Booking Form – Mandolins At Settle 2024

Booking Form

We will send you details of how to pay
upon receipt of your form.
REMINDER – CANCELLATION
You are strongly advised to take out cancellation insurance should you need to withdraw (check your holiday insurance – it may include it).
Your payment will be fully refunded if the event is postponed or cancelled.

Description… and a few T&Cs

‘Mandolins at Settle’, in the lovely North Yorkshire town, is now firmly established in my mandolin calendar. It contrasts with shorter, weekend gatherings I host elsewhere, partly because it lasts four days, and also because we take over the whole of the Falcon Manor Hotel for the duration.

This year I’ll be using a combination of favourite pieces from recent years alongside new material, some easy, some challenging, in a broad mix of musical styles. Ensemble playing remains at the heart of these gatherings and we’ll be aiming to polish the sound of our mandolin group as much as possible over the four days.

Music (in both standard notation and tablature) and guide sound files will be sent out well in advance. The main sessions are in the mornings. The afternoons are less structured but there’ll be things to do: I’ll be inviting guest speakers and tutors (watch this space for details), and you’ll have time for some informal playing.

I try to cover all aspects of mandolin technique in the sessions, to de-mystify music theory, and to choose a varied repertoire with pieces that relate in some way to particular aspects of technique. I’ll be on duty throughout if you want to buttonhole me about any mandolin related issue.

There will no doubt be playing in the bar in the evening too. If you prefer to do something non-mandolinny in the afternoon, you can explore the lovely town of Settle, go for a walk in the surrounding countryside, seek out a steam train, go down a cave or whatever.

Simon Mayor & Hilary James
– evening concert

Details still to be announced.

The Venue

Accommodation is all single rooms – unless you choose to share.

Falcon Manor is a cosy, country house hotel. Click here to take a look at their website.

We have had nothing but glowing comments about the hotel on previous visits. It’s comfortable, characterful, and set in very beautiful North Yorkshire countryside. The food has always been unfailingly good and the staff warm and friendly. With just sixteen rooms, it’s also much smaller than other venues I’ve used. Oh, and it’s got real ale if that’s your bag.

How good a mandolinist do I have to be?

Ideally you’ll be able to get from start to finish of a fairly simple tune without stalling, and you’ll be able to read music or tablature to a reasonable standard (if you’re an experienced player but have only ever played by ear, tablature is very easy to learn). If you’re a guitarist or violinist trying a mandolin for the first time, you should be OK, but this is not going to be suitable for a complete beginner. I will send out PDFs of music/tablature and sound files in advance.

With the above in mind, your skill level is not the most important thing; it’s simply a chance to push your boundaries a little and to learn from each other in what – as veterans of these things will know – is always an atmosphere of wonderful camaraderie and mutual support.

Costings

You’ll receive details of how to pay upon receipt of the form on this page.
£914 Single participant.
£744 per person for two people, both participants, room sharing (double or twin).
£144 Supplement room sharing charge for non-participating partner. In other words, £1058 for a couple, only one of whom is a participant.
We ask for a non-refundable deposit of £300 per person to secure your hotel room and place, with the outstanding balance payable one month ahead of the event.
You insurance should you need to withdraw (check your holiday insurance – it may include it).
Your payment will be fully refunded if the event is postponed or cancelled.

What’s included in the price?

All tuition, accommodation, breakfasts, evening meals (three courses) and teas and coffees.
NB. Lunches are not included, but  there are many cafés in the town.’Mandolins at Settle’ spans four days from 29th September (arrive from 3.00pm) to breakfast on 3rd October.
We’ll schedule use of the hotel’s function room until mid-afternoon on 3rd, but the hotel requests that you vacate your room after breakfast.