Moonrakers
Moonrakers is an Oxford-based multi-instrumental group playing Celtic traditional music and some original tunes and songs in the idiom. They play harp, fiddle,
18
songs
266
plays
Hills of Lorne/Harvest Home/St Anne's Reel Hills of Lorne/Harvest Home/St Anne's Reel
Irish/English/Irish traditional.
The Sheep Beneath the Snow/Over the Stone The Sheep Beneath the Snow/Over the Stone
Traditional English/Scottish
Show all (18)
Moonrakers is an Oxford-based multi-instrumental group playing Celtic traditional music and some original tunes and songs in the idiom. They play harp, fiddle, mandola, guitar, whistles and sing in close harmony with male and female voices. The overall sound is a rich texture of melody and counter-melody, described by BBC Oxford as an exquisite blend of relaxing music.
Liz van Santen (fiddle) and Anna Lockett (harps) are both classically trained. Jon Bennett (guitar, mandola, vocal, whistles, bodhran) has recorded with several professional bands, produced three previous albums and is a published songwriter. Moonrakers play concerts, private functions and weddings. They can, through a special commission, compose a unique tune for a client.
The bands distinctive sound is a sumptuous feast of unusual arrangements, ranging from the simple beauty of O'Carolan tunes to the more complex instrumental interplay of several dance tunes.Band/artist history
Jon has been a professional performer of contemporary and traditional folk music since the early 1980s. He has performed at festivals, arts centres and clubs in Lincolnshire, Shropshire, Oxfordshire and Durham, as well as being involved in theatre work: in 1985 he toured the show A Better Thing, with the words of the poet Adrian Mitchell set to music. He has published songs commissioned by the National Cooperative Movement and childrens songs used in BBC schools publications. In 1995 he won first prize in a songwriting competition organised by BBC-radio and Folkwrite Magazine and was a finalist of the international Songsearch competition in 2000. He has also toured with professional storytellers and was for three years the director of the Oxford Storytelling Festival.
Liz van Santen started learning the violin at the age of seven and was classically trained. For the last few years she has played folk, blues and rock, swapping the classical violin for a much loved five stringed Sonic electric fiddle. Liz has played fiddle in a number of established groups around the Oxfordshire folk circuit for many years. She has also taught and composed music for schools. She is now an Early Years Advisory teacher and, as part of her role, she is able to follow her passion for music and dance encouraging young children into creative thinking and doing around music, art and dance.
Anna Lockett studied the harp at Colchester School of Music where she gained her degree. Later, she studied with Imogen Barford, Professor of Harp at Trinity School of Music, and obtained her harp teacher licentiate. She is now a freelance harpist. She has worked with orchestras in Oxford and across the Midlands, including the Oxford Symphony Orchestra. Anna is also a music therapist in Oxfordshire and the harp teacher/coach for the Oxfordshire County Youth Orchestra.
Jo Daley is a relative newcomer to the acoustic music scene. She has enjoyed singing and performing in various choirs, but Moonrakers is her first venture as a soloist. Her smooth light vocal performance is a joy to listen to.Have you performed in front of an audience?Regularly throughout the Southern counties of England.
Your musical influences
Chieftains, Planxty, Christy Moore, Lau, Solas, Chris Wood and much much more....What equipment do you use?
All acoustic instruments and basic PA system, though we play acoustically through small amps if necessary.
Oxford,
United Kingdom
ID
920492
Contact
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