Massive Violins | |
|---|---|
 Massive Violins, North London's Got Talent 2016 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | London, England |
| Genres | Varied musical styles |
| Years active | 2010–present |
| Website | massiveviolins |
| Members |
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The Massive Violins are a musical ensemble of singing cellists. They play music from a variety of musical genres, all using the cello and voice.
Founded in 2010, the Massive Violins have performed concerts in venues across the UK and internationally, including a biannual concert at Cecil Sharp House, [1] [2] a residency at Hornsey Town Hall [3] and regular appearances at festivals including the Isle of Arts Festival, [4] [5] Ventnor Fringe, Lawnfest and Frinton-on-Sea. [6] The ensemble were also crowned winners of North London's Got Talent in 2016. [7]
The ensemble was created as a cello alternative to the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain, with whom they performed in September 2017. [8]
A typical concert comprises songs from a variety of musical genres: favourites with audiences include Johnny Cash's Ring of Fire where the cello is played side-ways like a guitar, a live performance of Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody, The Sound of Music medley featuring impersonations of Julie Andrews and Gretel, Michael Jackson's Thriller and a rendition of The Beatles' When I'm Sixty-Four. [9]
The ensemble performs in cities around the UK, France and the Netherlands. As well as regular concert performances at Cecil Sharp House, Hornsey Town Hall Arts Centre and many UK festivals, the Massive Violins have provided entertainment at launch parties and including Channel 4's Random Acts, Bradley Cooper's The Elephant Man at the Haymarket, Christie's Auction House, at the Okura Hotel Amsterdam, at the 20th Century Theatre, supporting Fascinating Aida, [10] and at the London Olympic's pop-up cinema Films on Fridges.
The Massive Violins have a wide following of loyal concert-goers with numerous celebrity fans as regular audience members, including Neil Morrissey, Simon Amstell, Jemma Redgrave, Alison Steadman, James Norton, Marina and the Diamonds, Jennifer Saunders and Helena Bonham Carter. They have performed at private functions for Shirley Bassey, [11] Pierce Brosnan, Joan Collins and Bradley Cooper.
The ensemble frequently perform for charity fundraisers; they are winners of North London's Got Talent 2016 [7] in aid of North London Hospice, and perform at International Animal Rescue [12] as well as 'Lots of Charity' [11] events. In September 2017 they performed at the Jazz Cafe with the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain as part of the Art on a Ukulele fundraising event. [8]
The first album, entitled Bowing 24/7 was recorded in 2014 at Priory Road Studios and features 11 tracks of their most popular interpretations of songs.
The Christmas Album, recorded in 2015 at Priory Road Studios, features a mix of vocal and instrumental tracks.
The ensemble has had a varying line-up since its foundation, but since 2010 have performed as a septet or quintet of singing cellists, occasionally including one bespoke drum-cello. The members are renowned for wearing gold sequinned outfits in their performances.
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest and second-most populous island in England. It is in the English Channel, between two and five miles off the coast of Hampshire, separated by the Solent. The island has resorts that have been holiday destinations since Victorian times, and is known for its mild climate, coastal scenery, and verdant landscape of fields, downland and chines. The island is designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.
Ventnor is a seaside resort and civil parish established in the Victorian era on the southeast coast of the Isle of Wight, England, eleven miles (18 km) from Newport. It is situated south of St Boniface Down, and built on steep slopes leading down to the sea. The higher part is referred to as Upper Ventnor ; the lower part, where most amenities are located, is known as Ventnor. Ventnor is sometimes taken to include the nearby and older settlements of St Lawrence and Bonchurch, which are covered by its town council. The population of the parish in 2016 was about 5,800.
Thomas Adès is a British composer, pianist and conductor. Five compositions by Adès received votes in the 2017 Classic Voice poll of the greatest works of art music since 2000: The Tempest (2004), Violin Concerto (2005), Tevot (2007), In Seven Days (2008), and Polaris (2010).
The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain (UOGB) is an English musical ensemble founded in 1985, consisting entirely of ukuleles of various sizes and registers, accompanied by the natural voices of the performers. The orchestra play and sing music from a variety of musical genres, ranging from pop, rock, and punk to classical tunes, with humour long being a feature of their act. The UOGB has played at many international venues and festivals. They now brand themselves as "George Hinchliffe's Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain".
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Third Ear Band were a British musical group formed in London during the mid-1960s. Their line-up initially consisted of violin, cello, oboe and percussion. Most of their performances were instrumental and partly improvised. Nevertheless, their records for the Harvest label, Alchemy and Third Ear Band, achieved some popularity, after which they found some success creating soundtrack music for films.
Godshill is a village and civil parish on the Isle of Wight, England, with a population of 1,459 at the 2011 Census. It lies between Newport and Ventnor in the southeast of the island.
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Steephill is a hamlet near Ventnor, Isle of Wight, previously the location of a Victorian country estate with a castle-style mansion, Steephill Castle, which was demolished to build bungalows in the 1960s. Steephill itself now forms part of the suburban development westward from Ventnor.
Jennifer Walshe is an Irish composer, vocalist and artist.
Liza Lim is an Australian composer.
St Catherine's, Ventnor is a parish church in the Church of England located in Ventnor, Isle of Wight.
Helen Grime is a Scottish composer whose work, Virga, was selected as one of the best ten new classical works of the 2000s by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra.
The Vághy String Quartet is a Canadian string quartet known for its luscious and emotional sound, as talked about by the New York Times, as well as for its numerous performances throughout North America and Europe. Formed in 1965, the quartet has played and premiered many composers. It has also recorded many classical pieces, having a total repertoire of over 160 pieces. The quartet taught throughout Canada and won the 1977 Canadian Music Council award for best recording of the year.
Grace Chatto is an English musician and singer who is the cellist for the electronic music band Clean Bandit.
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