FIONA Lander can turn her hand to playing a host of musical instruments. Piano, whistles, clarinet, recorder, saxophones and percussion are all in her repertoire.

Fiona is half of the Landermason duo with guitarist and ukulele player, Paul Mason. Their live shows combine both traditional and contemporary folk with jazz, blues and classical all married with beautiful vocal harmonies. Their striking arrangements of traditional classics are interspersed with lively jigs and their own self-penned material taken from their latest 2018 album Stand Together.

Hailing from the village of Bellingham, near Hexham, Landermason has joined Highlights for a nine-date tour of village halls across Cumbria, County Durham and their home county of Northumberland, and on Sunday, March 3 (7.30pm), play the Community Hall, at Grizebeck, Kirkby in Furness.

A gifted and refreshingly different duo, both Fiona and Paul are active on the folk scene, writing, producing and touring across the UK. Fiona is highly respected in the region as a teacher of woodwind and piano and runs Hexham’s high school Jazz Band. At aged 13, Sunderland born Paul’s first guitar teacher was fellow Wearsider Dave Stewart of Eurythmics fame. Following success in the 1980s touring with rock band, The Dumb Blondes, he moved back to the north east where he cemented his musical partnership with Fiona. They have produced six albums together.

Born in Hexham, Fiona learned to play the piano, clarinet and saxophone while at school. Her first public solo performance was at the age of ten where she played the jazz standard Night Train on clarinet at a school concert. Jazz has always been a major influence in her life with both her father and music teacher being jazz pianists. Fiona went on to study music at Colchester Institute and gained an honours degree.

She found a real love for composition and arrangement, studying with Alan Bullard. In 2014 Fiona established herself as a freelance composer and has since had several commissions, including children’s songs for Sing-Up and a new carol for Voices of Hope (National Choir of the Year).

To book tickets for the Grizebeck show telephone 07905-779584.