Kir Royale

Clare W – Violin

Clare enjoys a varied freelance career working with orchestras such as Welsh National Opera, Opera North, the Hallé, The Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra and Southbank Sinfonia. She recently performed Bach’s St. Matthew Passion at The National Theatre and previously enjoyed performing Stoppard and Previn’s play for actors and orchestra, Every Good Boy Deserves Favour in 2010. As an orchestral musician she has recorded two CDs and been broadcast on Radio 3 and Classic FM.
Clare read music at Christ Church, Oxford where she won an instrumental exhibition, was awarded the Clifford-Smith Prize and attained a first class degree. Afterwards she gained her Postgraduate Diploma with Distinction at Trinity College of Music.
Clare enjoys chamber music, recently performing Schubert’s Octet at The Royal Opera House recital series. She plays with The Dovetail Quartet and formed String and Tonic with her good friend Jo with whom she performs on cruise liners all over the world.

Clare T – Violin

Clare studied music at the University of York (leading the University Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra) before spending two years at Trinity College of Music, studying with John Crawford. Here she led the Symphony Orchestra and became a member of the Reade and Dovetail String Quartets.
Clare currently freelances in and around London playing in orchestras, bands, with string quartets and deputising on West End shows. These have included Lord Of The Rings, Joseph, Love Never Dies, The Sound of Music, Spring Awakening, and Carousel. She is a regular performer with the Trafalgar Sinfonia, conducted by Ivor Setterfield at St Martin’s in the Field. Clare has appeared on a number of pop albums through her work as a session musician.
Her main performing interests include Bach, late Romantic music, and contemporary music, but she produced a folk-fusion album at York and maintains an active interest in folk and popular performance. She is a keen footballer and a wild chef.

Dan – Viola

Dan read music at the University of Birmingham before completing a masters degree in contemporary music studies at the University of York. Following a further year of study at the Royal College of Music with Susie Mészáros and Annette Isserlis, he is now a London-based freelance musician and works with, among others, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, the English Chamber Orchestra and the English Baroque Soloists, with whom he has performed at the BBC Proms. Alongside period instrument performance, he is especially interested in contemporary music, and has played in the York and Cheltenham festivals.
A keen chamber musician, Dan is a founder member of the Berkeley Ensemble, a flexible group of winds and strings specialising in twentieth- and twenty-first-century British music. Formed in 2008, the ensemble now enjoys a busy concert schedule, performing in the UK and abroad, recently touring China for the first time

Jo – Cello

Jo began to play the cello in her home town of Durham. Studying with Jim Bickel, she progressed to achieve the DipABRSM with distinction in 2004. Following this, she took up a full scholarship to study with Joely Koos at Trinity College of Music. In 2008 she graduated with a first class honours degree, gaining both the Leonard Smith and Felicity Young Duo Prize, and the Sir John Barbirolli Prize for Cello Studies. In 2009 she completed a Masters of Music degree from Guildhall School of Music and Drama, studying with Pierre Doumenge. Since then, Jo has had an active freelance musical career, working with prestigious orchestras such as the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Hallé, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, European Union Chamber Orchestra and Sinfonia Cymru, as well as being a member of the Southbank Sinfonia 2010 season. She has had radio broadcasts on Radio 1, Radio 3 and Classic FM. When not playing in orchestras, she can be found accompanying the DJ Anchorsong in venues across Europe, and collaborating with TCM composer graduate Hannah Ashe and Laban graduate Ilona Jantti.

Classical

Tango – Albéniz

Adagio – Albinoni

The Waltzing Cat – Anderson

Air on G – J.S Bach

Arie ‘Mein gläubiges Herze’ – J.S Bach

Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring – J.S Bach

Orchestral Suite no. 3 – J.S Bach

Sheep May Safely Graze – J.S Bach

Cavatine op. 130 – Beethoven

Menuett op. 20 – Beethoven

Quartet in G op.18 no.2 – Beethoven

‘Au Fond de Temple’ (The Pearl Fishers) – Bizet

Prelude to Carmen – Bizet

Menuett – Bocherini

Polovtsian Dances from Prince Igor – Borodin

O Sole Mio Capua Scherzo – Cherubini

La Spagnola – Chiara

Mazurka op.7 no.2 – Chopin

Summertime – from Porgy and Bess, Gershwin

Ave Maria – Gounod

Morning – Peer Gynt Suite, Grieg

Arrival of the Queen of Sheba – Handel

Hornpipe – The Water Music, Handel

Overture to The Magic Flute – Mozart

Rondo Alla Turca – Mozart

‘Barcarolle’ from Tales of Hoffmann – Offenbach

Canon in D  – Pachelbel

Gymnopedie no.1 – Satie

Dance of the Cygnets (Swan Lake) – Tchaikovsky

Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy (Nutcracker)  -Tchaikovsky

March from The Nutcracker  -Tchaikovsky

‘Romeo and Juliet’ love theme  -Tchaikovsky

Russian Dance from The Nutcracker – Tchaikovsky

Waltz from Swan Lake – Tchaikovsky

Waltz of the Flowers (Nutcracker)  – Tchaikovsky

Andantino ‘La forza del destino’ – Verdi

The Four Seasons  – Vivaldi

Wedding March – Wagner

and many, many more…

Popular Music

A Groovy Kind of Love – Tone Wine & Carole Sager

All You Need Is Love – Beatles

Autumn Leaves – Kosema

Ben – Michael Jackson

Bohemian Rhapsody – Queen

Bridge Over Troubled Water – Paul Simon

Candle in the Wind – Elton John

Can You Feel The Love Tonight – Elton John

Chasing Cars – Snow Patrol

Dancing Queen – Abba

Everything I Do I Do It For You – Sting

Ever Lasting Love – Love Affair

From This Moment On – Shania Twain

Fool on the Hill – Beatles

Hello Goodbye – Beatles

Hernando’s Hideaway Jerry Ross/The Doors

Got to get you into my life – Beatles

If I Fell – Beatles

Killing Me Softly with His Song – Gimbel (The fugees)

Lady Madonna – Beatles

Moon River – Mancini

My One and Only Love – Sting

One Day Like This – Elbow

Only You – Yazoo

Over the Rainbow – Arlen

She – Azna Vour

Speak Softly Love – Rota

Stand By Me – Ben E.King

That’s Amore – Harry Warren

The Grasshoppers’ Dance – Bucalossi

The Rose – Amanda McBroom

Toxic – Britney Spears

True Colours – Cyndi Lauper

When I’m 64 – Beatles

Without You – Ham and Evans

You Only Live Twice – John Barry (James Bond)

You’re My Best Friend – Queen

You’re the Best Thing – The Style Council

You’re the One – Shane MacGown

TV/Film

Show Music Anything Goes – Cole Porter (Indiana Jones)

Empty Chairs at Empty Tables –Schönberg

Fawlty Towers Theme

I don’t know how to love Him – Lloyd-Webber

If I were a rich man – Harnick

Leaning on a Lampost – Noel Gay

Let’s Do It – Cole Porter

Somewhere – Berstein

Tonight – Berstein

The Snowman Suite – Howard Blake

Jazz and Ragtime

Country Club – Joplin

Don’t Get Around Much Anymore – Ellington

Fly Me To The Moon – Howard

It Don’t Mean A Thing – Ellington

Makin’ Whoopie – Donaldson

Moonlight in Vermont – Suessdorf

My Funny Valentine – Rodgers

New York, New York – Kander

Paragon Rag -Joplin

Pennies from Heaven – Johnson

Ragtime Dance -Joplin

The Entertainer – Joplin

The Folks who live on the Hill – Kern

Folk Music

Cock Linnet – Collins and Leigh

Christmas Medley – Cowles

Christmas Medley – Martelli

Irish Sherry – Trad. and O’Carolan

Fiddle Dance – Fletcher

String Quartet (Violin, Violin, Viola, Cello)

The price guidelines are based on playing for the ceremony (for half an hour before start of ceremony, entrance of bride, signing of register and exit of bridal party) and drinks reception. Usually comprises of up to 2 hours with 2 x 10 minutes breaks in the middle. We can play for more or less, depending on your requirements.

We often play for the wedding breakfast too, please enquire for quotes.

We can also travel to other areas of the UK, again please enquire for quotes.

“When my daughter told me she was going to have a string quartet at the wedding, I wasn’t sure what to expect, even though I am a lover of classical music.  Well, I’m writing to tell you that I thought you were superb.  You added a real touch of class to the wedding and the music you chose for the reception was just perfect. My thanks for being so wonderful and for playing such fantastic music.”
Mary Wells, Wedding May 2011

“Kir Royale played during the drinks reception of my wedding.  I have to say they sounded fantastic and all the guests commented how splendidly they both played creating a wonderful atmosphere.  It was great to hear the buzz of my guests with Kir Royale playing in the background. It has been a pleasure working with them.  The group are extremely professional and easy to work with. I would highly recommend them.”
Helen Staines, April 2013

From £500 for the trio and £750 for the quartet

Kir Royale travel all over the UK and are a highly sought after Wedding String Quartet