Which venues have you performed at in the past?

We have performed both inside and outside (in good weather!). Most recently we have enjoyed performing at Howick Hall in Northumberland. We have also performed at a sunny garden party for a care home, and in a wedding marquee on the bride’s family’s farm with a beautiful view of the sea!

Do you have different line-up options?

Rachael plays violin and flute, and Claire plays clarsach and piano. We usually perform as violin/flute and clarsach, but we can also perform as violin/flute and piano!

What if my timings change after I've booked you?

We always try our best to be flexible to help ensure your event runs as smoothly as possible. If timings change slightly in the run up to the event please just let us know as soon as possible.

How much time do you need to set up?

We usually arrive and set up about 1 hour before the performance time so that we have plenty of time to find where everything is. However again we can be flexible with this.

Can I pick the songs you play from the set list?

We have a set list of mostly traditional Northumbrian and Scottish music but are always happy to try and include specific requests where possible.

Is all of the equipment (e.g. PA & lighting) included in your quote?

We are acoustic and don't require any extra equipment. To perform we would just require two chairs please and a suitable secure space to store our instrument cases whilst performing.

Musicianship

Genres:

Folk, Traditional Scottish folk, Traditional English folk, Classical, Contemporary classical, Film / TV music, Musical theatre, Traditional church music, Traditional Irish folk, Light music

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Types:

String duo, Flute and harp duo, Classical duo

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Event types:

Wedding, Wedding proposal, Hotel / Restaurant event, Private event, Charity event, Church service, Burns night

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Other skills:

Instrumental teaching, Orchestrator, Arranger, Theory teaching

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