Creative Stoke ::: Directory ::: Traditional, Folk & Classical Music

:: Friends of Newcastle Music - a dedicated voluntary group which runs a wide range of classical music training sessions for young people, and puts on concerts.

:: Denise Leigh - well known opera singer, from Audley nr. Newcastle-under-Lyme. Winner of Operatunity, 2003.

:: Clonter Opera Theatre - the famous 400-seat opera venue, eleven miles from Stoke, in the countryside near Congleton. Their musical director is Anthony Legge, director of opera at the Royal Academy of Music.

:: Staffordshire Chamber Orchestra.

_{TRADITIONAL FOLK CLUBS AND OUTLETS}

:: Leek Folk Club at the Foxlowe Arts Centre.

:: Potteries Folk Club.

:: Stafford Folk Players.

:: North Staffordshire Folk Diary - quarterly newsletter, comprehensively listing all venues and gigs. Subscriptions cost just five stamps per year.

:: Traditional Drama Research Group - keeps an online record of all folk plays performed in Staffordshire since 2001, and has notices of forthcoming performances.

:: Sean Jones of Jones Instruments. Sean is a master traditional bagpipe maker - based at Biddulph Moor.

:: Stafford Folk Players. Organises the annual Stafford Music Day for folk performers.

:: Eric Cox has a regular column in The Sentinel newspaper, covering the lively local folk scene.

:: Midlands Traditional Arts Team. The Team delivers top quality traditional folk music and storytelling to venues across the West Midlands. They are now spearheading a new regional development programme for traditional music and song, fronted by their magazine Folk Monthly.

:: See also the Stoke folk Facebook group.

Folk music fans in North Staffordshire are also well served by BBC Radio; with four hours per week on BBC Radio Stoke (Sundays 8pm-10pm), Sunday Folk on BBC Radio Shropshire, plus the national BBC Radio 2 programmes. The former BBC Derby/Nottingham FolkWaves programme is soon to be a podcast. And if that lot can't satisfy you — then a great many summer folk festivals are also held in and around the Midlands, with the main acoustic festival held in Uttoxeter.

_{WORLD, ROOTS & FUSION}

:: Shruthi UK - Indian Music and Arts organisation, based in Staffordshire.

:: The Boat Band.

:: The Hindu Cultural Society, Staffordshire.

_{FLUTE AND BAGPIPE}

:: Farnham Haywood - a flute-player and spiritual drummer, who is working on his second album.

:: The Crooked Bawbees - a Staffordshire folk band specialising in traditional Northumbrian -style folk music, including the classic Northumbrian pipes.

:: Josephene Bailey - based in Leek. Professional solo flute player, her repertoire includes modern Celtic, traditional Folk, & Classical.

:: Sean Jones of Jones Instruments. Sean is a master traditional bagpipe maker - based at Biddulph Moor.

_{BRASS, MARCHING, AND ACCORDIANS}

:: Audley Brass Band.

:: Trentham Brass.

:: Stone Town Band.

:: Staffordshire Knights Drum & Bugle Band.

:: North Staffordshire Accordian Club.

_{ORGANS & BELL-RINGING}

:: North Staffordshire Association of Change Ringers.

North Staffordshire Organ Society.

_{TRADITIONAL DRUMMING}

:: Farnham Haywood - a spiritual drummer.

:: Planet Sound - based in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent. Offers drumming workshops for community events and festivals.

:: Carol Howard (aka Angels in Arts) - teaches 'world fusion tribal' dance and also teaches drumming.

_{JAZZ & SWING}

:: The Rachel Rimmer Band - based & performing in North Staffordshire.

:: The Old Fashioned Love Band.

:: Mr Will - Newcastle-under-Lyme photographer specialising in live music, particularly jazz.

The Old Brown Jug, in Newcastle-under-Lyme - a popular local venue for intimate jazz performances.

_{PRIVATE MUSIC & SINGING TUTORS}

:: Sally Rivers - a highly experienced vocal and singing coach, based in Trentham, Stoke-on-Trent.

:: Andrew Brakes - an experienced piano tutor based in Stafford.

:: Emma Clayton - Emma is a private music tutor based in Lightwood, Stoke-on-Trent. Emma can tutor for Clarinet, Saxophone, Piano (for beginners), Recorder, and Music Theory. She also runs a small, friendly ensemble for Clarinet and Saxophone musicians of all ages.

:: Kindermusic with Shelly - offers specialist music classes for babies and very young children.

:: Steven Harper - based in Stoke-on-Trent, Steve offers a wide range of musical services including piano lessons, singing lessons, wedding pianist and wedding singing.

:: Monkey Music of Stone, Staffordshire. Music for early years children.

_{INSTRUMENT MAKERS & REPAIRS}

:: Barleycorn Concertinas - a maker of hand-crafted concertinas, and can also repair violins.

:: Sean Jones of Jones Instruments. Sean is a master traditional bagpipe maker - based at Biddulph Moor.

:: Eric Moulder, of Leek - expert maker of authentic Renaissance woodwind instruments. See also: the Leek-based early-music group Piva.

:: Baroque Bassoon, of Leek - bassoon maker.

:: Stafford Classical Guitar Centre.

:: Tim Toft Violins - of Stone, Staffordshire.

:: Michael Syson, piano tuner.

_{LISTINGS & FESTIVALS}

:: North Staffordshire Folk Diary - quarterly newsletter, comprehensively listing all venues and gigs. Subscriptions cost just five stamps per year.

_{SUPPORT, COLLECTORS, ARCHIVES & RESEARCH}

:: The English Folk Dance & Song Society holds the North Staffs. branch archives, 1921-1976.

:: The Staffordshire Multimedia Archive.

:: Unit for the Study of Musical Skill and Development - based at Keele University.

_SCHOOLS

:: Staffordshire Performing Arts - from the County Council, a site aimed at teachers in school and colleges.

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