Post by maurice on Jul 2, 2007 3:03:11 GMT -5
The Hills are Alive with the sound of folk music!
A brand new traditional Folk Festival is being launched in Dulverton on 27th July. The three-day event is attracting big names from the folk scene on their way to the renowned Sidmouth Folk Festival, as well as lots of local talent.
Local musician Dave Towers is the inspiration behind the event, and his contacts within the folk industry have turned Dulverton's dream of hosting a festival into a reality.
He said, “We've a great line-up and an exciting programme of events. There are three concerts in the town hall, a series of workshops and plenty of fringe events around the town to surprise and entertain our visitors.”
The festival gets underway on Friday 27th July with guitarist Maurice Condie and Irish music singer Gillian Tolfrey. The well-known duo will be joined by singer-songwriter George Papavgeris, who is described as 'the best thing to happen in UK song writing for many a year'.
They will be supported by local performers, Stephen Snow and Vikki Nuttall. Fiddle player Stephen, who is just 19 and from mid-Devon, has already played at an impressive list of British venues. Vikki lives in Dulverton and sings and plays guitar locally.
On Saturday, the Town Hall will be given over to a series of daytime workshops including guitar with Maurice Condie, Appalachian dulcimer with Liz Law, song writing with George Papavgeris, singing with Gillian Tolfrey, and melodeon with Julian Sutton. John Lowday will also demonstrate his work in making Sudan chairs in the Lower Town Hall.
Saturday evening's concert features Julian Sutton and Tom Oakes. Julian plays the melodeon in traditional dance bands, while Tom Oakes, an accomplished singer, is also regarded as one of the best young flute players in Britain today.
The concert will also feature Liz Law and Terry Conway with their repertoire of English and Scottish traditional ballads, Irish songs and other traditional songs.
Sunday's events start at noon with the well-known duo of Steve Last and Christine Connelly, sometimes known as Moses and The Ref. Steve is an accomplished guitarist and singer and Chris has a remarkable voice, presenting sensitive interpretations of traditional and contemporary folk songs.
They will be joined by the Devon singer/songwriter Jim Causley, who performs an exciting mixture of traditional and contemporary songs. He has rapidly become renowned for his warm rich voice and his wickedly cheeky stage presence.
Graeme Maynard from Dulverton will also be bringing his own particular style of folk music - watch out for his amazing whistling!
Throughout the weekend there will be plenty of opportunities for informal music playing in local pubs, and the Bridge Inn will be hosting a real ale festival.
The Folk Festival has been supported with financial assistance from Exmoor Events and ArtLife, in partnership with West Somerset Council.
Tickets are available by phoning 01398 323818, and full details are on the website at www.dulvertonff.co.uk