Gig: The Mandolinquents

An illustrious, witty and virtuosic collective playing everything from beautiful folk ballads to Carolan, Vivaldi, hot-swing fiddle, tangos and rags…  and a comic ditty or two!

Featuring mandolins, mandola, mandocello, mandobass, violin, violoncello, classical guitar and voices.

‘Wicked and wonderful’ BBC Radio 3

‘Wit and sparkle from the eclectic, virtuosic quartet.’
BBC Radio 2

‘A stunning acoustic tour de force, played by a quartet at the top of its game.’
Sing Out!

Simon Mayor: mandolin, guitar, fiddle, voice
‘One of the world’s leading mandolinists’ (BBC Radio 3), as well as a fine fiddle player, guitarist, composer and wit,  Simon’s many-faceted career two nights at Wembley Arena as soloist with the BBC Concert Orchestra, his own series on BBC Radio 2, an album in the Classic FM Top Ten chart, causing mayhem at a Canadian humour festival, having a song featured on The Simpsons, and, most memorably, a trip through the square window on BBC TV’s iconic Play School!

Florence Petit: mandocello and violoncello
An innovative and exciting young violoncellist, and the recipient of a diverse host of awards, Florence has appeared many times on BBC Radio 3, and is in huge demand in the world of baroque music. She joins the Mandolinquents adding the mandocello to her armoury.

Elias Sibley: guitar, mandolin, mandola, ukulele
Given his consummate skill as a classical guitarist, it’s easy to overlook Elias’ other talents. He’s one of the finest finger-style ukulele players of his generation, and an authority on classic banjo (pre-bluegrass styles of ragtime and early jazz).  Going back a few tears,  Elias was a young musical prodigy feted for his fine mandolin playing Now, after a long absence he’s been tempted to pick up the instrjument again by Simon…. Vivaldi’s  Double Mandolin Concerto beckons!

Hilary James: voice, mandobass, guitar

Hilary has recorded six solo albums, including collections of Scottish, English and Irish folksongs, traditional blues and  occasional forays into French chansons, Berlioz and Irving Berlin. She has  featured on Radio 4 (Woman’s Hour), Radio 3 (In Tune), Radio 2 (top ten playlist) and Classic FM, as well as stations from Los Angeles to Latvia. As well as her fine singing she plays guitar on anything from Vivaldi to an Irish jig. She also has an unlikely taste in bass instruments, most famous amongst them is her mighty mandobass!