Folkworks Hexham Gathering England s biggest folk music festival for young performers 23-26 May 2013 Karine Polwart Calum Stewart & Lauren MacColl Ben Church with Kat Davidson The Teacups Blair Dunlop Ewan McLennan Tim Edey and Brendan Power Rob Heron and the Teapad Orchestra Down in the Attic and Friends
Thursday 23rd May Hexham Gathering brings top folk and traditional performers together with some of the brightest rising stars in the new generation of folk musicians. It is the country s leading festival providing performance opportunities for a host of hugely talented young singers, dancers and instrumentalists. Hundreds of performers converge on Hexham each year providing a vibrant kaleidoscope of music and spectacle throughout the town centre and at a variety of other venues across Tynedale. With some stunning performances by professional artists, this is a true highlight of the folk year with concerts, ceilidhs, sessions, informal performances and more. This year s performers include: Stocksfield Stompers Ceol Tire Horizontal Sunday Grasp the Nettle Charles Thorp School Folk Group Cream Tees Cramlington Learning Village Gemma Gates and Freya Almond Palmer Hydroholics Jane, Scott n Sophie Jessica Lamb Monkey Orbit and the Sound Minims Newcastle University Fiddle Band Carly Blain and Graeme Armstrong Peter Dilley Ewan Duncan and Mark Bruce Peter Sloan Priory Woods Stompers Random St. Mary s School Choir Yann Tan St. Bernard s Ceilidh Band Folkadot Andrew Parr and Amy Leach Speldosa Lily Rintoul Down in the Attic Minor 13th Rachel Hamer Kimber/Paul The Thingamajigs Chloe Jones and Seth Tinsley The Two: Matthew Ord & Niles Krieger Portobello Primary School Choir Small Hall Band Star + Shadow Warkworth First School Shilbottle First School Felton First School Whitfield First School Haydon Bridge High School. Stocksfield Community Centre, 7.30pm Ben Church with Kat Davidson Broomley First School, Stocksfield Stompers Singer-songwriter and acoustic guitarist Ben Church s percussive guitar playing has been receiving phenomenal reactions from audiences, while his delicate vocal melodies have been known to reduce people to tears. From rural Northumberland, and now based in Newcastle, Kat Davidson is very firmly grounded in Northumbrian song. She has a love of mining songs and songs for dancing as well as expanding out of regional repertoire. Both musicians have been working with pupils at Broomley First School. This concert sees the culmination of that work, along with performances from a number of other young acts.
Friday 24th May Allendale Village Hall, 7.30pm The Teacups Plus young musicians from around this region and beyond The Hearth at Horsley, 7.30pm Blair Dunlop Plus young musicians from around this region and beyond Ridley Hall, Bardon Mill, 7.30pm Ewan McLennan Plus young musicians from around this region and beyond The Teacups are a vibrant folk vocal quartet based in Newcastle, featuring Alex Cumming, Kate Locksley, Rosie Calvert and Will Finn. They perform traditional and contemporary songs in a wide variety of styles from all over the UK and beyond in new and exciting arrangements. Tonight s concert is launching their first CD. Blair Dunlop, winner of the Horizon Award in the 2013 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, is a captivating vocalist, and is rapidly emerging as a fine singer-songwriter. His vocals have a paradoxically light and raunchy feel, a very much once heard, never forgotten! sound. On guitar, he is forging a style of his own which is quite breathtaking and he featured recently in Acoustic magazine as an up-andcoming guitarist. Tickets for all events from Queen s Hall Arts Centre Box Office: 01434 652477 www.queenshall. co.uk Winner of several awards including the 2011 BBC Radio 2 Horizon Award, Ewan McLennan is an emerging folk artist who has been making headlines. His music combines traditional folk, with a focus on the music of Scotland, as well as his own self-penned songs that are receiving critical acclaim in their own right. According to Maverick he is quite possibly destined to become the UK s finest folk singer!. Only once in a while do you hear a new voice, a new sound that is really worth listening to, Ewan McLennan is one such! Martin Simpson
Saturday 25th May Hexham Town Centre, 10am-4pm Informal Performances Songs, dancing and tunes throughout Hexham with outdoor performances from a huge variety of school and youth groups. The sound will lead you through the streets! Also look out for the Hexham Gathering events at Trinity Methodist Church Hall and in The White Room of Queen s Hall with informal performances and sessions all day. Free Queen s Hall Arts Centre, Library, 2pm Informal Concert Soloists, duos, bands and more in a fast flowing afternoon of acoustic music. Free 12.30 to 2pm Ceilidh at The Bandstand Join us for an informal outdoor ceilidh around the bandstand with plenty of room to dance. Jigs, reels and waltzes played with verve and gusto and bags of enjoyment, expertly called by Alex Cumming with music from the Hydroholics, Thingamajigs, St Bernard s School and more. Come and listen, come and dance, bring your picnic and join in the fun. Free Queen s Hall Arts Centre theatre, 7pm Karine Polwart, Calum Stewart & Lauren MacColl A delightful shared bill featuring a wealth of Scottish talent. With glowing reviews for the evocative lyricism and cinematic musical depth of her new album Traces, Scottish singer-songwriter Karine Polwart draws from folk music s long tradition while keeping pace with the ceaselessly changing times. Calum Stewart and Lauren MacColl have released a beautifully crafted new duo album Wooden Flute & Fiddle, deploying unusual tunings and inventive arrangements to re-illuminate old Scottish repertoire. Tickets: 15 Concessions: 13 Students and Under 19s: 9
Saturday 25th May Sunday 26th May Wentworth Leisure Centre, 7.30pm-11pm Hexham Gathering Ceilidh Put on your dancing shoes and join us in a giant ceilidh. The music comes from some of the hottest young bands around with Small Hall Band, St Bernard s Ceilidh Band, Thingamajigs and more. Caller Alex Cumming guides you through each move and above all makes the dancing fun. Perfect for all the family. Tickets: 8 Concessions: 6 A combined ticket is available for the Queen s Hall concert and the Ceilidh: 20/ 16 (Friends/benefit concession) / 12 (student/under 19s) Queen s Hall Arts Centre: Library and White Room Workshops 10-11am Harmony Song (participants aged 8-12 years): great songs for harmony singing - suitable for all abilities. Traditional Tunes Workshop (participants aged 13-18): suitable for those with their own acoustic instruments with some experience through to more advanced players. No previous knowledge of folk music needed. Tickets: 2 per workshop Pay on the door. 11.15am-12.15pm Harmony Song (participants aged 13-18 years): great songs for harmony singing - suitable for all abilities. Traditional Tunes Workshop (participants aged 8-12): suitable for those with their own acoustic instruments with some experience through to more advanced players. No previous knowledge of folk music needed. Tickets: 2 per workshop Pay on the door. Queens Hall Arts Centre, 1pm Down in the Attic, Stocksfield Stompers, Highline and Minor 13th Queen s Hall has a history producing of exciting folk ensembles. This concert features the current group Down in the Attic and welcomes two other local groups of young players, the Stocksfield Stompers and Highline also introducing Minor 13th, Queen s Hall s newest folk ensemble in their first Hexham Gathering. Big energetic bands with great musical arrangements and joyful playing. Tickets: 6 Concessions: 4
Bandstand, Abbey Grounds, 2.30pm Gig in the Park: Tim Edey and Brendan Power, Rob Heron and the Teapad Orchestra The traditional closing event of the Gathering - a relaxed afternoon in the park with free outdoor music at the Bandstand. And if the weather defeats us, the event moves indoors to Queen s Hall Arts Centre. Tim Edey is one of the finest multi-instrumental players of his generation in the worldwide Celtic music scene. A virtuoso on both acoustic guitar and button accordion, harmonica player and composer Brendan Power is acknowledged by many as one of the most versatile and creative players around today. The duo s powerful blend of passion and virtuosity is infectious. Rob Heron and the Teapad Orchestra are a hot seven-piece. Featuring guitars, mandolin, harmonica, accordion, trumpet, double bass and percussion, they re more eclectic than most, mixing western swing, gypsy jazz, hokum blues, ragtime, Cajun, and roots-of-country. Tickets for all events from Queen s Hall Arts Centre Box Office: 01434 652477 www.queenshall.co.uk Any young performers of traditional music, song or dance wishing to get involved and participate in this event should contact folkworks@sagegateshead. com for more information. Full programme details are available from the information point at Queen s Hall across the weekend. Hexham Gathering is a partnership between Folkworks at Sage Gateshead and Queen s Hall Arts Centre. Sage Gateshead and Queen s Hall Arts Centre would like to thank Northumbrian Music Nights, The Hearth at Horsley, Broomley First School and Broomley PTA for their support and help with the Hexham Gathering. @QueensHall @_Folkworks @sage_gateshead Join in the conversation: #hexgath13 Check the website for updates and news: www.hexhamgathering.co.uk A F O THE ASSOCIATION OF FESTIVAL O R G A N I S E R S