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2026

Thursday 2nd April

Morpeth 2026 Competition Set

Morpeth 2026 Competition Set – Audio
(Chadwicks’ / White Jack / My Lad’s O’er Bonny)

A Helping Hand – video montage from North East Fiddle School

TFA Open Evening – 14th May 2026
Image to download and share, and printed posters will be available soon.

Thursday 19th March

Morpeth Gathering Competition Set

Chadwicks’ (Stewart Hardy)
White Jack
My Lad’s O’er Bonny

TFA – Morpeth Competition Arr angement (pdf)

Thursday 5th March

A few extra resources for our concert with Hjaltibonhoga.

Audio recordings of the Trad Four (5th March), with the extra B part of Stout’s Trip Ta Skea to finish.

Here is the Arrangement Sheet for our sets:
(updated to remove the rall from the end of Fallowfield March)

TFA – Hjalti Concert Arrangement Sheet 2 (pdf)

Audio for the full Shetland Trad Four set (updated with an extra B part of Stouts’s Trip to Skea at the end:

Trad Four – Steady – TFA edited (thanks to Viv for the edit!)

Audio from Margaret Robertson of the full Trad Four set:

Trad Four – by Margaret Robertson (fiddle and piano)

Thursday 5th February

Details for our day with Hjaltibonhoga.

Shetland Fiddle Workshop – Sat 14th March, 3.00 – 4.30 pm, free.
Fully booked – please join the waiting list.

Everyone who wishes to attend needs to register in advance. This is so we can ensure the hall doesn’t get too crowded. The workshop will be advertised more widely soon as part of Hjaltibonhoga’s Community Outreach project, so reserve your place now!
https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/tyneside-fiddle-alliance/

Hjaltibonhoga Concert tickets: Use the same Ticket Source shop link to book tickets for the evening concert. If you prefer to pay by bank transfer, cheque or cash, you can do so at TFA meetings, or with cash on the door. Performers don’t need a ticket.
https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/tyneside-fiddle-alliance/

Poster

Please share with friends and family who might be interested:

Hjaltibonhoga Poster – pdf

Hjaltibonhoga Poster – jpg (large)

Hjaltibonhoga Poster – jpg (small)

Schedule

Here is a schedule for the day:

TFA-Hjaltibonhoga Schedule (pdf)

Thursday 29th January

Resources for the full Shetland Trad Four set (updated notation: 6/2/26):

Schedule for the workshop and concert:

TFA – Hjaltibonhoga: Schedule (as of 30/1/26)

Recording of the Trad Four set from Hjaltibonhoga

Trad Four – Fiddle & Piano

New website: www.hjalti.co.uk

2025

Thursday 20th November

Shetland Reels – new recordings

See “Shetland Reels” in the TFA Audio Recordings list for all four tunes.

Resources page restructure:
Continue to use this main Resources page for regular updates, and the other pages are linked from the menu. The Previous Years page has everything that was here before 2025. The Useful Documents are still there, but I have moved the resources for the tunes we did in Lockdown to a new page: Tune Resource Sets. Then there are two more new pages:

TFA Emails
A new page of recent TFA emails – perfect if you don’t keep emails but want to check some recent information

TFA Audio Recordings
A page of our sets and tunes, in alphabetical order, with the most recent recording of each linked, and the date of that recording. Perfect for listening and playing along to, to remind ourselves of the tunes, and the tops and tails!

Sat 15th Nov: Concert – thank you!

Well played, everyone! What a terrific performance! It was wonderful to have so many taking part and in the audience supporting! It was lovely to hear the Phoenix Chamber Folk Ensemble, and to get to play together for our joint pieces. Thanks, too, to our committee members and extra volunteers who did a fabulous job organising and running the door, the refreshments and the raffle, and helping with furniture moving. All the help was really appreciated and helped the evening to run remarkably smoothly!

Here are the unlisted YouTube links to the concert recording by Maurice and Marina:

First half: TFA: https://youtu.be/mRlup_IyE0k
Second half: Phoenix and Joint pieces: https://youtu.be/nfPn5Xbcgzs

And a few photos sent by a member of the Phoenix Chamber Folk Ensemble, who also played an excellent set. And it was so lovely to play our joint pieces together.

Thursday 6th November

Saturday 15th November
St George’s Church, Jesmond
Proposed schedule and running order for the concert:

5.00 pm	Access to the hall. Chairs in the stage area set up first.
5.30 – 5.50 pm	Phoenix Chamber Folk Ensemble get set up and room check (tables for door & refreshments set up quietly by TFA)
5.50 – 6.10 pm	Add TFA members to stage area and play through our joint sets
6.10 – 6.25 pm	Reset the stage area for TFA and room check
6.25 pm	Clear the stage
6.30 pm	Doors open
7.00 pm	Concert starts
7.35 – 8.00 pm	Interval – serve refreshments and sell raffle tickets. Draw raffle 7.55 pm
9.00 pm	Concert finishes – clear all chairs and tables and put back moved fixings

Concert Running Order:

7.00 – 7.35 pm	TFA
7.35 – 8.00 pm	Interval (time for drinks, cakes & raffle tickets. Draw raffle 7.55 pm)
8.00 – 8.35 pm	Phoenix Chamber Folk Ensemble
8.40 – 8.55 pm	Joint sets
9.00 pm	Concert finishes

Dress code: Black with a splash of colour.

Thursday 30th October

Two more recordings from this evening’s meeting, and they have been updated in the full list for the concert below:

Thursday 16th October

Four new recordings of sets for our concert. These are also updated in the full Concert Resources list below.

Concert Arrangement Sheet (pdf)

TFA/Phoenix Concert Resources

Concert Arrangement sheet (pdf)

Full Concert – Latest Audio:

Fallowfield March – updated 30th October

Pearl Wedding / Shirley’s Reel – updated 16th October

Roslin Castle – updated 16th October

White Jack / My Lad’s O’er Bonny
Playalong video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wdpdYRlYCs

Whirling Weans / Malo’s Return – updated 30th October

2025 Competition Set
(James & Marianne’s / Cumberland Nellie / Anne Fraser MacKenzie)
– Arrangement sheet (pdf)

Both Groups Together will play:

Elliot Finn MacDonald (Full tune resources web page)
Cheviot Snows – updated 16th October
Bob & Ed’s Ruby Wedding / Rocket Brigade (Encore arrangement) – updated 16th October

May’s Open Evening Video playlist
– includes Elliot’s (1), White Jack/My Lad (2), Bob & Ed’s (3) and the 2025 Competition Set (12).

TFA/Phoenix Concert

Tyneside Fiddle Alliance and Phoenix Chamber Folk Ensemble present
Music in our Roots
A celebration of new and old folk melodies from the North East and beyond, by two of the region’s leading community folk ensembles.

Saturday 15th November 2025, 7.00pm (doors 6.30pm)
St George’s Church, St George’s Close, Jesmond, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 2TF.
Tickets £7.50 (U18s free)
https://phoenixfolk.co.uk/events/musicinourroots/
Refreshments available.

Facebook Event to share

Set List:

Fallowfield March
Pearl Wedding / Shirley’s Reel
Roslin Castle
White Jack / My Lad’s O’er Bonny
Whirling Weans / Malo’s Return
2025 Competition Set
(James & Marianne’s / Cumberland Nellie / Anne Fraser MacKenzie)

Both Groups Together:

Elliot Finn MacDonald
Cheviot Snows
Bob & Ed’s Ruby Wedding / Rocket Brigade

Thursday 2nd October

Cheviot Snows (John Bushby)

TFA Audio – Phoenix parts: 1. Tune & Foundation 2. add Harmony
Notation of Phoenix parts

Thursday 4th September

Stout’s Trip Ta Skea (Shetland melody #2)

Stout’s Trip ta Skea (Mid) – Tune (Stewart)

Thursday 31st July

New tunes!

Fallowfield March (Rob Say)

Fallowfield March (Full) – Tune (Stewart)
Fallowfield March (Steady) – Tune (Stewart)
Fallowfield March – TFA (Twice through – 1: Tune & Foundation, 2: Add Harmony)

My Wife’s a Drunkard (Shetland Tune – melody only)

Thursday 17th July

We are looking forward to welcoming Roddy Matthews for a workshop. Roddy will focus on how to introduce space and lyricism in the airs, and lift and drive into the dance tunes.

Roddy has kindly provided the notation in advance, so if you would like to get more familiar with the tunes we will working on, and weren’t able to pick up a copy at the last meeting, here are the dots:

Hunthill Cottage (Roddy Matthews)
Murdo MacKenzie of Torridon

To help us get to know the tune, Stewart recorded Hunthill Cottage at our last meeting:

Hunthill Cottage – recording by Stewart

Saturday 12th July

Rothbury Traditional Music Festival

Sat 12th July @ Jubilee Hall, Rothbury

12.00 pm Fiddle competitions, then accordions, then
1.30 pm Band / Duo competitions.
Free entry.
Rothbury TMF Programme

2025 Competition Set:
James and Marianne’s Waltz / Cumberland Nellie / Anne Fraser MacKenzie

There are lots of great sessions and concerts on Saturday, and if you are around on Sunday, come and support Ali, Beth and Chloe who are with the Reiver Divas in All Saints Church, 3.00 – 4.00 pm, with special guest Lena Jonsson

Saturday 5th July

NEFS Summer Workshop Weekend – concert & session

Here are a couple of video clips taken by Jo Parker. Well played, everyone!
We hope you all enjoyed the evening.

Saturday 5th July, 7.30 – 10.30 pm (please arrive at 7.15 pm)
Evening social: a short performance by TFA, and a session for all!
Free entry, bring your own refreshments.

Riding Mill Parish Hall, Millfield Rd, Riding Mill NE44 6DJ
Please park with consideration for local residents.

TFA Playlist:

Gånglåt efter Nisse Östman / Gairsay
2025 Competition Set
(James and Marianne’s Waltz / Cumberland Nellie / Anne Fraser MacKenzie)
Hawthorn’s Sweeter Shade
Swallowtail Jig / Dansa Kaporale
Elliot Finn MacDonald
White Jack / My Lad’s O’er Bonny

NEFS Session materials – if you would like a copy of the North East Fiddle School tunes that will form the basis of the session, please download and print a copy. Other tunes are very welcome too!

Sunday 22nd June

What We Do!
For full details of our Community Folk Ensemble day, have a read of this document.

Music can be printed in advance, and audio files are also available. If you have signed up, check your email from Phoenix Folk for the zip file link, or contact Ali if you don’t have it.

We start at 1.30 pm on Sunday 223nd June, at St Bartholomew’s Church Hall, Station Road, Benton
Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/uxNK53HUr4KCcNik6
The hall is behind the church, and there is some parking available. If you park in residential streets, please take care not to block access.

The nearest Metro station is Benton, about a 5-6 minute walk.

Timings:

1.30 – 5.30 pm: Workshops led by each of the four groups, with a refreshment break in the middle.
5.30 – 6.30 pm: Fish and Chip supper for those who have booked, or bring your own food.
7.00 – 9.30 pm: Concert & Ceilidh – a concert in the first half with TFA and Phoenix Chamber Folk Ensemble, followed by a two-part ceilidh after the interval, featuring music from Hexham Village Band and the Redheughers. Bring your own refreshments.

Tunes
For the Workshops, we will lead:

Elliot Finn MacDonald
The Sportsman’s Hornpipe

For the evening sharing concert, we will play:

Gånglåt efter Nisse Östman / Gairsay
2025 Competition Set
(James and Marianne’s Waltz / Cumberland Nellie / Anne Fraser MacKenzie)
White Jack / My Lad’s O’er Bonny

Thursday 19th June

Open Evening videos
Many thanks to Felicity’s husband, Mike, who recorded all of our sets on video. I have uploaded these to an unlisted playlist on YouTube. They are a lovely record of the evening, and will be a valuable resource for TFA.

Cultured. North East article
Here’s the link to the Cultured. North East article written by Dave Whetstone following his visit before our Open Evening — well done, everyone!
Region’s fiddlers prepare for toe-tapping festival gig

Thursday 15th May

Here are the tunes we will be playing for our Open Evening on 29th May:

2025 Competition Set (James and Marianne’s Waltz / Cumberland Nellie / Anne Fraser MacKenzie)
2024 Competition Set (Banks of the Tyne / Glen Aln March / The Real Thing)
White Jack / My Lad’s O’er Bonny
Hedgehope Hill / Sheep on the Moor
Pearl Wedding / Shirley’s Reel
Swallowtail Jig / Dansa Kaporale
Gånglåt efter Nisse Östman / Gairsay
Bob & Ed’s Ruby Wedding
Chadwicks’
Hawthorn’s Sweeter Shade
Lockdown Rondo
The Osprey
Prince Karel
Newcastle
Elliot Finn MacDonald
Keswick Bonnie Lasses
Schottische from Idre / Barshebak Schottische

and to have on standby:

A Helping Hand
Arethusa
Kendal Ghyll

A rough running order will be provided before the event, so you can get your music into the right order. However, we reserve the right to change that order to accommodate live events!

Thursday 17th April

A poster for our upcoming Open Evening on Thurs 29th May. If you are able to share the image or the Facebook Event with friends and family, please do so. There are posters and flyers to collect at meetings, and it would be great if these could be put up in the local area and taken to relevant events – thanks!