Little road trip out yesterday with Exe Valley String Quartet. We played for a charity dinner drinks reception at ANRÁN : Luxury Boutique Accommodation in Devon near Ashburton. The venue was beautifully dressed and looked all festive. We played a selection of pop/rock classics for the guests as they arrived and chatted over a drink including 'Simply the Best' as a music request. We are now getting ready for a busy December and three weddings as we approach Christmas.
We had a really lovely intimate local gig yesterday in the local Library to support their Christmas Fair. I love all of our gigs whether we have a choir of 100 or a choir of 30 like yesterday but there is something quite special about singing in a smaller group and seeing and hearing everyone working closely together. It sounded beautiful. Well done everyone. Next stop - BP Pulse Live Arena Birmingham with a choir of 1000’s!
Well done to Plymouth and also to the Plymouth Rockies who braved the rain last night to sing their hearts out for the official Christmas Lights Switch on in the City. It was a great evening full of singing and dancing and a real celebration of the local talent in Plymouth. Plymouth Rockies were awesome! I was so proud of you all and how professional we all look and sound. So good to get the crowds singing along as well. Hope you all got home safely and are now nice and dry. Well done everyone! Rock Choir Caroline Redman Lusher Plymouth City Centre #plymouth
Busy weekend of playing. Upton Barn & Walled Garden yesterday for the ceremony and then a road trip all the way to North Devon and Watermouth Cove Weddings today. Big playing day today. Ceremony, drinks reception and wedding breakfast. Lots of different requests including At Last (Etta James), A Whiter Shade of Pale (Procol Harum), lots of Queen, The Greatest Showman and something a bit new to me but I loved playing it - all the hits from The Rat Pack. Great fun to play. The guests even had a sing along! Loved the variety of music this weekend. #musiciandevon #devonfiddler #weddingviolinist
You can’t beat a cozy autumnal wedding can you! One of my favourite venues Upton Barn & Walled Garden today. I enjoyed arranging and playing ‘I Need You’ the beautiful melody from The Hunger Games for the entrance of the bridal party. I also played some Elvis, One Direction, Queen and Natalie Cole in a varied set list. A lovely wedding ceremony. Off to North Devon tomorrow for a wedding at Watermouth Cove Weddings. #devonviolinist #musiciandevon.
The Crowne Plaza Plymouth - Part Two. This Saturday we were honoured to be a part of a big charity dinner for Pregnancy Crisis Care a local charity doing amazing work in Plymouth. We started the evening off with a flash mob of Sweet Child of Mine which took the guests by surprise. We then sang another couple of songs before leaving the guests to their dinner and a live band to dance the night away. A really lovely evening. Well done Plymouth Rockies - it's been a busy few weeks!
On a very rare day off from playing at a wedding or corporate event somewhere across the South west of England we went over to Rockbeare Manor as a string quartet today to play for their wedding open day. We met lots of couples who are getting married at this beautiful venue in the coming months and talked about the music they love and what their dream songs are for their bespoke ceremony ideas. Always a pleasure!
A gig with a difference for our Plymouth Rockies last night. We were honoured and privileged to have been invited to sing at the YMCA Plymouth Community Awards last night at the very posh Crowne Plaza Hotel. We set the tone for the evenings celebrations as we sang a twenty minute uplifting set of songs all related to movies (that was the theme of the evening). A really lovely evening with lots of sparkle and glamour and a great performing experience for us all. Well done Plymouth Rockies! You were awesome! Official photos of the evening will follow shortly.
I played for a lovely wedding ceremony at the very old but very beautiful Totnes Guildhall this morning. Just a small intimate wedding but a lovely atmosphere. Played one of my favourite songs today… You are the reason by Callum Scott! #musiciandevon# #WeddingViolinist #dawlishfiddler
Well done Plymouth Rock Choir. A fabulous performance this afternoon in Old Town Square by Drakes Circus. Lots of lovely positive comments from the shoppers and local public who stopped to listen. You should all fell very proud. You are all stars! Thank you to the weather Gods for keeping the sunshine out for us. I had an extra special afternoon as I popped over to the beautiful Barbican for Fish and Chips for a late lunch with my son Harrison! Love Plymouth! Such a beautiful City! See you there again soon Im sure. #proudchoirleader
Lovely solo wedding today at Higher Holcombe by Ottery St Mary. A rustic countryside wedding venue with lots of character and atmosphere. The perfect setting for 'Concerning Hobbits' from Lord of The Rings for the brides entrance. I also played a brand new arrangement of 'The Book of Love' by Peter Gabriel which is such a beautiful melody. I played a range of chilled out tunes and movie themes while the wedding guests had a drink and some photos and a good catch up. Lovely day. #WeddingViolinist #musiciandevon #dawlishfiddler
Abbfest 2025. What a gig! I am so proud of each and every Rockie today for singing in that weather. We did it! It was either sing in the rain or go home. Well there was no chance of going home! Respect to you all. We managed 5 songs before the sound team called the performance off! True Rockie spirit! We are made of tough stuff down here in Devon! Shout out to our rockies on their first gig today - you will never forget it that's for sure! Love you all. Hope you all got home safely and are now nice and warm! Rock ChoirCaroline Redman LusherAbbfest
A gig with a difference. Tonight we took the trio to the RAMM in Exeter to play for a drinks reception. It was the 30th anniversary of Wilkinson Grant Estate Agents. Always a pleasure to play for corporate events. Our job is to add that extra layer of interest to the evening so its important to quietly and discreetly add our music to the atmosphere for the evening. We played a real mix of music from Bach to Mascagni to Guns and Roses and Oasis! Quite an unusual venue to play but still a great place to play. #corporatestringquartet. www.exevalleystringquartet.co.uk
Shilstone Weddings. Some pictures from yesterday afternoons drinks reception at Shilstone House. A nice relaxed occasion while guests have a drink and catch up with each other. I put together a set list of popular upbeat songs that guests recognise (and sometimes sing along to). Having live music at this point in your wedding day adds a nice touch to the day. Thank you for all your lovely feedback and kind words afterwards. It was a pleasure! After this gig it was a short journey up to Exeter and the Rougement Hotel to meet up with the Exe valley String Quartet to play for a very special dinner. It was the 15th wedding anniversary for a couple that the quartet played for at their wedding ceremony all those years ago. It was a very intimate and romantic evening full of emotion and love. Love working as a violinist in Devon. #weddingviolinist #dawlishfiddler #exevalleystringquartet www.musiciandevon.co.uk
This was my first ever visit to Bicton Park Botanical Gardens and despite the damp weather it is an absolutely stunning place. Such a pretty venue to have your wedding. Unfortunately the rain got the better of us so we somehow squeezed 70 people into the palm house with all the plants! It was a cozy ceremony! I got to play a couple of my new arrangements today, 'Come with me' by Norah Jones is such a beautiful melody that is perfect for the violin. Also 'It must be Love' by madness which got everyone singing and dancing. The drinks ceremony ended with lots of dancing and singing to a set of upbeat, well known somngs and tunes. #weddingviolinist #musiciandevon #dawlishfiddler
What a fantastic gig we had today in the sunshine at the amazing West End Carnival in Plymouth. A fab venue with a really great crowd and a great atmosphere. Plymouth Rockies sang out proud in their City and the feedback was just brilliant. My favourites bits of feedback today were about the smiley faces in the choir and the sheer joy that radiated around the audience while we were singing. A very happy and proud Rock Choir leader. Caroline Redman Lusher Rock Choir.
Babbacombe Summer Fair 2025. Our first visit to this event and it didn't disappoint. It was a really lovely friendly local community event which was an honour to support. We all had a great time singing to a really good crowd and beautiful views of the sea. Well done to all the Rockies for singing in hot conditions - I think we did good! Well done to all the rockies on their first gig, you smashed it! www.rockchoir.com #torquay #newtonabbot #plymouth. The next stop is Plymouth in a couple of weeks for the West End Carnival.
Busy few days. Solo Violinist wedding this afternoon at the very beautiful Powderham. Lovely wedding ceremony and drinks reception in the rose garden. It was a wedding where timing of the music was so important. The bridesmaids walked in to 'You Raise Me Up' and then I subtly went into 'Lean On Me' for the entrance of the Bride. For the signing of the register I played 'You are the Reason' by Callum Scott and Lily Allen's 'Somewhere Only We know'. The exit music today was 'Marry You' by Bruno Mars and then I played for another hour or so while the photos were taken and the guests caught up over drinks. Love my job! #devonviolinist #weddingviolinist www.musiciandevon.co.uk

