Shrewsbury Folk Festival
Encyclopedia
Shrewsbury Folk Festival is an annual festival of folk
and world music
and traditional dance held in the town
of Shrewsbury
in Shropshire
, England
.
It takes place over the 4 days of the August bank holiday
weekend, and moved to Shrewsbury in 2006 (having previously being held in Bridgnorth
, with the first festival taking place in 1997 and known as the Bridgnorth Folk Festival)
The first Shrewsbury event was held at The Quarry
in 2006, but moved to the larger West Midlands Showground in 2007. All subsequent festivals have been held there.
The festival is headed by festival directors Alan Surtees and Sandra Surtees who both started the Bridgnorth Folk Festival in 1997; the festival, projects and events that come under the 'Shrewsbury Folk Festival' banner are organised by Alan, Sandra and the small team who make up the committee.
The festival's patron is John Jones
of the Oysterband
, the Oysterband are regular performers at the event.
Richard Thompson, Afro Celt Sound System
, Bellowhead
, Billy Bragg
, The Proclaimers
, Paul Brady
, Kate Rusby
, Oysterband
, The Duhks
, Crooked Still
, Show of Hands
, Lunasa
, Loudon Wainwright III
, The Wailin' Jennys
, Patrick Street
, Kathryn Tickell Band, Richard Shindell
, Lucy Kaplansky
, Ade Edmondson, Breabach, Genticorum
, Dervish
, a multi-artist commission to create new material based on the life and collections of the founding father of the English Folk Revival Cecil Sharp
.
On 18 March 2011 artists gather together in Acton Scott
, Shropshire. with the new work premiered the new work at Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury on 24 March, the artists immediately head to London for two concerts at Cecil Sharp House on 26 and 27 March 2011.
The concerts will be professional recorded, and mixed for a full CD release in September 2011
The eight artists involved in the commission are
Steve Knightley
, Andy Cutting
, Leonard Podolak, Jim Moray
, Jackie Oates
, Caroline Herring
, Kathryn Roberts
, Patsy Reid
(who was born in Shrewsbury), the festival commissioned the Darwin Song Project
, a multi-artist residential project for one week, with the brief to create new works with a 'relevance and resonance' to the life and work of Darwin.
The artists involved were Chris Wood
, Karine Polwart
, Jez Lowe
, Stu Hanna
, Mark Erelli
, Rachael McShane
, Emily Smith
and Krista Detor
A professional CD produced by Hanna, was released in August 2009.
In the last few years the project has seen the musicians working with all the year groups in the school, but also working intensively with 30 children that results in a performance at the Theatre Severn where the whole school community are invited to a free show with the 30 children performing on stage with the band.
The 30 children and their families are then invited to the festival in August, where the show is performed on the second stage.
Since 2007 the musicians involved in the schools' project were 422, The Demon Barber Roadshow, Breabach, Calan
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
and world music
World music
World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...
and traditional dance held in the town
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
of Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...
in Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
It takes place over the 4 days of the August bank holiday
Bank Holiday
A bank holiday is a public holiday in the United Kingdom or a colloquialism for public holiday in Ireland. There is no automatic right to time off on these days, although the majority of the population is granted time off work or extra pay for working on these days, depending on their contract...
weekend, and moved to Shrewsbury in 2006 (having previously being held in Bridgnorth
Bridgnorth
Bridgnorth is a town in Shropshire, England, along the Severn Valley. It is split into Low Town and High Town, named on account of their elevations relative to the River Severn, which separates the upper town on the right bank from the lower on the left...
, with the first festival taking place in 1997 and known as the Bridgnorth Folk Festival)
The first Shrewsbury event was held at The Quarry
The Quarry
The Quarry is the main recreational park in Shrewsbury, the county town of Shropshire, England. The park was created in 1719 and encompasses...
in 2006, but moved to the larger West Midlands Showground in 2007. All subsequent festivals have been held there.
The festival is headed by festival directors Alan Surtees and Sandra Surtees who both started the Bridgnorth Folk Festival in 1997; the festival, projects and events that come under the 'Shrewsbury Folk Festival' banner are organised by Alan, Sandra and the small team who make up the committee.
The festival's patron is John Jones
John Jones
-Authors, artists, poets, and writers:*John Jones of Gellilyfdy , Welsh calligrapher, manuscript collector and antiquary*John Jones , Welsh writer*John Jones , Welsh poet...
of the Oysterband
Oysterband
Oysterband is a British electric folk or folk rock band formed in Canterbury in or around 1976.-Early history:...
, the Oysterband are regular performers at the event.
Artists who have appeared at Shrewsbury
Artists booked since the first Shrewsbury Folk Festival in 2006 include:Richard Thompson, Afro Celt Sound System
Afro Celt Sound System
The Afro Celt Sound System is a musical group which fuses modern electronic dance rhythms with traditional Irish and West African music...
, Bellowhead
Bellowhead
Bellowhead are an English contemporary folk band originally brought together by John Spiers and Jon Boden. The eleven-piece band plays traditional dance tunes, folk songs and shanties, with arrangements drawing inspiration from a wide diversity of musical styles and influences...
, Billy Bragg
Billy Bragg
Stephen William Bragg , better known as Billy Bragg, is an English alternative rock musician and left-wing activist. His music blends elements of folk music, punk rock and protest songs, and his lyrics mostly deal with political or romantic themes...
, The Proclaimers
The Proclaimers
The Proclaimers are a Scottish band composed of identical twin brothers, Charlie and Craig Reid . They are probably best known for the songs "Letter from America", "I'm On My Way" and "I'm Gonna Be ". The band tours extensively throughout Europe and other continents...
, Paul Brady
Paul Brady
Paul Joseph Brady is an Irish singer-songwriter, whose work straddles folk and pop. He was interested in a wide variety of music from an early age...
, Kate Rusby
Kate Rusby
Kate Anna Rusby is an English folk singer and songwriter from Penistone, South Yorkshire. Sometimes known as The Barnsley Nightingale, she has headlined various British national folk festivals, and is regarded as one of the most famous English folk singers of contemporary times...
, Oysterband
Oysterband
Oysterband is a British electric folk or folk rock band formed in Canterbury in or around 1976.-Early history:...
, The Duhks
The Duhks
The Duhks is a band from Winnipeg, Canada.The members play a blend of Canadian soul, gospel, North American folk, Brazilian samba, old time country string band, zydeco, and Irish dance music. Hailing from Winnipeg, Manitoba, their music draws heavily on all of the North American musical traditions,...
, Crooked Still
Crooked Still
Crooked Still is an alternative bluegrass band consisting of vocalist Aoife O'Donovan, banjo player Dr. Gregory Liszt, bassist Corey DiMario, cellist Tristan Clarridge and fiddler Brittany Haas...
, Show of Hands
Show of Hands
Show of Hands is an English acoustic roots and folk duo comprising singer-songwriter Steve Knightley and multi-instrumentalist Phil Beer. In recent years they have been accompanied on tour and in the studio by jazz double-bassist Miranda Sykes.-Origins:...
, Lunasa
Lúnasa
Lúnasa can refer to:* Lúnasa , a traditional Irish band from Ireland** Lúnasa , the first album released by Lúnasa in 1998* Lughnasadh, a Gaelic holiday* Lúnasa, the Irish language word for the month of August....
, Loudon Wainwright III
Loudon Wainwright III
Loudon Snowden Wainwright III is a Grammy Award-winning American songwriter, folk singer, humorist, and actor. He is the father of musicians Rufus Wainwright, Martha Wainwright and Lucy Wainwright Roche, brother of Sloan Wainwright, and the former husband of the late folk singer Kate McGarrigle.To...
, The Wailin' Jennys
The Wailin' Jennys
The Wailin' Jennys are a Juno Award-winning Canadian folk trio from Winnipeg, Manitoba, and New York, and they consist of soprano Ruth Moody, mezzo Nicky Mehta and alto Heather Masse. In previous years, the Jennys have also toured with fiddler and mandolinist Jeremy Penner, who is from Ruth's...
, Patrick Street
Patrick Street
Patrick Street is an Irish folk group.The band was formed in Dublin in 1986 with Kevin Burke on fiddle, Jackie Daly on button accordion, Andy Irvine on bouzouki and vocals, and Arty McGlynn on guitar...
, Kathryn Tickell Band, Richard Shindell
Richard Shindell
Richard Shindell is an American folk songwriter. Shindell grew up in Port Washington, New York. He currently lives in Buenos Aires, Argentina, with his wife, a university professor, and their children....
, Lucy Kaplansky
Lucy Kaplansky
Lucy Kaplansky is an American folk musician based in New York City. Kaplansky also has a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Yeshiva University.-Biography:...
, Ade Edmondson, Breabach, Genticorum
Genticorum
Genticorum is a popular traditional Québécois musical trio based in Montreal, Canada. Members are Pascal Gemme , Yann Falquet , and Alexandre de Grosbois-Garand...
, Dervish
Dervish
A Dervish or Darvesh is someone treading a Sufi Muslim ascetic path or "Tariqah", known for their extreme poverty and austerity, similar to mendicant friars in Christianity or Hindu/Buddhist/Jain sadhus.-Etymology:The Persian word darvīsh is of ancient origin and descends from a Proto-Iranian...
Cecil Sharp Project
In March 2011, the festival, in conjunction with EFDSS teamed up to organise the Cecil Sharp ProjectCecil Sharp Project
The Cecil Sharp Project is a multi-artist, residential commission to create new material based on the life and collections of the founding father of the English Folk Revival Cecil Sharp....
, a multi-artist commission to create new material based on the life and collections of the founding father of the English Folk Revival Cecil Sharp
Cecil Sharp
Cecil James Sharp was the founding father of the folklore revival in England in the early 20th century, and many of England's traditional dances and music owe their continuing existence to his work in recording and publishing them.-Early life:Sharp was born in Camberwell, London, the eldest son of...
.
On 18 March 2011 artists gather together in Acton Scott
Acton Scott
Acton Scott is a village and parish near Church Stretton in Shropshire, England. It lies in the Shropshire Hills area of outstanding natural beauty. The settlement was registered as Actune in the Domesday Book....
, Shropshire. with the new work premiered the new work at Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury on 24 March, the artists immediately head to London for two concerts at Cecil Sharp House on 26 and 27 March 2011.
The concerts will be professional recorded, and mixed for a full CD release in September 2011
The eight artists involved in the commission are
Steve Knightley
Steve Knightley
Steve Knightley is a singer-songwriter, musician and one half of British acoustic roots duo Show of Hands.-Career:...
, Andy Cutting
Andy Cutting
Andy Cutting is an English folk musician and composer. Born 18 March 1969 in Harrow, he plays melodeon and has had instruments made by Castagnari to his own specification. He won the Folk Musician of the Year at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards 2008 and 2011...
, Leonard Podolak, Jim Moray
Jim Moray
Jim Moray is an English folk singer, multi-instrumentalist and record producer.-Recording artist:While studying classical composition at the Birmingham Conservatoire, Moray released the home-recorded I Am Jim Moray EP. During 2002 he appeared at the Glastonbury festival and the Cambridge Folk...
, Jackie Oates
Jackie Oates
Jackie Oates is an English folk singer and fiddle player. In addition to her solo work, she currently performs as part of the folk trio Wistman's Wood and sings with Morris Offspring.She was born in Congleton in Cheshire in 1983, but grew up in Staffordshire...
, Caroline Herring
Caroline Herring
Caroline Herring is a country and folk singer-songwriter. Born in Canton, Mississippi, she has lived in Oxford, Mississippi and Austin, Texas, but now lives in Atlanta with her son, daughter, and husband. Many of her songs deal with slavery and her Mississippi upbringing...
, Kathryn Roberts
Kathryn Roberts
Kathryn Roberts is an English folk singer, from Barnsley, South Yorkshire.Her first released recordings were on the album Intuition, a collection of songs by various South Yorkshire folk artists which also included her friend Kate Rusby...
, Patsy Reid
Darwin Song Project
In March 2009, to celebrate the 200th birthday of Charles DarwinCharles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.He published his theory...
(who was born in Shrewsbury), the festival commissioned the Darwin Song Project
Darwin Song Project
Darwin Song Project is a compilation album, released on September 7, 2009. It features folk artists from the UK and North America, who were tasked with the creation of new songs that had a "resonance and relevance to Charles Darwin". The artists gathered together for 7 days in a farmhouse in...
, a multi-artist residential project for one week, with the brief to create new works with a 'relevance and resonance' to the life and work of Darwin.
The artists involved were Chris Wood
Chris Wood (folk musician)
Chris Wood is an English folk musician and composer who plays fiddle, viola and guitar, and sings. He is an ardent enthusiast for traditional English dance music , including Morris and other rituals and ceremonies, but his repertoire also includes much French folk music and traditional Québécois...
, Karine Polwart
Karine Polwart
Karine Polwart is a Scottish singer-songwriter. She writes and performs music with a strong folk and roots feel, her songs dealing with a variety of issues from alcoholism to genocide...
, Jez Lowe
Jez Lowe
Jez Lowe is an English folk singer-songwriter. Lowe was born and raised in County Durham, in a coal mining family with Irish roots. He is known primarily for his compositions dealing with daily life in North-East England, particularly in his hometown of Easington Colliery. He performs both as a...
, Stu Hanna
Megson (band)
Megson are an English folk duo composed of husband and wife Stu Hanna and Debbie Hanna. The duo have released four albums and one EP under their own label, edj...
, Mark Erelli
Mark Erelli
Mark Erelli is an American folk singer/songwriter from Reading, Massachusetts. He currently resides in Massachusetts. Erelli is a 1996 graduate of Bates College, where he majored in Biology, and holds a Master's Degree in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Massachusetts...
, Rachael McShane
Bellowhead
Bellowhead are an English contemporary folk band originally brought together by John Spiers and Jon Boden. The eleven-piece band plays traditional dance tunes, folk songs and shanties, with arrangements drawing inspiration from a wide diversity of musical styles and influences...
, Emily Smith
Emily Smith (singer)
Emily Smith is a Scottish folk singer from Dumfries and Galloway. She went to school at Wallace Hall Academy and has a degree in Scottish music from The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. She is married to New Zealand-born fiddle player Jamie McClennan.Dumfries & Galloway's EMILY SMITH is...
and Krista Detor
Krista Detor
Krista Detor is a singer-songwriter and pianist from Indiana whose music has been featured on NPR, and with Mike Harding on the BBC.Detor has worked with Carrie Newcomer and Tim Grimm on the collaborative stage show and CD Wilderness Plots, which is based on the book of the same name by Scott...
A professional CD produced by Hanna, was released in August 2009.
Work in Schools
The festival also runs a regular schools project, usually taking place in June each year, that sees established traditional folk groups working in Shropshire primary schools for a week.In the last few years the project has seen the musicians working with all the year groups in the school, but also working intensively with 30 children that results in a performance at the Theatre Severn where the whole school community are invited to a free show with the 30 children performing on stage with the band.
The 30 children and their families are then invited to the festival in August, where the show is performed on the second stage.
Since 2007 the musicians involved in the schools' project were 422, The Demon Barber Roadshow, Breabach, Calan
Calan
Călan is a town in Romania, in Hunedoara County, on the Strei river valley, at 230 m altitude.Twelve villages are administered by the town: Batiz , Călanu Mic , Grid, Nădăştia de Jos , Nădăştia de Sus , Ohaba Streiului , Sâncrai , Sântămăria de Piatră , Strei Călan is a town in Romania, in...