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.
Folk at the Maltings Online
The Maltings Theatre is currently closed and there
are no plans for music at the moment anyway.
We are therefore organising a series of online
concerts, in which young performers who took part in New Roots 2020 support
more experienced performers. Tickets for March 12 are now on sale and others
will be on sale shortly.
Friday
March 12, 8.00pm Vicki Swan and
Jonny Dyer plus New Roots 2020 finalists Fru Rakoczy and duo Rowan Collinson and Elye Cuthbertson
Vicki Swan and Jonny Dyer have developed
a strong reputation for a delivering great performances time and time again.
Once known mainly for their instrumental skills with Scottish smallpipes, accordion and Swedish nyckelharpa, they are now
being accepted as impressive song arrangers and writers. Fru
Rakoczy is a musician and caller who is now developing her skills as a solo singer.
Fiddler Rowan Collinson and melodeon player Elye Cuthbertson are a duo got to
know each other and their musical styles playing in larger ensembles.
Friday
March 26, 8.00 pm Lizzy Hardingham plus New
Roots finalists tbc
Friday
April 9, 8.00pm Iona Fyfe plus New Roots finalists tbc
Friday
April 23, 8.00pm Watford Folk Club New Roots night. Pete Nutkins introduces four New Roots finalists selected by his club.
Tickets: £12, individuals, £20 for two people using the same
device, £25 for three or more people using the same device.
Bookings online at http://www.ticketsource.co.uk/stalbansfolkmusic
or
by phone 0333 666 3366.
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.
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 St Albans Folk Music’s 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
New
Roots an event for young musicians who are under 25 and play or sing
folk, roots or traditional music.
The
final of New Roots 2020 was postponed to Sunday November 1 2020
from 11am to 5pm and was online. The music can be heard on New Roots YouTube channel.
For further details, click here.
New
Roots 2021 The closing date will be August 31
2021 and the final will be on October 24. We hope it will be live at Trestle
Arts Base. If not, it will be online.
New Roots 21st anniversary celebration, Sunday June
28 2020
The first New Roots took place in 2000 and a 21st
anniversary event was held on Sunday June 28 2020, 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 New Roots YouTube channel
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.
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. The Robin Hood sessions are
currently being replaced by sessions on Zoom. For details, email info@stalbansfolkmusic.org.uk
Weekly sessions at 8.30pm on Wednesdays are at the Robin Hood, 126 Victoria Street, St Albans
AL1 3TG.
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