There’s some other, more chatty, news over on my News page, or just read on for gigs.
2024 dates
Friday 1st – Sunday 3rd March 2024 Moreton Singing Weekend, Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire
Friday 15th March 2024 Knees Up Ceilidh @ Cecil Sharp House, Camden, London NW1- PolkaWorks
Saturday 6th April 2024 A Feast from the East – Traditional Song Forum day meeting in Stowmarket, Suffolk – I will be giving a new presentation: “Fred Whiting – A Life Through Songs”.
Friday 2nd – 9th August 2024 Sidmouth Folk Festival including a ceilidh or two with PolkaWorks
Saturday 17th – Friday 23rd August 2024 Whitby Folk Week
Saturday 21st September 2024 Traditional Music Day Stowmarket, Suffolk
2023 dates
Saturday 2nd September 2023 Traditional Music Day Stowmarket, Suffolk
I will be giving a talk about Suffolk singing and music called “All Aboard the Charabanc” – it’s a fun presentation where we make a virtual journey around a number of pubs in the Mid Suffolk area known for their singing and listen to the singers and musicians from each location. I will also be hosting a pub session on the Friday night.
Saturday 5th August- Friday 11th August 2023 Sidmouth Folk Festival:
Thirsty Work – folk songs from the Cotswolds on BBC radio in 1940 – a talk focussing on the two Cotswolds programmes, which reveal some entertaining and unexpected stories – audio-visual presentation. (Saturday 5th, 5pm, Arts Centre)
Grand Ceilidh Night with Friends of Token Women – core members of Token Women are joined by guest musicians (including me) in a special event in aid of Cancer Research. (Monday 7th, 7.30, Blackmore Gardens Marquee)
Traditional Night Out – with Roger Digby – airing some of our eclectic repertoire! (Sunday 6th & Thursday 10th, Arts Centre). We’re also the “pit band” at the Volunteer one day (Sunday 6th, 12pm).
Saturday 19th August – Friday 25th August 2023 Whitby Folk Week:
Thirsty Work – folk songs from Yorkshire on BBC radio in 1940 – a talk focussing on the two Yorkshire programmes, including a delve into local customs and choirs – audio-visual presentation. (Sunday 20th August, 12-1.30, Coliseum).
Traditional Night Out – with Michael Sheehy (Saturday 19th, 8pm, Flowergate Hall) and Michael, Alan Block and Roger Digby (Friday 25th, 8pm, Flowergate Hall) – airing some of our Sliabh Luachra repertoire!
Taffy’s Tunes & Tales (Sunday 20th, 7pm, Unitarian Chapel)
Harmonica Club – with Simon Joy (Monday 21st, 11.30am)
Traditional Song Forum Concert – don’t worry, I won’t be singing! The guest list is chosen from people who have given talks for the Traditional Song Forum (Tuesday 22nd, 2.30-5pm, Flowergate Hall)
Concert – with Roger Digby (Tuesday 22nd, 8pm-11.20pm, Rifle Club)
Veteran Records – a tribute to the work of my late husband, John Howson, featuring people who recorded on the Veteran label – Roisin White, Rob Say, Will Noble, Michael Sheehy and friends including Barbara and Peter Snape and others (Thursday 3pm-5pm, Rifle Club). N.B. There will also be a stall selling Veteran recordings in the Craft Market at the Leisure Centre all week.
Saturday 18th February 2023: Lancashire Wallopers Workshop Weekend, Leyland, Lancashire – music workshops and “Back to the 80s” ceilidh – PolkaWorks
Saturday 18th March 2023: EFDSS Gold Badge Award ceilidh for Lawrence Heath, Godalming, Surrey – PolkaWorks
Saturday 22nd & Sunday 23rd April 2023: Melodeons in Wensleydale, Yorkshire – melodeon workshops and concert.
Saturday 5th August – Friday 11th August 2023: Sidmouth Folk Festival, Devon – performances with Roger Digby, and talks.
Saturday 19th August – Friday 25th August 2023: Whitby Folk Week, Yorkshire – performances with Michael Sheehy, Roger Digby and Alan Block, harmonica workshop with Harmonica UK, and talks.
Saturday 2nd September 2023: Traditional Music Day, Stowmarket, Suffolk – talk about singing and music in Suffolk.
2022 dates
Friday 1st April 2022: Dance Folkus, Woodbridge, Suffolk – PolkaWorks
Saturday 10th September 2022: Traditional Music Day, Stowmarket, Suffolk [cancelled due to the death of Queen Elizabeth].
Saturday 26th November 2022: Vaughan Williams in East Anglia conference, Stowmarket, Suffolk – research updates from myself and various other presenters, run by the East Anglian Traditional Music Trust.
For personal reasons, this was more-or-less a year out for me.
2021 dates
Saturday 13th February 2021: Oxfolk Ceilidhs, Oxfordshire –PolkaWorks [cancelled due to Covid-19]
Sunday 28th March 2021: a Zoom talk for the Traditional Song Forum about songs and singing on the Suffolk coast.
Sunday 30th May 2021: a Zoom presentation for the conference “The Folk Voice” about songs and singing in King’s Lynn, Norfolk, 1870-1970.
Saturday 24th & Sunday 25th April 2021: Melodeons in Wensleydale – melodeon workshops and concert [cancelled due to Covid-19]
Saturday 20th & Sunday 21st November 2021: Witney Supersqueeze – melodeon workshops and concert.
Sunday 28th November 2021: a Zoom talk for the Traditional Song Forum about “Thirsty Work” – an innovative wartime radio programmes featuring traditional singing.
2020 dates
Friday 21st February 2020: Knees Up, Cecil Sharp House, Camden, London – PolkaWorks
All the rest cancelled due to Covid-19 of course.
2019 dates – a reminder of when events were more frequent …
Saturday 16th February 2019: Ceilidhs on the Move, Clopton, Suffolk – Valiant Dance Band
Wednesday 27th February 2019: “All My Life’s Buried Here” – film about the composer and folk song collector George Butterworth, at the Diss Corn Hall, Norfolk. I will be talking briefly after the evening showing about Butterworth’s trip to collect folk songs in the countryside around Diss. Information about the film here.
Friday 8th March 2019: Norfolk Ceilidhs, Norwich, Norfolk – Valiant Dance Band
Sunday 5th May 2019: “All My Life’s Buried Here” – film about the composer and folk song collector George Butterworth, at the Aldeburgh Cinema, Suffolk, at 4pm. I will be talking briefly after the film about Butterworth’s trip to collect folk songs from the Hurr brothers in Southwold. Information about the film here.
Saturday 11th May 2019: Traditional Song Forum, Ely. Showing of “The Barley Mow” film made in Blaxhall in the 1950s, with background, commentary and songs from Alvar Smith.
Saturday 3rd August – Thursday 8th August 2019: Sidmouth Folk Festival, Devon. Various spots including Squeezebox Concert, 3pm-5pm on Tuesday 6th August in the Bedford Hotel.
Saturday 5th October 2019: GBH Ceilidhs, Godalming, Surrey – Valiant Dance Band
Friday 11th October 2019: Unicorn Ceilidhs, Baldock, Hertfordshire – Valiant Dance Band
Saturday 7th December 2019: Meltdown Ceilidhs – PolkaWorks