“Kerensa is an assured & devastatingly skilful Hammered Dulcimer player who delivers a performance that is innovative, energetic & confident.”
And who would expect anything less since she has learnt from the masters! In her early days, she received expert tuition from the late Jim Couza & Maclaine Colston, both considered by many to be the best players of the Hammered Dulcimer of their generations. Kerensa has taken their teachings & has developed her own “unique playing style that captivates audiences wherever she performs.”
Kerensa fell in love with the Hammered Dulcimer during her early teens. She had been playing whistles and singing for a while, but experiencing Jim Couza performing for the first time, she was instantly hooked!
From the age of 15 she was well known on the folk scene, launching the ‘Acoustic Youth’ organisation & band, running youth workshops & performing at festivals across the UK. She also played and recorded as part of a duo with Tim van Eyken and was a regular performer with T.A.P’s village hall roadshows, playing alongside Roger Watson in an everchanging, multi-cultural line-up for dancing.
When Kerensa returned to Cornwall at the age of 21 she became immersed in the rich tradition of the Cornish music scene. She continued to perform both as a solo musician and with various line-ups. These included a duo with singer / guitarist Steve Hunt and Cornish trio Ahanan with whom she contributed to the soundtrack for the first Cornish language film ‘Hwerow Hweg’.
However, Kerensa is probably best known for her work with Cornish band ‘Leski’ who recorded and performed regularly at festivals and folk clubs up until around 2015 when she was forced to take a break from performing.
2020 was the year that saw Kerensa make a comeback, releasing her first solo album in years ‘Hammering Home’ and getting back to performing. She began to run regular Hammered Dulcimer workshops, which led to the formation of the ‘Kernow Dulcimer Collective’ who currently run Dulcimer and Cornish music workshops and events in Cornwall and beyond! come-back releasing her first solo album in years ‘Hammering Home’. She also started to run regular Dulcimer workshops and got back to performing as a solo musician.
Now in 2023, Kerensa is proud to be working with new musical line-ups including Celtic instrumental trio ‘Cove’ and high energy Cornish Nos Lowen Band ‘Bagas Fellyon’. She is also excited about the release of her first Cornish music album ‘Kan Hweg’ featuring a fine line-up of guest musicians!
“From the most intimate of folk clubs to the biggest of stages, Kerensa is equally at home as a performer”
Available for clubs, concerts. Weddings, workshops and private tuition.
Brought forth from the two traditions of Cornish and Irish music, Cove are an instrumental trio comprising Kerensa Wright on hammered dulcimer, Neil McMahon on fiddle and Keith Mountifield on bouzouki, whistle and bodhrán.
Blending tunes from a variety of musical traditions in much the same way that Cornish traditional music evolved with influences of visiting fishermen and traders throughout the centuries. Whether it is a concert performance or music for Nos Lowen dancing, Coves performances are full of energy and passion. The beautiful melodies, intricate harmonies, and foot-tapping arrangements all come together to create a truly magical experience for their audiences.
“A gloriously chaotic groove juggernaut! Fools Rock experiment with and innovate within the growing Nos Lowen style of Cornish traditional Music.”
Bagas Fellyon (Cornish for the Band of Fools) is a recently formed collective of musicians brought together by the fiddle player Neil McMahon. Initially as a project to promote the album “Hitching Ships” by Cornish studio-based duo Fools Rock.
Following this sell-out gig, the band soon took on a life of its own with its boisterous groove centric approach to Cornish Nos Lowen music.