fiddlers Feast over the years

WELCOME

Listen to our new recording of Music for a Found Harmonium

We're heading back to Europe again next June/July. For news of upcomiong performances check our Facebook page click here.

In 1986 four crazy fiddlers got together with the idea of performing on a National Talent Quest called "RED FACES". With only a few photos of the tallest, shortest, skinniest and dare we say most rotund fiddlers in Australia this quartet of crazy fiddlers was only a dream until..........in 1996 at the annual Tamworth Country Music Festival, as a result of a impromptu "Jam" the Fiddlers Festival was formed, the brainchild of Ray Schloeffel, Marcus Holden, Paul (Pixie) Jenkins, Garry Steel and Andrew Clermont.

After years of countless gigs, 3 CDs and a stack of touring around OZ and Overseas, the group's name was changed to reflect the evolving nature of the ensemble. Enter FIDDLERS FEAST!

Fiddler's Feast not only performs but is dedicated to developing all aspects of Australian fiddle playing through education, composition, school development and international touring. Over the past 17 years, under the musical directorship of Marcus Holden, FF has performed at major venues and festivals both locally and overseas, setup fiddle tuition courses and schools, conducted masterclasses and inspired a whole generation of musicians, Australia wide.

Drawing from the depth of Australia's fiddling talent, Fiddlers Feast brings together the unique elements of Australia's fiddle style with its blend of Traditional Folk, Blues, Jazz and Classical sounds combining them with breathtaking musical wizardry and quirky humour. As a small or large group, FF is full of fun and energy, with an ability to engage audiences of all ages with dazzling fiddle virtuosity and sound that is all their own.

Regular performers at major events and festivals around Australia including Woodford, National, National Celtic and Port Fairy Folk Festivals, Gympie Muster and Tamworth Country Music Festival, the Brisbane Festival, Centenary of Federation Celebrations in Sydney, the Famous Spiegeltent, and Adelaide Arts Festival, Fiddlers Feast has also appeared at overseas festivals including Festival Interceltique, Lorient, the Australian Pavillion at World Expo in both Aichii (Japan) and Shanghai (China), Roy Thomson Hall Toronto (Canada), the Lincoln Centre (New York) and most recently Australia Day in Spring (Pakistan) in Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore.

Fiddlers Feast also works with many of the country's top performers in the arts generally, recording, performing and/or producing music for theatre shows such as Tim Finn's "Poor Boy", STC's production of the Tony Award-winning "Spring Awakening", Cue Theatre's radio play "Dad and Dave", as well as Scotland The Brave, Bollywood Star Hariharan and a host of recordings for the likes of Warren Fahey, Don Spencer, the Late Jimmy Little, Graeme Connors, Mahalia Barnes and many more.

Through Bloody Dog Studios, many of the recordings of Fiddlers Feast are produced with many local musicans, groups and artists encompassing a wide variety of musical styles from country, jazz, blues, rock, classical and folk.

Members of FF also sit on the board of the Golden Fiddle Awards with a commttiment to mentoring young fiddle players and nurturing talent through competitions associated with this organization.

Fiddlers Feast also supports other charities such as the Australian Children's Music Foundation and promotes music as part of a well-rounded, happy lifestyle.

Fiddlers Feast is a deliciously extravagant smorgasboard of Australian music. Described as "a powerhouse of Australian Celtic music that flies down bush tracks, over blue mountains and zips down the city highways"; "Fiddlers Feast tears through a typically bizarre and eclectic mix of jazz, folk, gypsy, country and rock"; "Rollicking fun, with plenty of fiddles, and a tight rhythm section playing with precision and power".