North East Soiree String Quartet perform all over the North East including Northumberland, Durham, Teesside and North Yorkshire. Previous venues have included large Castles and are regulars at Langley Castle as well as Alnwick, Auckland, Bamburgh, Brancepeth, Chillingham, Durham and Lumley Castles. We have also played at various halls and country houses including Beamish, Doxford, Ellingham, Guyzance, Jesmond Dene Hotel, Judges Yarm, Linden Hall, Manor House, Otterburn Towers and Wynyard. We have also played at many clubs, churches, community centres and village halls. For our full list see below.
North East Soiree String Quartet is a group of professional players and the quartet consists of 4 players: two violins, viola and cello. Our cellist also plays the double bass which works very well with some pop and jazz tunes. We have a great team of very experienced quartet players, most of whom have performed with our quartet for over 10 years and so all know our repertoire and are friendly, smartly dressed and punctual as well as being highly accomplished players.
The group is run by our Cellist, Gordon, who has managed and performed at over 1300 weddings and corporate events over the many years since forming the group. Gordon originally studied and then taught the Double Bass for many years in Scotland but then progressed onto the Cello due to his love of classical chamber music. In addition to being a classical Double Bass player, he also regularly plays as Bass Guitarist for Jazz, Rock and Pop groups and is the arranger of almost all the music performed by the String Quartet. Gordon finds it easy to arrange all the modern pop requests that the Quartet are asked to play and is generally busy doing new arrangements every week for the String quartet - around 500 arrangements have been completed by Gordon for String Quartet over the last 20 years. Gordon is just as happy to play the Double Bass in the Quartet if there is a need for stronger jazzy or pop bass line.
Jill and Gordon at Langley Castle. Jill has been a part of North East Soiree since 2005 and is almost always playing with us either on 2nd Violin or Viola as a key member of our String Quartet.
We are lucky to have 2 Jonathans in our little team, so we refer to this one as Jonny to avoid confusion. Jonny has been a part of North East Soiree since 2010 initially as a deputy player and is now our most regular player as 1st violin for the String Quartet and Violin and Piano Duo as well as our main fiddler for our Ceilidh Band.
This Jonathan has been a part of North East Soiree as a deputy player since 2010 however has become a key member of our group since 2016 and is now very much a regular with North East Soiree in both the String Quartet (as 1st or 2nd violin or viola) and fiddle in our Ceilidh Band
Emma and Jill - Emma has been a part of North East Soiree since 2004 and Jill since 2005. Emma is a regular with us in both the String Quartet and Ceilidh Band - when she's not appearing all over the country in Jazz festivals!
Vince has played 1st and 2nd Violin and also Viola with our Quartet. Vince is in great demand throughout the North East as a freelance player and has recently joined our little team as one of our regulars.
Here we are playing during a drinks reception at a wedding in Ellingham Hall in Northumberland
1. Can't Take My Eyes off You 2. Don't Stop Believin' 3. Moves Like Jagger 4. Stand By Me 5. I've Got You Under My Skin 6. It Must Be Love
The String Quartet performs right across the North East of England, including Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Northumberland, County Durham, Teesside and North Yorkshire. Here are just some of the many venues that the North East Soiree String Quartet have performed: -
Alnwick Castle, Alnwick Gardens, Alnwick Treehouse, Bamburgh Castle, Barn on the Bay, Brinkburn Priory, Bywell Hall, Charlton Hall, Chillingham Castle, Comb near Keilder, Cuddystone Hall, Dilston Hall, Doxford Barns, Doxford Hall, Ellingham Hall, Embleton Hall, Eshott Hall, Felton village Hall, Kirkley Hall, Langley Castle, Le Petit Chateau, Linden Hall, Matfen High House Brewery, Matfen Hall, Middleton Hall, Newton Hall, Otterburn Towers, Ridley Hall, Slaley Hall, St Cuthberts church Beltingham, St Cuthbert Church Elsdon, St james church Shilbottle, St Lawrence church Warkworth, St Michael's church Wark, St Paul's RC church Alnwick, The George Chollerford, Trinity Church Ashington, Winter Gardens Hexham, Woodhill Hall.
As You Like It, Centre for Life, Copthorne Hotel, Gosforth Marriott, Hilton Doubletree, Jesmond Dene Hotel, Mansionhouse, Newcastle Civic Centre, Newcastle University, Northern Counties Club, Scalini's Gosforth, st Georges Jesmond, St Marys Wallsend, Vermont Hotel
Grand Hotel Tynemouth, Holiday Inn, Horton Grange, Little Haven Hotel, Park Hotel Tynemouth, Saville Exchange, Seaton Delaval Hall, South Shields Town Hall, Tynemouth Priory, Whitburn Parish Church.
Angel View Inn, Baltic Art Gallery, Felling Methodist Church, Gateshead Hilton, Gibside Chapel, Immaculate Heart RC Church, Lancastrians Suite, The Sage, Saltwell Towers
Auckland Castle, Beamish Hall, Beamish Museum, Bishop Auckland Town Hall, Black Horse Inn, Bowburn Hall, Bowes Museum, Brancepeth Castle, Brockwell Studios, Christ Church Great Lumley, Derwent Manor, Hallgarth Manor Hotel, Hardwick Hall Hotel, Hardwicke Manor Hotel, Lartington Hall, Lumley Castle, Maltshovel Inn, Manor House (West Auckland), Minsteracres, Morritt Arms, Our Lady of Lourdes RC Shotton Colliery, Ramside Hall, Redworth Hall, Seaham Hall, South Causey Inn, St Edmunds Sedgefield, St James church Castle Eden, St Mary Blackhill, St Mary Shincliffe, St Mary Whorlton, St Osmunds church Gainford, Whitworth Hall
County Marriott Hotel, Crook Hall and Gardens, Durham Castle, Durham Masonic Hall, Durham School, Durham Town Hall, Durham University (Colleges of Collingwood, Grey, Hatfield, St Aidens, St Chads, St Hild and Bede, St John, St Mary, Van Mildert), Radisson Blu Durham, St Cuthbert's Anglican and RC churches, St Giles Church, St Oswald church, Three Tuns Hotel
Crowtree Leisure Centre, National Glass Centre, Marriott Hotel Seaburn, Quayside Exchange, Roker Hotel, St Lukes Church Pallion, Sunderland Sheik Temple, Tunstall Lodge
Bannatines Hotel, Blackwell Grange, Croft Hotel, Hall Garth House, Headlam Hall, Rockliffe Hall, St Peter Church Croft, Walworth Castle
Gisborough Hall, Mercedes Benz Stockton, Sporting Lodge Inn, St Johns Eagglescliffe, St Marys Nunthorpe, St Pauls RC Church Hutton Henry, Teesside University, Wynyard Hall
Allerton Castle, Catterick Officers Mess - Gaza, Chapel Hall Hutton Rudby, Cleveland Tontine, Crathorne Hall, Fountains Abbey, Grinkle Park, Harewood House, Judges Hotel Yarm, Middleton Lodge Estate - main house and Fig House, Raithwaite Hall, Rudding Park, Rushpool Hall, Solberge Hall, St Mary and Romauld Yarm, Whinstone View, Yorkshire Barn Wedding Venue (Gilling West)