The Musicians

The Auricula Suite Ensemble musicians feature songwriter, Louise Duffy-Howard (acoustic and bass guitars and vocals), Richard Duffy-Howard (acoustic guitar) with special guests internationally acclaimed musicians Amanda Lowe (hammer dulcimer and violin) and Quentin Budworth (hurdy gurdy and cajon). The four East Riding of Yorkshire based musicians have a rich musical history, having performed at a range of world fusion and alternative music venues and festivals as far afield as Japan, Scandinavia and Eastern Europe.

Auricula Suite songwriter, Louise Duffy-Howard was the bassist in The Red Guitars who released two acclaimed albums. First single – Good Technology – was championed by the late, great John Peel. It made number 1 in the Indie chart and number 11 in his Festive Fifty. A handful of BBC sessions and top ten Indie hits later they had toured with The Smiths, appeared on The Tube, The Old Grey Whistle Test, Oxford Road Show, John Peel’s Sounds of the Suburbs. Lou’s full electric band can be found at https://loudhailer.net/

Poet, photographer, gardener and Primula auricula enthusiast (because every team needs one of these, right?) Richard Duffy-Howard is the acoustic guitarist and poet of the ensemble.

Virtuoso musicians Amanda Lowe and Quentin Budworth join Richard and Louise, playing diverse medieval instruments in this special collaborative performance.

Amanda Lowe is widely recognised as the UK’s foremost hammer dulcimer player. She developed her unique style of playing as a street entertainer, toured internationally as a medieval musician, toured with the Masters of Cymbalom in Eastern Europe, performed three times at the International Hackbrett Festivals and for the World Cymbalom Association; she has recorded a solo dulcimer album and several albums with Celtarabia and the Rootsman, and in pushing the repertoire of the dulcimer, plays with percussive, hypnotic passion.

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Quentin Budworth is one of only a handful of professional hurdy-gurdy players in the UK . He creates magic with sound, transforming ancient tunes into global soundscapes that take the audience to places they have never been before. He has played with the legendary Suns of Arqa, recorded sessions with them for Radio 1’s John Peel and Andy Kershaw, his session tracks later being picked up by Mix Mag as their track of the month. He has collaborated with record producer Simon Emmerson of the Afrocelt Sound System and Dub producer the Rootsman.