Conor (“Fitz”)simons

I’m from Dublin, Ireland, and living in northern Spain. I wanted to learn to play the gurdy since I was in school but my music teacher said this wasn’t possible as the instrument is essentially extinct.

My interest continued but I never thought it would be something I would really ever pursue due to the high cost and scarcity of information associated with the instrument until relatively recently.

During lockdown in 2021 I found out about the Nerdy Gurdy kit and thought it would be a great way to mitigate the boredom of being shut in. I found great joy in assembling and refining the instrument and my passion for the hurdy gurdy has only continued to grow since then.

I now dedicate most of my time to playing, learning, and helping manage online gurdy communities. I also love traveling with my gurdy and playing for people, especially when they have never seen a hurdy gurdy before.

I am hugely grateful to the Nerdy Gurdy team and the hurdy gurdy community in general for helping me pursue my dream!

I should add also that while I’ve moved onto a French luteback Gurdy as my main instrument I still really enjoy playing the Nerdy Gurdy and think it makes for a great backup instrument!

Please visit Fitz’ YouTube channel, https://www.youtube.com/@fitzhurdygurdy8511 to enjoy his music, especially his Nerdy Gurdy tunes.