Peter gives solo performances of period music on a wide variety of instruments including the hurdy gurdy, recorder and flute, dulcimer, cittern and lute. His repertoire ranges from the 13th to the early 20th century.
*As well as giving formal and informal concerts, Peter performs at banquets, pageants, weddings and living history events*
Peter gives solo performances of period music on a wide variety of instruments including the hurdy gurdy, recorder and flute, dulcimer, cittern, and lute. His repertoire ranges from the 13th to the early 20th century. As well as giving formal and informal concerts, he performs at banquets, pageants, weddings and living history events.
He performs regularly at the Tower of London and at Hampton Court Palace with the historical interpreters Past Pleasures. He also performs at many historical properties throughout England, in the care of the National Trust and English Heritage.
Peter is a member of the vocal quartet Quodlibet, which specializes in singing 16th and 17th century music from England and abroad. The group has recently recorded two CDs. Peter has been delighting and informing audiences in historic locations for 20 years, with music from the 13th to 20th centuries, for which he wears authentic hand-made costumes, and plays up to six different instruments.
Solo
Hermione Stavroulakis, Birthday Party Event, Cambridgeshire
Peter was extremely courteous and was a great success with the guests.
Angela Oakley, Wedding Event, Essex
We were delighted with Peter's performance - he provided exactly the type of music our son had requested. Unfortunately a fire alarm went off for a few minutes but this did not detract from his playing! He was also most charming and obliging. Many thanks Peter!
Leicester Mercury, Leicester Guildhall, Leicester Early Music Festival (solo concert)
... Then there was the unforgettable Peter. This amazingly versatile minstrel drew another capacity crowd for his marvellously entertaining offering called From Bad King John to Good Queen Bess. Hurdy-gurdy, recorder, dulcimer, cittern, flute, lute and voice were put to work for a fast moving 90 minutes of splendid medieval and Elizabethan songs and dances.
Skirmish: The Re-enactment Magazine, Little Moreton Hall, Cheshire (Tudor Christmas)
Peter and Anna Keightley... added to the festive atmosphere with various delightful airs and ballads whilst dressed in authentic clothing. Not only did they captivate all that entered the hall, but momentarily transported everyone around them to another time in history, it was quite magical.
Ilkley Gazette, Ilkley Manor House, North Yorkshire (solo concert)
Once again the Manor House was packed to capacity for what turned out to be a good humoured and very instructive concert. Dressed in period costume with a dashing feather in his cap, Peter treated his audience to a range of airs and ballads from the time of King Charles I. His quiet and unprepossessing manner immediately endeared him to all present and he soon had feet tapping to the brisk rhythm of the hurdy-gurdy. A carefully constructed introduction to each instrument- the aforementioned hurdy-gurdy, the flute, dulcimer and lute, and the type of tune about to be played or sung, added to the enjoyment of the evening. Although lacking the nuances of later music with its elaborate crescendos and embellishments, Peter gave his audience an insight into the vigour and love of words and music enjoyed during the period of the English Civil War and the early renaissance.
Gazette & Herald News, “Musical Wizard:” Peter at Nunnington Hall, North Yorkshire
Against the backdrop of the oak-panelled Great Hall, and under the hooded gaze of Lord Preston’s impressive portrait, Peter, resplendent in black velvet and sporting a large ostrich-feather hat, took us through a tour of the music and instruments of the Civil War. The Hall itself was used as lodgings for the Roundheads and one could imagine the music echoing down the centuries to a very different audience. Peter performed two different concerts, beginning with a selection of tunes by John Playfdord (1651), played with great dexterity on the hurdy-gurdy (or wheel fiddle), a cross between a violin and the bagpipes! In contrast, he then performed the popular Drink to Me Only With Thine Eyes (Ben Johnson) and Gather Ye Rosebuds (William Lawes) on the lute. This was followed by further dances from The English Dancing Master on the alto recorder and dulcimer, an instrument popular at the time of Pepys. Peter finished both performances with a rousing jig on the hurdy-gurdy and then answered questions from the public.
Please Note: The fees indicated below are approximate and based on a central location for each county. They are intended to provide a rough guide only and exact quotes can only be given once the date and exact location of your event have been provided.
East
- Cambridgeshire - £287.50
- Huntingdonshire - £287.50
- Norfolk - £287.50
- Suffolk - £287.50
Mid Scotland
- Ayrshire - £345.00
- Clackmannanshire - £345.00
- Dunbartonshire - £345.00
- Fife - £345.00
- Kinross-shire - £345.00
- Renfrewshire - £345.00
- Selkirkshire - £345.00
- Stirlingshire - £345.00
- West Lothian - £345.00
Mid Wales
- Cardiganshire - £287.50
- Montgomeryshire - £287.50
- Powys - £287.50
- Radnorshire - £287.50
Midlands
- Derbyshire - £287.50
- Gloucestershire - £287.50
- Hereford and Worcester - £287.50
- Herefordshire - £287.50
- Leicestershire - £287.50
- Lincolnshire - £287.50
- Northamptonshire - £287.50
- Nottinghamshire - £287.50
- Rutland - £287.50
- Shropshire - £287.50
- Staffordshire - £287.50
- Warwickshire - £287.50
- West Midlands - £287.50
- Worcestershire - £287.50
North East
- Cleveland - £287.50
- Durham - £287.50
- East Riding of Yorkshire - £287.50
- Humberside - £287.50
- North Riding of Yorkshire - £287.50
- North Yorkshire - £287.50
- Northumberland - £287.50
- South Yorkshire - £287.50
- Tayside - £287.50
- Tyne and Wear - £287.50
- West Riding of Yorkshire - £287.50
- West Yorkshire - £287.50
- Yorkshire - £287.50
North Scotland
- Aberdeenshire - £345.00
- Angus - £345.00
- Argyllshire - £345.00
- Banffshire - £345.00
- Caithness - £345.00
- Inverness-shire - £345.00
- Kincardineshire - £345.00
- Morayshire - £345.00
- Nairn - £345.00
- Perth - £345.00
- Ross and Cromarty - £345.00
- Sutherland - £345.00
North Wales
- Anglesey - £287.50
- Caernarvonshire - £287.50
- Clwyd - £287.50
- Denbighshire - £287.50
- Flintshire - £287.50
- Gwynedd - £287.50
- Merionethshire - £287.50
North West
- Cheshire - £287.50
- Cumberland - £287.50
- Cumbria - £287.50
- Greater Manchester - £287.50
- Lancashire - £287.50
- Merseyside - £287.50
- Westmorland - £287.50
South East
- Bedfordshire - £345.00
- Berkshire - £345.00
- Buckinghamshire - £345.00
- East Sussex - £345.00
- Essex - £345.00
- Hampshire - £345.00
- Hertfordshire - £345.00
- Isle of Wight - £345.00
- Kent - £345.00
- London - £345.00
- Middlesex - £345.00
- Oxfordshire - £345.00
- Surrey - £345.00
- Sussex - £345.00
- West Sussex - £345.00
South Scotland
- Berwickshire - £345.00
- Dumfries and Galloway - £345.00
- Dumfries-shire - £345.00
- East Lothian - £345.00
- Kirkcudbrightshire - £345.00
- Lanarkshire - £345.00
- Lothian - £345.00
- Midlothian - £345.00
- Pebbles-shire - £345.00
- Roxburghshire - £345.00
- Strathclyde - £345.00
- Wigtownshire - £345.00
South Wales
- Breconshire - £345.00
- Carmarthenshire - £345.00
- Dyfed - £345.00
- Glamorgan - £345.00
- Gwent - £345.00
- Mid Glamorgan - £345.00
- Monmouthshire - £345.00
- Pembrokeshire - £345.00
- South Glamorgan - £345.00
- West Glamorgan - £345.00
South West
- Avon - £345.00
- Cornwall - £345.00
- Devon - £345.00
- Dorset - £345.00
- Somerset - £345.00
- Wiltshire - £345.00
