St Albans Folk Music organises pub music sessions, a monthly
concert series, ‘Folk at the Maltings’, and an annual 'New roots' competition for
young musicians. It is a part of the 'Folk at the Festival' Committee which
organises the St Albans Folk Festival.
St Albans Folk Festival 2020
St Albans Folk Festival ran from September
25-27 and was mainly online. If
you missed the day of free music, you can still hear a great range of musicians
and singers in our online showcase performances on our YouTube channel
Further details including names of
performers are here. Donations would
be welcome via https://www.gofundme.com/f/st-albans-folk-festival-2020
Write a new song for St Albans Unfortunately we received very few entries for our second song writing
competition is ‘St Albans
Scoundrels’. This is not surprising as we hoped
writers would access local libraries and museums for inspiration, but these
have re-opened only relatively recently after being closed since lockdown in
March. We invited two of the song writers, Julie Wigley and Nigel Moorcroft to
contribute a set with their entry and other songs to an online concert on
Saturday September 26 at 8pm on our YouTube
channel where you can still hear it. The full line-up was Steve and Julie Wigley, The Moorcrofters, Paul
McNamara of NaMara and Lizzy Hardingham.
St
Albans Folk Festival 2021
This will take place from June 25-27 2021. We can’t predict what form it will take, but there
will definitely be a festival.
New
Roots an event for young musicians who are under 25 and play or sing
folk, roots or traditional music.
Entries
for New Roots 2020 closed on February 9. The final has been
postponed to Sunday November 1 2020 from 11am to 5pm and will be online.
Anyone who wants to listen should contact info@new-roots.org.uk For further
details, click here.
New
Roots 2021 will take place in the autumn of 2021. The closing date will be
announced nearer the time.
New Roots 21st anniversary celebration, Sunday June
28
The first New Roots took place in 2000 and it was planned to
hold a 21st anniversary event on Sunday June 28, with
performances by some of the amazing singers and musicians who have taken part
over the years. This was an online event, with videos newly recorded by over 30
past New Roots finalists. If you missed it, you can still hear it on YouTube by
following this link and
make a donation at https://www.gofundme.com/new-roots-21st-anniversary The proceeds will be shared between the
performers. The programme, which includes featured spots by Iona Fyfe, Hazel
Askew on behalf of the Askew Sisters, the Foxglove Trio and Katrina Gilmore and
Jamie Roberts is here.
St Michael's Street folk evening
From 1988 to 2019, we held a popular event in St Michael’s Street
on the first Wednesday evening in July, with dancing in the street and music
everywhere. The 2020 event was cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
We are keen to reinstate this event as soon as it is safe to do so, but it may
be several years before this is possible. If it possible to hold it as soon as
2021, it will be on Wednesday July 7 so please put this date in your
diary.
Folk at the Maltings
Maltings Arts
Theatre, The Maltings, St Albans AL1 3HL
The Maltings Arts Theatre has now opened for theatre
but there will be no music before the New Year. The concerts below will either
take place online or a later date. Please note the dates in your diaries and
watch this space for details and changes.
Alden, Patterson and Dashwood and The Shackleton Trio Two of Norwich’s finest folk exports on tour together. This has now been
postponed to 2021. A set from each act, along with a rare collaborative set
bringing together Alden Patterson and Dashwood and The Shackleton Trio.
Friday November 6, 8.00pm James Findlay plus New Roots finalist and BBC Young Folk Award 2019 winner Mandie MorrisJames comes from a family of folk singers and his enthusiasm lies firmly
within the English tradition, He first came into the public eye after winning
the 2010 BBC Young Folk award. In recent years, he has worked mainly in touring
theatre, so this is a rare chance to hear him sing. Mandie Morris is a folk
musician who uses traditional and contemporary folk song to create discussion
and social commentary on big issues.
Friday December 4, 8.00pm The
Devines plus Elie Rees and New Roots finalist Nancy Potts.
John, Joe and Caz Devine are three
members of the same musical family, with an inspired blend of instruments that
include uilleann pipes, banjo and saxophone. They perform a mix of original
compositions and their own unique arrangements of traditional folk songs and
dance music. Elie Rees is a singer songwriter. A singer and a fiddler, Nancy
Potts specialises in playing for dancing and sings a variety of songs both for
performance and social settings.
Tickets: £12, Students and concessions £11. Under 18 £7.50
To book:
Online at http://www.ticketsource.co.uk/ovo
By phone 0333 666 3366, in person at St Albans Central Library or pay on the
door.
Sessions Mainly traditional Irish,
English, Scottish and other traditional music. All welcome to listen or to
play. Mainly tunes, but singers welcome.
The sessions have been suspended until further notice.
Weekly sessions at 8.30pm on Wednesdays are at the Robin Hood, 126 Victoria Street, St
Albans AL1 3TG. These have now been replaced by sessions on Zoom. For details,
email info@stalbansfolkmusic.org.uk
Monthly sessions are at the Great
Northern, London Road at 6.00pm on Sundays, usually on the fourth Sunday of
the month.
Links to other
regular events in St Albans
Contact Alison
Macfarlane
Tel 01727 852111
Email: info@stalbansfolkmusic.org.uk