Britannia Royal Naval College - dinner and drinks reception before the Boxing! This was my first gig of 2026 as a soloist. It was certainly a little different to my other gigs. I provided a back drop of live music on electric violin including some rock and pop covers, some easy listening, a bit of light jazz and Blues, musical theatre and of course the theme tune to Rocky! I even had a spot on the balcony to watch the boxing afterwards. A great experience for me. Thanks to the Royal Navy for the invitation and for organising the night so brilliantly! www.musiciandevon.co.uk

Last wedding of the year yesterday with Exe Valley String Quartet. Always nice to play for a traditional Christmas Church wedding. We played in the beautiful St Andrews Church, Colyton. Some new songs/pieces were requested by the Bride and Groom which we always enjoy arranging and rehearsing together. 'Open Arms' by Journey for the Brides entrance and 'Waiting for a Star to Fall' Boy meets Girl for the exit of the Bridal party and guests. We also played 'A Million Dreams' and 'All for Love' during the signing of the register and to complete the ceremony we accompanied the guests as they sang some Christmas carols. Time for a rest now!

I love the variety of our string quartet gigs.  Last Saturday evening we played for a suprise 60th birthday party at the very lovely and quite querky Exeter museum. We played by the entrance to surprise the guests as they arrived then moved to accompany their drinks reception.  Finally we moved again to accompany their birthday sit down meal. We played a set list of upbeat rock and pop classics and the guests even sang along with a few numbers as well. (I think they'd had a few drinks by this point).  Great night with lots of positive feedback.  Makes a difference from our wedding gigs. Love the variety of our work.

Lovely day out with Exe Valley String Quartet playing for a wedding at one of our favourite venues Bovey Castle. We had to show our versatility yesterday as we prepared and performed 'Plan and Elevation' - The Beech Tree by Caroline Shaw as part of the ceremony and also a challenging arrangement of Hedwigs Theme and Spring 1 (Richter). We then went into the bar and played a set of lighter rock and pop numbers while the guests had a drink and a good catch up. Who doesn't like a Christmas wedding!

A week on from an amazing experience at the BP Pulse Live Arena in Birmingham we had another wonderful choir experience at Kents Cavern in Babbacombe last night. The Torquay Rockies are taking part in this years 'Carols in the Caves' concert series in the caves. It really is a wonderful place to sing with a great acoustic. The audience were very appreciative and the feedback has been incredible. We will be there for the next two Fridays as well. We have made it into a really festive event with choir numbers, carols with the audience, carols by candlelight, Christmas readings and a violin solo as well. All three concerts have been sold out for weeks. Well done Torquay Rockies! An awesome start to the concert series! Rock Choir Caroline Redman Lusher

I have had many amazing opportunities in my time with Rock Choir.  BBC Proms in the Park, performing with BBC Concert Orchestra, Edinburgh Fringe, Carnegie Hall New York and now the BP Pulse Live Arena in Birmingham.  What a weekend!  I was fortunate enough to share the stage with Sam Ryder, Emilie Sande, Russel Watson and Caroline Redman Lusher MBE. Two shows performing to 20,000 Rockies who certainly know how to party! Performing at a gig like this is such a rewarding and uplifting experience and it leaves you on a real high as you would expect. I was so pleased to share this experience with so many of my choir members as well as my mum and dad who came along to the matinee.  I wouldn't be doing what Im doing now without their love and support over the years. An all round amazing experience shared with so many lovely and amazing people. Time to get ready for the busy Christmas period.

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

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!

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

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