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.
Online music for Christmas and New Year 2020-21
Go to our YouTube channel
and watch Christmas videos specially recorded by an
eclectic range of our local perfomers.
Festive zoom sessions
Christmas Day December 25, from 7pm
New Year’s Eve, December 31, from 10pm
For link, go to www.ticketsource.co.uk/stalbansfolkmusic
New Year concert, January 1, 5pm
With the Devines, plus Elie Rees and
Nancy Potts. Details below
Preceded by zoom session, 2.30-4.00pm. Link from oldtimetim@gmail.com
This year, we have been unable to collect for the Open Door night shelter as we have had no live Christmas
events. To donate see https://opendoorstalbans.org/donating/
Details for direct bank transfers are also available from info@stalbansfolkmusic.org.uk
Don’t forget St
Albans Mummers who have are putting their play online from 3pm on Boxing
Day December 26
so you can still see it and donate to the Mayor’s Charity.
Folk at the Maltings Online
The Maltings Theatre has now re-opened for theatre
but there are no plans for music at the moment anyway. The concerts below will
take place online.
Friday
January 1, 5.00pm New Year Concert with 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, 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
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 St Albans Folk Music’s 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.
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 will take place in the autumn of 2021. The closing date will be
August 31 2021 and the final will be in late October.
New Roots 21st anniversary celebration, Sunday June
28
The first New Roots took place in 2000 and a 21st
anniversary event was held 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 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.
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
Festive zoom sessions
Christmas Day December 25, from 7pm
New Year’s Eve, December 31, from 10pm
For link, go to www.ticketsource.co.uk/stalbansfolkmusic
Zoom session on Friday January 1 from 2.30-4.00pm. Link from
oldtimetim@gmail.com
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