A COLLABORATION with Europe will see the first-ever Scottish Folk Day held on Saturday, September 23.
The event will be marked up and down the country and feature Scottish musicians and community groups, in an effort to help promote and celebrate Scotland’s very own folk scene.
Scottish Folk Day was organised by the country’s Traditional Music Forum and is running in collaboration with European Folk Day on the same date.
Performers from all levels are being encouraged to join in as it will also act as a networking platform while giving fans the opportunity to discover new music and connect with a like-minded community.
Musicians and artists from across Scotland will participate by staging various live performances and come-and-try workshops throughout the day.
Artists such as the winner of 2018’s BBC Young Traditional Musician of the year, Hannah Rarity, will sing at the Traverse Theatre, after recording and touring with acts like Blazin’ Fiddles and Rura.
Vocalist and fiddle player Mairi McGillivray and guitarist and fiddle player Katie Allen will participate and perform traditional songs at Edinburgh’s Holy Cross Church.
Glasgow’s Royal Concert Hall will host contemporary-folk duo Juliette Lemoine and Nicky Murray for a dementia-friendly concert in the afternoon and then the Scottish Fiddle Orchestra in the evening.
As well as music, event-goers can watch plays such as Connie Meets Robert Burns, performed by Cultural Connections and taking place at the Ayrshire Food Hub near Kilmarnock.
Some entertainment will also take place online, with Fèis Rois featuring a short film showcasing efforts from its young musicians on its Facebook page at 10am to mark Scottish Folk Day.
Some performances will be held after Scottish Folk Day has passed.
Leith Depot will host an Edinburgh Scandi Session on September 24 where musicians will play songs from Scandinavian countries.
Non-performers can get involved by posting their own musical performances online using the hashtags #ScottishFolkDay and #EuropeanFolkDay.
For more information on the event or how to get involved, you can visit https://europeanfolkday.eu.
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