Traditional Irish Fiddle Workshop 11:30am-1pm
Intermediate – Advanced Level
Tutor: Ben Gunnery
About this Event
Ashford Place is a Covid secure venue with capacity monitoring, social distancing, sanitising measures and a one way system in place.
Please arrive no earlier than 15 minutes before your workshop start time to register (wearing a face covering, unless exempt). Please sanitise your hands on arrival and adhere to all social distancing guidelines.
The on-site cafe will be open for drinks and snacks during your visit.
Please note that this workshop is aimed at Intermediate to Advanced level players (not beginners).
Ben Gunnery
Born in Dublin, Ben was bought up in London of Irish and French parentage.
He started his musical education at the age of six on tin whistle before moving onto piano and eventually violin. Ben fell in love with the violin under the careful guidance of his ‘violin mummy’ Sarah Drury. He has been quoted as saying ‘hearing Yehudi Menuhin playing the Brahms violin concerto changed my life’. In his formative years Ben won the under 15 All Ireland fiddle competition and the Bach Unaccompanied Violin Competitions. He graduated at the Royal College of Music and Trinity College of Music London under Gillian Findlay and Hugh Bean respectively.
Ben is a multi-instrumentalist and multi genre artist and has toured extensively, starting at the age of 15 in South Africa as part of an Irish Traditional band with Tommy Keane, Jaqueline McCarthy and Mike Taylor. He has toured with a variety of International Irish shows, productions and Classical ensembles including Michael Nyman Band, Irish Celtic, Gaelforce, Riverdance and Celtic Legends.
Ben has been in demand as a music tutor and director at the acclaimed Raglan Road venue, Pub Orlando Disney and currently plays in a number of ensembles such as ‘Seven Drunken Nights – The Story of the Dubliners’. He is a member of Steph Geremia’s Traditional Irish band, plays with Alan Kelly gang and Eddie Reader, and with the world renowned bouzouki, guitarist and singer, Aaron Jones .
Ben is also a member of Jonny Kalsi’s project The Mighty Dohl Foundation and has depped with Afro Celt sound system respectively.
Ben is a sought after fiddle player on the London Irish traditional session scene as well as the classical session scene in London .
On top of performance, Ben is a tutor for Celtic music and Classical music at World Heartbeat Academy and gives tutorials internationally for festivals.
For more details regarding events taking place as part of ‘Return to London Town’ London’s 22nd Festival of traditional Irish music, song and dance (Fri 23 – Sat 25 Oct 2020) please see www.irishmusicinlondon.org and www.thelockinn.io/returntolondontown
