Magical Wedding Venue.

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

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A Night at the Museum with the String Trio.

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

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EVSQ back at Upton Barn and Walled Gardens

Today, we played at the very beautiful Upton Barn & Walled Garden. The sun was shining, but pegs were definitely needed to stop the music flying away!
We played a variety of pop tunes before the ceremony including Adventure of a Lifetime, Higher Love and Love is all around. The bridal party arrived to the song Everywhere by Fleetwood Mac and the happy couple requested Viva La Vida to be played as they left the ceremony.

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Drinks Receptions at Shilstone House and The Rougemont Hotel

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

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First visit to Bicton Park and Botanical gardens

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

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EVSQ at Huntsham Court Country House

A glorious wedding @Huntsham Court Country House, Devon today. We played outside as the wedding was held in the beautiful Dovecote (have you seen the ceiling )
The bridesmaids and mothers of the bride and groom walked down the aisle to ‘At Last’ by Etta James and then we seamlessly slipped into ‘The Bridal Chorus’ by Wagner for the entrance of the bride. The bride and groom requested ‘Only us’ by Dear Evan Hansen for the signing of the register, which worked really well for strings. Drinks were on the lawn as we played a variety of pop, jazz and even some AC/DC!!
Love our job!

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Wedding at the Castle in Powderham!

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

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EVSQ at the Kingston Estate Totnes.

Lovely afternoon out playing at Kingston Estate Weddings near Totnes with Exe Valley String Quartet. In a beautiful setting the bridal party walked down the isle to 'A Thousand Years' and danced out to 'Shut up and dance'. For the signing of the register we had the opportunity to play a couple of new arrangements, 'A sky full of stars' by Coldplay and 'Rewrite the stars' from The Greatest Showman. A lovely wedding in a beautiful setting. #weddingquartet www.exevalleystringquartet.co.uk

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Corporate event in Exeter.

Lovely evening gig at the Royal Albert Memorial Museum and Art Gallery tonight with the Exe Valley String Quartet. We are not just a traditional wedding ensemble we are also available to play for corporate events, drinks and dinners. A string quartet is the perfect backdrop for a reception. We put together a varied set list of mainly upbeat pop and rock classics and covers at the organisers request. The music was very much appreciated. #corporatemusicians #corporatestringquartet www.exevalleystringquartet.co.uk

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Back to Rockbeare as a soloist.

I seem to have taken up residency at the very beautiful Rockbeare Manor after another wedding yesterday in the Devon sunshine. This time I was there playing as a solo violinist for the wedding of Jade and Michael. A lovely outdoor wedding by the Pavillion, Jade and her bridesmaids walked down the isle to 'Can you feel the love tonight' and I arranged 'Turning Page' by Sleeping at Last' for solo violin for the signing of the register. The wedding party made their exit to 'Love me like you do'. I then played for an hour or so while the guests caught up with each other over a glass of bubbly. A really enjoyable day. #musiciandevon #devonviolinist #weddingviolinist. www.musiciandevon.com

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Exe Valley String Duo at Glebe House.

The Exe Valley String Duo played for a very beautiful wedding party yesterday at Glebe House in the heart of the beautiful Devon countryside. We played for Libby and Jordan and their American guests as they gathered for the ceremony. We played 'Make you feel my love' for the entrance of the bride and then 'Here comes the sun' for the exit of the wedding party. We then played a wide selection of songs and melodies for the drinks reception including lots of The Beatles and Musical Theatre/Film hits which was so lovely with the beautiful views all around us.

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Exe Valley String Quartet and Roderick Williams OBE

We are so fortunate to work with some top musicians. I was busy yesterday but my quartet friends Exe Valley String Quartet accompanied Roderick Williams OBE for a classical wedding in Totnes. Roderick is a well known baritone and composer and he arranged a bespoke version of Ave Maria for the wedding ceremony.

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Exe Valley String Quartet playing for Exeter Cathedral Summer Garden Party.

A slightly different gig tonight. We played for the Exeter Cathedral Staff Summer Garden Party in the gardens behind the beautiful Cathedral. Fantastic place to play and we got free ice cream!

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Debut gig at Glebe Barn Weddings, Devon.

Road trip for the quartet today. This was our first ever visit to Glebe Barn Weddings. What a stunning venue in the very heart of Devon and perfect for a wedding. We played a brand new arrangement of 'I like you better' by Lauv for the brides entrance followed by some classic tunes 'Iris' and 'Can't help falling in love with you' for the signing and we ended the ceremony with 'I'm Yours'. Then we played for an hour or so for the drinks reception with the stunning Devon countryside as our back drop. Fab venue. Congratulations Layla and Liam.

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Back on the road as a soloist! Loved it!

Back out on the road as a solo violinist today. Really enjoyed playing at Brickhouse Vineyard for a small intimate wedding ceremony. Today was a nice surprise for the brides mother who used to play the violin. My versatility was put to the test today playing the Imperial March from Star Wars and then discreetly merging into Pachabels Canon for the brides entrance!! Cool idea. I then went to the other extreme and played Sweet Child of Mine for the exit of the bridal party and guests. #weddingviolinist #dawlishfiddler #musiciandevon.

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Exe Valley string Quartet at Wooladon Estate.

A new venue for us this weekend @Wooladon Estate, Lifton and what a stunner of a place it is. We are so privileged to visit such beautiful places for work. We played Wildest Dreams for the brides entrance and Married life from Up for the signing along with a special request of You’ll be in my heart. Spring 1 from Bridgerton was a fitting way to send the happy couple off on their new married journey down the aisle. What a way to spend a day at work.

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Traditional Church Wedding with Exe Valley String Quartet.

What a lovely Easter wedding at St.John’s Church in Bishipsteignton. The sun was shining and the music was glorious. The quartet played a range of pop hits with a new favourite ‘It must be Love’ by Madness for the exit of the bride and groom. Congratulations to the happy couple.

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Corporate Drinks Reception - St Elizabeth's House, Plympton.

Corporate Violinist for the evening last night. Drinks reception for Armoric Freight as they celebrated together at St Elizabeth's House in Plympton. Love gigs like this. Playing through my repertoire to complement the mood of the evening with a few ballads and then a few more upbeat songs as the champagne flows. I had the nicest of compliments as well last night. 'I love the way you add your own personality to these well known songs'. He said that my style was 'unique' - I think that's a good thing! #corporateviolinist #musicandevon #dawlishfiddler

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Exe Valley String Quartet at Deer Park.

It is the Spring which means we are now back visiting beautiful wedding venues all over Devon. Yesterday we started the year at one of our favourite and most visited venues Deer Park Country House. A lovely wedding in the spring sunshine. The music requests included 'Wildest Dreams' by Taylor Swift, the theme from The Champions League and 'Shut up and Dance' to send the guests on their way to their drinks reception. Its so good to be back playing as a quartet after our short break and lovely to hear all the positive feedback. Looking forward to a very busy summer season.

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Getting ready for Carnegie Hall! New York!

Today we went off to BBC Radio Devon to record an interview with Breakfast Radio Presenter John Acres which will be aired while we are in New York preparing for our performance at Carnegie Hall! Very exciting time to be a Rockie in Devon and Cornwall.  Very excited to be conducting and playing violin on the Carnegie Hall stage!  BBC Devon Rock Choir Caroline Redman Lusher

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