Violinist : Composer
Teacher : Performer
Menu
About
Kevin Lees grew up on the vibrant Newcastle folk scene having learnt classical violin since he was seven years old. With an upbringing in Scottish Folk Dance traditions and strong guidance from local musicians Kathryn Tickell and Stewart Hardy, Kevin played in youth talent band Folkestra, which led to BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award winning act Last Orders. During a successful 5 years touring the major UK folk scene, Kevin completed a bachelor in Folk and Traditional Music at Newcastle University, whilst also establishing himself as a prominent session musician in North East England.
Having moved to Denmark in 2012 to complete a Master in Folk Music from Syddansk Musikkonservatorium, Kevin has been working professionally as a performer, teacher, composer and creative entrepreneur.
Performing
Following a successful period with Last Orders, Kevin has been a regular performer around Europe with his own bands Inver, D.u.K, Fiddle8, Tappy Lappy Quartet and Night Fall, including recent tours of Denmark, UK Folk Clubs and Festivals and Tønder Festival. He also continues as a session musician, playing in projects such as Tordenskioldsdage, Nyborg Christmas Markets and Beamish Museum festive musicians.
Teaching
Kevin has been teaching violin to all ages and abilities since his late teens, having specialised in performance and teaching during his Masters. He has held a regular weekly violin and multi-instrument folk ensemble teaching post at Lirum Larum and 1748 Evening School for the past 7 years, as well as private tuition. Other teaching highlights include Youth & Adult Folkworks Summer Schools (UK), Folkcamp (DK), Folk n Fell (UK) and Folkestra (UK). He has also set up his own Patreon page, offering online tuition and tutorials.
Studio
Having invested in his own studio setup, Kevin utilises his skills and enthusiasm as a producer and audio engineer to work at his own home, recording various music for both his own and other people’s projects, including music for TV, film and radio. In addition to Violin, Kevin plays Viola, Piano, Bouzouki and Melodeon, which frequently feature in his various studio, composition and live performance projects. As well as producing his own music for release, he regularly collaborates with other professionals in music and audio production. He has jointly created the successful YouTube channel ‘the good tune’, where he is a performer, audio engineer, promoter and innovator.
Kevin continues to pursue an exciting career in Folk Music and is constantly looking to develop his talents, discover new collaborations, and embark on further challenging projects.
