The Southern Belles

Intro
About
Line-Up
Song List
References
Previous Clients
FAQs
Performance Schedule
Prices

Young and vibrant, The Southern Belles are an all-female classical and electric string quartet with a difference. Professionally trained at the top conservatoires in the world, the girls deliver a classy, sophisticated performance – with a cheeky sense of humour! They love to engage audiences large and small with a tongue-in-cheek take on the light classics cleverly put together into an engaging acoustic show, while their electric show weaves through the sounds of tango, film music and iconic pop tunes. With music ranging from Bach to Lady Gaga, musical taste buds are bound to be titillated.

They thrive at showing off their brilliant skills, whether that be at a private party, wedding or a corporate function, always with a cheeky smile and a dance in their step.

As well as performing throughout the world, The Southern Belles have so also performed as a group or soloists at prestigious venues in the UK such as The Royal Albert Hall (HRHPrince of Wales), St. Martins in the Field (guests including Stephen Fry, and John Suchet) , St. James Palace (HRHDuke of Edinburgh), The Tower of London (Rolls Royce Corporation), and the Wallace Collection (Vivienne Westwood), to name a few.

Along with providing music for many Corporate Functions, Horse Racing events, and personal celebrations, they have also been engaged in providing live music for famous artists in concert, as well as recording for a number of albums.

The act can perform as a string quartet (2 violins, viola, cello), and can also be booked as a string trio (violin, viola and cello), duo (violin and cello) or even solo violin or cello.

Please note that although the musicians are more than happy to accommodate your requirements in terms number of instruments booked, there are certain pieces and genres of music which do not lend themselves to smaller formations.

The quartet can also perform with a singer, and can be booked as part of a full band, comprising of voice, drums, bass guitar and string quartet.

Classical

Ave Maria, Gounod
Air, Bach
Ave Maria, Schubert
Ave Verum Corpus, Mozart
Adagio, Albinoni
Autumn,Vivaldi
Brandenburg Concerto No 3, Bach
Brindisi, Verdi
Bolero, Ravel
Can Can, Offenbach
Czardas, Monti
Divertimento No 1, Mozart
Danse Des Mirlitons, Tchaikovsky
Eine Kleine Nachtmusic, Mozart
Flower Duet, Delibes x2
Funiculi, Funicula, Denza
Gavotte, Bach
Humoresque, Dvorak
Habanera, Bize
Hungarian Dance No 5, Brahms
Horn Pipe, Watermusic, Handel
Intermezzo, Mascagni arr Jim
Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring, Bach
Canon, Pachelbel
Lark Ascending, Vaughn Williams
March Militaire, Schubert
Meditation,Massenet
Menuette, Boccherini
O Sole Mio, Di Capua
Prelude To Carmen, Bizet
Pizzicato Polka, Strauss.
Pavane, Faure
Queen of Sheba, Handel
Rondon Alla Turca, Mozart
Romance, Shortakovitch
Radetzky March, Strauss
Spring, Vivaldi
Summer, Vivaldi
Salut d’Amour, Elgar
Serenade, Haydn
Two Rondeaux, Purcell
Theme from the Planets, Holst
Trumpet Tune, Purcell
Traumerei, Schumann
Vocalise, Rachmaninoff
Voi Che Sapete, Mozart
Wedding March, Wagner

Tango

La Cupmarsita, Rodriguez
Jealousy, Adam
Por Una Cabeza, Gardel
La Paloma, arr Martelli
Blue Tango, Anderson
Noites Cariocas, Bandoliro
Blue Tango, Leroy Anderson
Cristal, Mariano Mores
La Vie En Rose ,Luiguy

Ragtime

Country Club, Joplin
Jeeves and Wooster, arr Kershaw
The Entertainer, Joplin
Makin’ Whoopee, arr Thorp
Cock Linnet, F Leigh

Film

A Whole New World, from ‘Aladin’
Fawlty Towers, Kershaw
Harry Lime Theme, Kavas
Sunrise, Sunset, Bock
Cinema Paradiso,Morricone
Elenor Rigby, Beatles
The Life of Lloyd George Marricone
Speak Softly, Godfather
Dad’s Army
Theme from E.T., John Williams
Schindler’s List

Traditional

Hava Nagila, Trad
Irish Sherry, Trad, arr Thorp
Londonderry Air, Trad Sailor’s Hornpipe, Trad
Dark Eyes, Trad
Greensleeves, Trad
Fiddle Dance, Trad

Jazz

Anything Goes, arr Thorp
Blue Moon, Kershaw
Can’t Take My Eyes Off You
Fly Me To The Moon, arr Birchall
Girl from Ipanema, arr Birchall
La Bamba, arr Naughtin
Let’s Do It, arr Thorp
Music To Watch Girls By, arr Birchall
Moon River, arr Birchall
Memory, Lloyd Weber
Pennies from Heaven, arr Thorp
Summertime, Gershwin
Cabaret, arr Kershaw
Embraceable You, Gershwin
Everytime We Say Goodbye, Gershwin

Pop

Good Day Sunshine, Lennon & McCartney
Hey Jude, Lennon & McCartney
World Without Love, Lennon & McCartney
Yesterday, Lennon & McCartney
Get Back, Lennon & McCartney

Electric

Poker Face, Lady Gaga
Summer, Vivaldi
La Cupmarsita, Rodriguez
Canon, Pachelbel
Pink Panther Theme
‘Queen’ Medley
Cabaret, John Kander

Derek & Sandra Hoult, 50th Wedding anniversary, West Sussex
..they gave a wonderful, stylish performance - all 100 people at the party loved it! Could not have done better. I could go on singing their praises!

Paul & Madeline Underwood, Wedding, Kent
Thank you, it meant so much to me that you played Jerusalem and The Lark Ascending for my Dad on our wedding day!

Paul Abbott, Kent
I have now engaged The Southern Belles on a number of occasions ranging from small intimate dinner parties to rather larger more formal occasions and have always found them to be excellent in their manner, appearance, inter action with the audience and variety of songs, music and pieces that they have played. I would thoroughly recommend them.

Rolls Royce
Vivienne Westwood
Charles Worthington
HRH Prince of Wales
HRH Duke of Edinburgh
Marsh & Parsons
Tower of London
Hampton Court Palace
Wallace Collection
St John's Smiths Square
St Martin's-in-the-Fields

You say you are classical / electric quartet. Can you play both at my event?

Our aim is to cater to the specific needs of each client; hence it is entirely up to you what you'd like to hear and is suitable for your event. We offer a range of packages, ranging from a purely classical background music to a fully choreographed electric show, including a tailor-made performance to suit the client's wishes.

Do you bring all the equipment, ie sound system with you, or do we need to provide that?

We do have our own equipment and sound engineer, which we can provide. Alternatively, we are happy to use equipment that you may already have on the premises, provided it is suitable for our instruments and fits all requirements necessary, in order to give you the best performance.

How far in advance should we book?

Ideally the earlier you book, the more likely we are to be available, hence avoiding any disappointment. The summer months are especially popular for weddings, and Christmas for parties, so it's advisable to book at least 6 months to 1 year in advance. Nevertheless, if you need to book us at the last minute, we will do our best to make it possible.

Can I have a special piece of music played?

We would be happy to play any piece of music for you, as far as is possible. If it is not already in our repertoire, we can either source it or arrange it especially for the occasion. As this can be a time-consuming process, we do apply an extra charge, which can vary depending on the music. Please ask for a quote.

How far do you travel?

Although we are a London based quartet, we are regularly asked to play all across the country and abroad, so distance is not a problem. Of course our booking fee does increase, depending on how far we go, and in cases where the event finishes too late for us to return home that evening, we will apply an additional fee for overnight accommodation or ask the client to arrange it on our behalf.

We really like the look of your quartet; will we get the same players as in the photos?

We try our best to ensure all members seen on the photos can play for your event. This is in our best interests, as well as yours, as we aim to deliver the highest quality performance, which of course is dependent on the calibre of musicianship. Obviously in some circumstances this is not always possible. Our reputation is paramount to us and therefore we only use carefully selected musicians of the same caliber, whom we play with on a regular basis.

Can The Southern Belles be booked individually or as duo or trio?

Yes, by all means we are happy to play in other formations, but please do bear in mind that you will get a much fuller and more rounded sound with a quartet. Also, there are certain pieces of music which do not work as well musically with a duo or trio. Alternatively, we can increase the size of the group to include additional musicians and singers, if desired.

What will you be wearing?

For most classical performances we wear either smart black or jewel-coloured dresses, as seen on the photos, and for the electric shows we will be wearing short black dresses (again, as seen in the photos of this website). If you do have a specific requirement concerning our dress code, please do not hesitate to let us know, and we will do our best to comply with them.

The standard performance times are 2 x 45min sets.
The accoustic and electric shows can be included in that timing, or can be added as extra.

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.