The Nonsuch Dulcimer Club is pleased to invite you to join us in person at our Annual Weekend & AGM 2024, which will be held at The Hayes Conference Centre from 18th to the 21st October, 2024.
The Hayes is a comfortable conference centre near Swanwick, with good food and a reasonably priced bar. Accommodation is in a mix of single, double or twin en suite rooms. There are good transport links via road or rail (Swanwick) and ample parking on site. More information about the venue can be found on their website https://www.cct.org.uk/the-hayes/the-hayes-conference-centre
Places will be limited and will be allocated on a first come first served basis. For those travelling a long distance a small number of extra rooms have been reserved for our group to allow leaving on the morning of 22nd October, also allocated on a first come first served basis.
There will be workshops for hammered and mountain dulcimer at every level of ability from complete beginner to advanced players. If you have anything that you would particularly like to learn in the sessions, please let us know. There will also be ample opportunities for sessions and catching up with friends, new and old.
We are delighted to be welcoming four guest tutors from the United States.
Tutors
- Colin Beasley (USA) Hammered Dulcimer
- Sarah Kate Morgan (USA) Mountain Dulcimer
- Jody Marshall (USA) Hammered Dulcimer
- Karen Mueller (USA) Mountain Dulcimer
- Various UK tutors – Beginner Hammered Dulcimer & Mountain Dulcimer
Programme
We are offering a full 3-day weekend (Friday evening – Monday afternoon) and a 2-day weekend (Fri-Sun) option. We also offer a non-residential option, and an option to extend the weekend by staying Monday night and travelling home on Tuesday. Residential places are limited so we advise you to book early.
We extend a warm welcome to hammered and mountain dulcimer players of all ability levels. Our weekend programme offers three separate levels of workshops (beginner, advanced beginner/intermediate and intermediate/advanced).
There will be advanced beginner/intermediate and intermediate/advanced workshops on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday (3 workshop per day, 9 in total). Beginner workshops take place on Saturday and Sunday (6 in total). On Monday, beginners are encouraged to take advantage of the opportunity to check out our guest tutors. Our tutor line-up includes well-known performers and teachers to help you enjoy learning new skills.
On Friday night, there will be a concert featuring our guest tutors.
On Saturday night, there will be an Open-Stage Concert, which is open to all weekend participants. We encourage you to take part, and not necessarily on dulcimer – other instruments, readings, performances are always fun. There’s also plenty of time for regular and slow sessions, some with leaders, and for some informal dancing!
Booking
We have several booking options available:
| Nonsuch Annual Weekend 2024 – Fees | Early Bird | After 30th June |
|---|---|---|
| Resident 3 days (5pm Fri to 4pm Mon) | £435 | £450 |
| Resident 2 days (5pm Fri to 4pm Sun) | £295 | £310 |
| Non-resident 3 days (5pm Fri to 4pm Mon) | £355 | £370 |
| Non-resident 2 days (5pm Fri to 4pm Sun) | £240 | £255 |
| Student resident 3 days (5pm Fri to 4pm Mon) | £315 | £315 |
| Student resident 2 days (5pm Fri to 4pm Sun) | £210 | £210 |
| Student non-resident 3 days (5pm Fri to 4pm Mon) | £235 | £235 |
| Student non-resident 2 days (5pm Fri to 4pm Sun) | £155 | £155 |
| B&B Monday night (including Monday evening meal) | £105 | £105 |
What you need to know about Booking:
- We need to check your requirements so please wait to hear that you have definitely been allocated a place before paying your fee.
- Regular rates apply from July 1st.
- Booking deadline is September 20th, 2024. No bookings will be accepted after that time.
- Cancellation & Refunds: please read our cancellation policy here.
- Payment is by bank transfer or by cheque please. Paypal is available only by exception (non-UK bookings) – please contact us.
- Please contact us in confidence if you wish to arrange to pay by instalments.
- Children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult guardian – please give guardian’s details when booking, and/or contact us for more information.
- Pets are not permitted on The Hayes site at any time.
- No motor homes or camping are permitted on The Hayes site overnight.
- Please note that The Hayes cannot provide special diets unless notified at time of booking.
- We ask for your playing level to help us plan workshop logistics. If you are unsure about your playing level, please refer to the Nonsuch Playing Guidelines.
Note: Registration closes after 20th September, 2024.
Questions?
Please contact Shirley Warbrick if you have questions, or would like more information. Do come and join us. You will be most welcome!