July 2010

Sunday at Blackwell's Bookshop in Edinburgh - outside the street-side windows ambulances blared past, followed by a torrential rainstorm but nothing spoilt the 45 minute concert  before an audience who did not promenade, but sat through the whole concert. Thanks to Alison Tollick for inviting us.

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Monday - lunchtime concert in the Carlisle Festival at St Cuthbert's Church - large audience, most appreciative of our efforts - many stayed to examine instruments and to ask questions. We were well in tune and the ensemble playing was tight and harmonious - a most enjoyable experience all round.

April 2010 - a very warm welcome from the Moniaive Arts Society for our musical tour of Renaissance Europe - a lively Q&A session followed the demonstration.

and,

a pleasing Good Friday concert with the Moffat Music Society in the Old Well Theatre - quite a challenging acoustic for musicians (being a theatre it's designed for speech)  but the warmth of the audience made up for any difficulties.

February 2010 - Richard and Vivien Jones spent a great afternoon entertaining the 'Golden Oldies'  of Dalton in Annandale - giving a lightning tour around the musical courts of Europe on a variety of instruments - musicians, instruments and costumes were examined and admired and the audience of youthful 70-90 year olds participated at various points.

May 2010

after a private party in the Dacre Hall, Lanercost, Cumbria. 

'The event wouldn't have been the same without your music, it was perfect for the occasion and the setting. I'm fairly sure we'll be calling on your services again before too long'

The Galloway Consort

at The Edinburgh Festival fringe 2009

review by Margarita Semsi

Three Weeks review website

There is something about Renaissance music that is inherently romantic and melancholy. ‘To Dance... To Sing’ is a performance of music and song from the time of Mary Queen of Scots that manages to not only recreate the atmosphere of an era, but also familiarise us with what the Queen’s education and taste must have been like. The multi-instrument playing musicians are all skilled and, being faithful to the era, they play on copies of period instruments, such as the viol and the more obscure crumhorn. Most tunes are vivacious, all are romantic and reflect a period in time where the ideal required love to be unfulfilled. The singer’s voice is clear, suits the songs perfectly and is ultimately moving.

May 2010

The Early Music Forum of Scotland presented a performing day at The Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery in Glasgow - we played in the Renaissance Paintings Gallery.We played some of the new programme we are preparing for our Carlisle Music Festival concert of July 5th in St Cuthbert's Church - which went very well.

Adriana, Vivien, Vickie and Richard

at Kelvingrove, Glasgow

March 2010 - played at a reception in Kilmarnock, to celebrate the return of the Eglinton Water Colours to East Ayrshire. Dean Castle, as well as being a fine building, houses an important collection of  early musical instruments which is open to the public. Guests were most appreciative of the music which accompanied their lunch. The band stayed to play in the castle tower in the afternoon.

The Galloway Consort pride themselves on having created bespoke programmes for historic locations and events - some with a theatrical element and some which are site specific. Venues include Falkland Palace, Culross Palace, Edinburgh Castle, Stirling Castle, Scone Palace, The Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, The Musuem of Scotland,  the Burrell Collection, Alloa Tower, Carlisle Castle, Alnwick Castle, Traquair House and many others across Scotland and the north of England.