Quentin is a professional musician playing hurdy-gurdy, a multi-award-winning filmmaker, photographer, and digital artist. His mission is to create new, unique high-quality work and promote participation and enjoyment of the arts in an inclusive and collaborative way. Working with community, folk, world, festival and arts audiences.

In 2019 he worked on a year of professional development for his hurdy-gurdy playing funded by the Arts Council DYCP award scheme. Over the course of the year, he studied contemporary hurdy-gurdy technique and Folk Music with some of the world’s best players from across Europe. Researching and learning repertory and technique from Iberian, Gallic, Nordic, Greek and Italian modal folk traditions.

Quentin performs as a soloist and lead musician with world music band and festival favourites Celtarabia, historical musicians The Grinnigogs and the deeply traditional Hessle Ceilidh Band. From 1995-2000 Quentin worked as a composer producing four critically acclaimed albums with his band Celtarabia and produced ‘Fusions’ a library music album for Studio G. Quentin has recorded as a featured artist for Suns of Arqa, and in session for the Afro-Celt Sound System, Andy Kershaw, John Peel and more recently Alan Raw of BBC Introducing.

Recently Quentin has been performing his acclaimed new solo show ‘Old Dog New Tricks’.

He has used the time during Lockdown to study online with musicians and organisations all over the world deepening his knowledge of traditional music and extending his professional network.

During lockdown Quentin has run and attended music workshops online. Teaching and learning from folk musicians from all over the world.

Previous projects include Hullywood Icons project funded by a National Lottery Grant for the Arts which was a worldwide hit right at the start of Hull City of Culture 2017. He also produced the remarkable Changing Face of Hull exhibition in 2015 which explored ideas of self, identity and city.

During the third lock-down he remotely recorded European Howl with collaborator Lou Duffy-Howard  under the band name  ‘Agent Starling’ which was officially released on May 4^th gaining critical acclaim and widespread airplay in the UK and abroad. To date tracks from the album have been played on over 80 radio shows and podcasts around the world. In addition to writing the tunes for this album  Quentin has researched music contacts and created music videos on a micro budget.

Quentin is currently developing his first solo project Disconnect/Reconnect which is supported by the prestigious The Alan James Creative Artist Bursary and Residency Programme 2021/22 at the English Folk Dance and Song Society.

In his spare time Quentin can be found, creating field recordings, chasing foghorns and lighthouses, swimming and hiking in wild places.

Here’s a clip of me playing ‘The Ride’ with Celtarabia at the Springboard Festival in may 2018:

This is a tune I wrote called ‘The Last Camel’

Here’s me playing ‘Rioja for Ena’ a tune I wrote during the first Lockdown of 2020.

Discography

Shabda – Suns of Arka  Arka Sound ‎– ARKA 2109 CD

The Lost Music of Celtarabia GRINCD942

Ancient Forces OSMOCD011

Union of Souls Celtarabia Meets the Rootsman TEMCD013

Cult of audio GRINCD943

Afro-Celt Sound System ‘Release’ Real World Records (session player)

Echoes of The Silk Road GRINCD944

What the music press say:

Here are some recordings from different albums that I’ve worked on over the years:

Live reviews:

‘This remarkable band use medieval and African instruments to give a mesmerising mix of trancy dancy music, with world-wide influences………. Quentin Budworth playing hurdy-gurdy as never heard before…… Amanda Lowe’s soaring vocals and dazzlingly diverse Hammer Dulcimer playing were spell-binding and up-lifting……… The joy of dance and unity of culture comes through as threads of different musical styles weave together to form a new entity, an almost spiritual experience that seems to stretch back forever and tugs at the memory.’
‘ THE SHEFFIELD DAILY STAR’

‘East/West fusion has often been attempted but never so exciting so compelling. Celtarabia compel you to dance, their insistent layers of sound trance inducing.’
‘FOLK BUZZ’

‘Using a range of strange musical instruments including hurdy-gurdy, Hammer Dulcimer, Didgeridoo and Djembes, they drew from primitive African, Asian and Celtic music creating beautifully inspired global trance-dance eco-grooves, instantly likeable and danceable.’
‘SPECTATOR’

‘It gives me no small amount of pleasure to report that Dr.Q’s hurdy-gurdy led global dance engine does indeed deliver the goods, and more. What we have here boys and girls, is a hot happening collision of sweaty syncopated rhythms and an ethnic tonal pallet that extends way beyond any limitations the bands name might imply……. this is TRUE eclecticism in action, frequently stunning in its vision and audacity.’
‘ROCK ‘N’ REEL’