leeds waits programmes

LEEDS WAITS PROGRAMMES

We normally perform music from 1550 to 1700, but can go a century further back or forward, with appropriate music, instruments and costumes.
We provide music for a number of civic events in Leeds.
In our Christmas entertainments in historic properties such as Temple Newsam, Shibden Hall, East Riddlesden Hall and Nunnington Hall, we research the history, and bring the household along with us. The audience then are the servants and estate workers. The programme typically contains instrumental and vocal music of the period including some audience carols, some interplay between waits, household and audience, a mumming play or puppet play, with seasonal interval refreshments usually provided by the venue.
We have performed at a number of historically themed weddings at historic properties including Markenfield Hall and East Riddlesden Hall, and provided music for both the ceremony and the reception.
We are available to play at music festivals, bringing a touch of colour with our livery and some unusual instrumentation and repertoire.
We can give a fifty minute lecture/recital, playing renaissance music on circa eighteen authentic instruments.
We can play for, and call the dances, for a renaissance ball. The dances include French Branles, English country dances and some of the less complicated court dances.
We created a performance entitled "The Music of Middle Earth" for the J R R Tolkien Centenary Conference at Keble College, Oxford in 1992, and recently revived it in Leeds in collaboration with Trio Literati.
We have performed with mystery play pageant wagons for the York plays in York on several performance cycles, for a performance of the Chester cycle of plays in Leeds, and with some plays of the Wakefield cycle in Keighley.
We can perform appropriate music in other historical dramatic performances such as the Charter Octocentenary Pageant in Leeds Parish Church.
We provide concert performances for conferences and banquets including the annual International Medieval Congress at The University of Leeds.
We perform as strolling minstrels at fetes and fairs in streets and gardens.
We perform incidental music at historic houses, and can tailor the performance to the age and history of the house.
We are happy to join with other groups to create a performance. Past collaborations have been with such groups as Trio Literati, Dewsbury Arts Group, Pointed Arrow Theatre Company, White Rose Historical Dance Group and Capriol Historical Dance Group.
We are happy to work with clients to customise a performance to meet their specific requirements. See here for some recent testimonials from clients.