About Edinburgh Tradfest

The past, present and future of traditional music

2024

Thanks to those who helped us put together our most successful Edinburgh Tradfest yet! We hope to be back in May 2025.

ASSOCIATE PROGRAMMERS/PROMOTERS
Daniel Abercrombie, Scottish Storytelling Centre/TRACS
James Bruce, Usher Hall/Assembly Rooms
Jamie Chambers, the Folk Film Gathering
Evan Henderson & Emma Mortimore, The Queen’s Hall
Lori Watson, University of Edinburgh Celtic & Scottish Studies
Laura Wilkie

EDINBURGH YOUTH GAITHERIN
Sarah Hayes

PR/MARKETING
Emma Henderson
Christina Webber

DESIGN
Van Gill Media

SOUNDHOUSE TECHNICAL TEAM
Graham Bodenham
Craig Gaskin
Nora Winstanley

VIDEO PROMO
Sandy Butler

TRAVERSE THEATRE
All the team but especially David Drummond, Conor O’Donnelly, Lauren Scott, Kevin McCallum & Renny Robertson

OUR HISTORY

Edinburgh Tradfest has a rich story. With its longer tap roots in the Edinburgh Folk Festival, it was launched by Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland (TRACS) in 2013 to provide a distinctive platform for folk arts in the capital city. Edinburgh is a hot house of talent, home grown and visiting, and Tradfest is an opportunity to see it all in play.

In 2015, TRACS asked us at the Soundhouse Organisation to programme a series of concerts for them. With many years of concert promoting, beginning at our house in 2002, and then our regular Monday nights at The Traverse Bar (gathering appreciative audiences since 2014), we were well placed to select a dynamic line up of musical stars from home and abroad.

In 2018, however, TRACS had its funding reduced (as part of wider cut backs in government funding) but they honoured their commitment with a very strong Tradfest programme in that year. When it came to appraise the situation for 2019 the good folks at TRACS decided they couldn’t continue without funding. We thought it was a shame to lose the festival particularly at a time when Scotland’s traditional music scene is so strong and vibrant, so they agreed to pass it on to us in 2019. We are indebted to TRACS for their generous spirit and assistance in handing over the Tradfest reins.

In 2019, we were able to double the audience for our gigs and in 2020 we wanted to double the number of curated shows on offer to 20 so were hoping for another audience doubling. The Festival was also to include a folk film strand from Transgressive North, entitled the Folk Film Gathering, and a programme of family/storytelling events at the Scottish Storytelling Centre under the title ‘May Days’.

In the end covid put a halt to those plans with the festival cancelled just before line up announcement in March 2020. Thanks to the generosity of our funders: Creative Scotland, the City of Edinburgh, and the William Grant Foundation we were able to pay all musicians their guarantees, put together a new recording and video of Wild Mountain Thyme to mark what would have been the opening day of the festival on 1 May 2020 and produce four online concerts streamed in October 2020.

Because of the ongoing situation with the covid pandemic the 2021 festival was also entirely digital and featured as many of those musicians we had hoped to present in 2020. We hosted two unique online concerts, opening with Catriona Macdonald’s Shetland Springs, and closing with the live streamed Rebellious Truth lecture and concert by Karine Polwart. We also presented nine editions of the Edinburgh Tradfest Podcast which proved very popular with over 5,000 subscribers. Again we had the support from Creative Scotland and the William Grant Foundation, with the University of Edinburgh Department of Celtic and Scottish Studies coming on board for 2021. Heartfelt thanks to them.

There was relief everywhere and a hefty smattering of joy when we eventually got to return to normal in 2022. We got the big opening concert we had always wanted in collaboration with the Usher Hall team when Duncan Chisholm launched the festival in some style at the Assembly Music Hall. In total over 2,500 tickets were sold to Edinburgh Tradfest’s live music events with a further 3,000 people tuning in to listen to the Edinburgh Tradfest Podcast which added three episodes in that year. Overall the Festival featured nearly 100 artists from the world of folk music including well known international and Scottish artists: Frigg, Shooglenifty, Eliza and Martin Carthy, Karine Polwart, Project Smok, Alice Allen and Patsy Reid, and The Shee. They were joined by some of the best up-and-coming names on the circuit including Beth Malcolm, Eabhal, Madderam, and Malin makes Music and one of the greatest classic banjo players of all time Aaron Jonah Lewis from the highly acclaimed old time trio The Corn Potato String Band.

We further established strands such as the ‘special commission’ in 2022 presenting Come All Ye by Phil Alexander which celebrated the impact ‘New Scots’ are having on our traditional music. Our Rebellious Truth lecture (in collaboration with University of Edinburgh) featured Úna Monaghan who talked about gender inequality in traditional music. Karine Polwart talked to the pupils at the City of Edinburgh Music School about songwriting and we supplied some incredible guest tutors to the Edinburgh Youth Gaitherin which in turn gave us a great opening act to our May Day concert. Storytelling events were once again supplied by the Scottish Storytelling Centre and we are indebted to Creative Scotland and William Grant Foundation who continue to supply financial support.

In 2023 we broke our own audience records once again with a critically acclaimed line up led by Grammy-winners Rhiannon Giddens and Francesco Turrisi who opened the festival in 5* style. The momentum continued throughout the festival with an incredible music programme including visitors from the States – The Foghorn Stringband, Dirk and Amelia Powell, and Bronwynne Brent – Edinburgh Tradfest debuts from Austria’s Alicia Edelweiss, Sweden’s Fredy Clue and England’s Kathryn Tickell, and a whole host of Scottish stars. Ciaran Ryan, Fara, Allan Macdonald and Cathal McConnell, Kim Carnie, Ross Ainslie and Tim Edie, Rory Matheson and Graham Rorie, Juliette Lemoine, Amy Laurenson, and Ryan Young are among the acts featured, once again proof that Scotland is the home of world-class traditional music.

Our special commission was Two For Joy, curated and arranged by harpist Ailie Robertson and Mischa Macpherson gave the Rebellious Truth lecture on the subject of musicians’ mental health (in association with the University of Edinburgh). BBC Young Trad Musician of the Year Amy Laurenson visited the City of Edinburgh Music School to talk about how the piano can take the lead in traditional music and many of our musical stars provided tuition to the Edinburgh Youth Gaitherin and to our adult workshops on the second weekend.

We were indebted to the Scottish Storytelling Centre/TRACS who provided storytelling and family events so expertly in 2023 and also increased their numbers year on year.

For 2024 the heat was on but again we managed a record year – total audience numbers for the music programme were up 25%. Much of this was down to having not one but two BIG concerts – Valtos (with Josie Duncan and Assynt) filled the Queen’s Hall with many happy dancing feet for our opening whilst Julie Fowlis (plus Laura Wilkie & Ian Carr) gave us the perfect closing night at the Assembly Rooms.

The Traverse filled in the nine days between opening and closing with performances, workshops and sessions filling all spaces in the building. We were indebted to the wonderful musicians who played for us – in date order – Alice Howe & Freebo, Martin Simpson, Rachel Newton, Nordic Fiddlers Bloc, Simon Bradley Trio, Frankie Archer, The Fretless with Madeleine Roger, Malin Lewis Trio, Lena Jonsson & Brittany Haas, Norman&Corrie, Kate Young, Birdvox, Evie Waddell, Triptic, Simon Thoumire & Dave Milligan, Dàimh, and Clare Sands.

Our special commission (and the first to sell out) was Everyone’s Welcome to Edinburgh curated and performed by Robbie Greig with Duncan Lyall, Hannah Rarity, Jenn Butterworth, Megan Macdonald and Signy Jakobsdottir. Archie Fisher gave the annual Rebellious Truth lecture on the subject of his seven decade folk career (in association with the University of Edinburgh). Our showcase artists in ETF Spotlight this year were Miguel Giräo, Elír, Noah Scott & Ciorstaidh Chaimbeul, and Beatha.

Edinburgh Youth Gaitherin had a bumper class of 13-18 year old musicians taking part in their workshop weekend and performing on the bank holiday Monday, and our adult workshops had their best year ever. Thanks to our tutors – Bruce Ncube, Evie Waddell, Karine Polwart and Anna-Wendy Stevenson.

And finally we were delighted to welcome back the Folk Film Gathering this year who filled our programme with amazing cinematic treats, whilst, as ever, we were able to draw on the expertise of TRACS in providing family and storytelling events to the mix.

Each year huge thanks are due to our funders Creative Scotland and the William Grant Foundation who have supported the festival since 2019.

As usual the festival falls in line with Soundhouse’s mission:

“Our aim is to attract everyone who listens to and appreciates music; to entice people from their homes to enjoy music at its source, and to engage existing audiences for live music; to promote a memorable experience for audiences and musicians alike through a more positive attitude to live music, and a feeling of community.

“The Soundhouse Organisation encourages audiences to make live music a regular part of their lives.”

We hope to see you soon!

Douglas Robertson and Jane-Ann Purdy, ETF Producers
The Soundhouse Organisation
June 2024