Onwards and Upwards!

…or rather, postponed to Saturday 2^nd September 2023.  With around 75% of our chosen venues being state owned or with strong connections to the monarchy, the decision to not run this long awaited event was completely taken out of our hands.  But not to be deterred, this event is rescheduled to run next September.  We are extremely grateful to the messages of support and encouragement that we have received over these last couple of weeks.

Vaughan Williams’ Folk – Project Launch
Saturday 15th October 2022 12pm-2pm

One event which formed part of our Traditional Music Day was the launch of our Vaughan Williams’ Folk Project and this is something that can’t hold on until next year though you will be able to see the final showcase then!

Thanks to our quick thinking project co-ordinator Nicky Stockman, this has now been rescheduled to Saturday 15^th October from 12pm-2pm at the Redwoods Suite, Red Gables, Ipswich Road, Stowmarket IP14 1BE.  This event will be introduced by Nicky Stockman, with Essex researcher Sue Cubbin educating us about the county that first saw Ralph Vaughan Williams collecting and notating English Folk Songs.  Illustrating Sue’s talk will be Potiphar’s Apprentices.  There will be opportunities to talk to the team about the Youth Mentorship programme, Schools’ resources and volunteering opportunities. 

Youth Mentorship Scheme open for applicants

As part of the Vaughan Williams’ Folk Project EATMT and FolkEast Youth Moot are excited to work with 8 young musicians (16-25 years) to create a musical showcase using folk music and song collected across East Anglia by Ralph Vaughan Williams. 8 musicians will be enrolled on a mentorship programme with Finn Collinson & Emma Beach culminating in a musical showcase at FolkEast and at East Anglian Traditional Music Day 2023.

Applications are open now until October 31st 2022. Find out more on our website, email info@eatmt.org.uk or vaughanwilliamsfolk@yahoo.com or ring 07495 054669.

Vaughan Williams Folk – Research Conference
Saturday 26th November 2022 10am-4pm

Another strand of the Vaughan Williams Folk Project, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, is a Research Conference and we are now taking bookings for this free of charge conference. Come along and find out about the East Anglian folk song collections of Ralph Vaughan Williams, both published and unpublished. Come along to listen or get involved with helping us to make the manuscripts more publicly available.

There will be talks from researchers from all 4 of the East Anglian Counties (Sue Cubbin, Katie Howson, Jill Bennett, Liz James & Caroline Davison) followed by Q&A sessions and discussion with Steve Roud and other experts in the folk song collecting field.

Please book free tickets via Eventbrite using this link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/…/vaughan-williams-in-east… or ring EATMT 07495 054669. SPACES ARE LIMITED!

To whet your appetites please have a listen to a project talk by Alan Helsdon & Chris Holderness at FolkEast earlier this year. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GR_unkfU0_Q&t=1663s

Hot off the press…

You can spend the autumn immersed in everything Vaughan Williams with the latest publications in time for this conference!

Caroline Davison’s eagerly awaited book The Captain’s Apprentice is now available to buy and features on the BBC’s Book of the Week commencing Monday 26th September at 9.45am Monday to Friday and then will be available on BBC Sounds and Jill Bennett and Elizabeth James’ eagerly awaited book A Norfolk Rhapsody is published on October 10th 2022.

Stepdance Day goes to Cambridgeshire

Pictured from Left to Right: Eammon Andrews, winner of the Steve Monk Tankard, Michael Czarnobaj a close runner up, Fiona Davies with the Percy West Plate (awarded by our Patron Gloria Buckley for services to Stepdancing), Angela Peacock, runner up and best newcomer Sue Gwynne

Our final year funded by The Instep Research Team saw Stepdance Day step into Cambridgeshire with Chippenham being our chosen destination in mid July.  We were delighted to see lots of new faces but sad to not see a number of our traditional stepdancers who we rely on to share this unique East Anglian tradition.    You can read the report HERE.

Next year, Essex and back to the county where Stepdance Day was born – Sunday 16th July (date TBC).

New session set up

As a result of the Stepdance Day moving into Cambridgeshire, a new session has been set up to encourage more in the county.  We hope this grows into a regular session.  For more details do contact EATMT and we will pass on the details of the organisers of this event.

We had another action packed weekend at the lovely FolkEast Festival in August. Nestled amongst the talented Instrument makers, we set up the stall on Thursday evening. Sound recordist Jake Lee-Savage joined us for 24 hours and we managed to record an introductory podcast for the Vaughan Williams Folk Project, film the Vaughan Williams’ illustrated talk “Letters from King’s Lynn“, film part of a Youth Moot workshop to promote the Lottery funded project including the Youth Mentorship Scheme as well as run the 2nd FolkEast Stepdance competition. We only managed that with thanks to our very able helpers Eliza, Nez and Mark who dutifully and ably minded the stall for much of the time. You can read the FolkEast report HERE.

New article uploaded – Alfred Huddle, The King’s Lynn Curate

Added in August 2022, we’re delighted to bring you another interesting article form Norfolk musician, research and Trust regular volunteer Alan Helsdon with a tidy link to Ralph Vaughan Williams.

Bishop & Miller are local auctioneers who run 3 Music Memorabilia auctions through the year.  They are selling a number of items on behalf of EATMT in their next sale commission free and are inviting supporters of EATMT to get in touch to sell musical items. Any items sold in their musical memorabilia auctions, Bishop & Miller donate back part of their commission to EATMT.

If you are still having house clear outs/downsizing, then do consider this auction house,  They are open every Friday in their Stowmarket and Glandford, Norfolk offices for a free walk in valuation between 9am and 3.30pm and they also visit Frinton – Essex, Royston in Herts and Norwich, Norfolk several times a year where they offer valuation days.  Don’t forget to mention you are a supporter of the East Anglian Traditional Music Trust! The next Music Memorabilia Auction will be held in November in Stowmarket.

For more details contact Michael Higginson, 01449 673088.

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

Saturday 10^th September – Monday 31^st October
Youth Showcase Mentoring Scheme for the Vaughan Williams’ Folk Project – applicants welcome from 16-25 year olds.

Saturday 15^th October Vaughan Williams’ Folk Project Launch
12pm-2pm, Redwoods, Red Gables, Ipswich Road, Stowmarket IP14 1BE
With an illustrated talk from Essex based researcher Sue Cubbin and Potiphar’s Apprentices and a chance to find out what we are doing over the next year and how you might get involved if you’re interested.  Youth Mentoring Scheme, Schools work, Conference, Showcase concerts, Volunteering opportunities plus more

Saturday 26^th November 10am-4pm Vaughan Williams’ Folk Conference –
12pm-2pm, Redwoods, Red Gables, Ipswich Road, Stowmarket IP14 1BE
Free to attend but please book your seat for this event either via Eventbrite via the EATMT website, ring EATMT on 07495 054669 or email vaughanwilliamsfolk@yahoo.com

Saturday 27^th May More than Melodeons – Wingfield, Suffolk
More details to follow soon.

Sunday 16^th July 2023 (date tbc) Stepdance Day in Essex
More details to follow soon.

Saturday 2^nd September 2023 Traditional Music Day
More details to follow soon.

Other events locally:

A new Folk Music session at The Belle Vue pub in Norwich – First Thursday of the month, 8pm run by Chris Holderness and Friends.

Mid Suffolk Folk Dance Club has been set up in Stowupland with the first dance running on Sunday 25^th September.  If you would like more information, please email Margaret Doy mdoy44@gmail.com.

Stepdancing session at the Cross Keys Inn in Chatteris has been set up for Sunday 25^th September 3pm and they hope to have enough interest to continue.  For more details contact EAMT who will pass on your details to the organisers.

Big Sunday Sing local singer, musician and dancer Heather Bexon is setting up 3 Sunday afternoon song sessions on October 9^th, November 6^th and December 4^th at the Walnut, Stowmarket from 3pm.  For more details contact heather.bexon@btinternet.com.

Trafalgar Day is being celebrated with music and song in the Belle Vue, Norwich on Sunday 23^rd October from 7pm.

Folk Orchestra Workshop Day with Jo Freya on Saturday 12^th November in Norwich – Mardles and Vintage Squeeze organised event.

Check out www.mardles.org for more local events happening over the autumn months.

Please support your local traditional music events!  If you are not able to attend events, do consider supporting the East Anglian Traditional Music Trust by joining the Friends’ Membership Scheme.  We are reliant on donations and ticket buyers as well as willing volunteers keen to keep our musical traditions alive.

We hope to see you soon!

Alex and the team

Remembering John Howson

It is with great sadness that this Summer Newsletter comes to you with the news of the death of one of EATMT’s founders and original Directors, John Howson.  Following a short illness, John passed away at home with Katie at his bedside on Monday 13^th June.  It is a huge shock and loss for our musical community.  His contribution to the promotion of Traditional Music, Song and Dance was immense and will live on in his work he leaves behind.

Katie is organising a Celebration of John’s life which will be held in Stowmarket on Tuesday 12^th July.  There will be memories, photographs, music, food and a music session in his local musical pub the Little Wellington.  The celebrations start at midday in the John Peel Centre, moving to St Peter’s Church Hall for a buffet at 1.30 and then on to the Little Wellington from 3pm.  There are obviously number restrictions on all of these venues but if you would like to join Katie and friends in celebrating John’s life, please get in touch with Katie directly or through EATMT’s telephone 07495 054669 and we will pass numbers on to Katie.

Donations to St Elizabeth Hospice who put in outstanding care and support for both John and Katie in the last few weeks of John’s life.

News

Vaughan Williams’ Folk Project

EATMT is delighted to bring you news of an exciting 18 month long project that the Trust has been successful in securing National Lottery Heritage funding for (just short of £66,000) to run across the region of East Anglia. 

Over this 18 month period we aim to showcase the research that has already been carried out over the region – some of which has been out of print for some time – as well as spotlight some forthcoming publications which have been written by East Anglian residents which are being published in this, Vaughan Williams’ 150 year.  This research and knowledge will be shared through all age groups and we will be working on a Youth Mentorship programme in partnership with FolkEast’s Young Folk Moot and also in schools offering musicianship and resource packs relevant to the songs and tunes collected in their counties.  There will be lots of opportunities to get involved during this exciting journey and you can find out more at Traditional Music Day on Saturday 10^th September where the project will be launched at 12 noon in the Church of St Mary’s and St Peter’s.

EATMT is extremely grateful to the hard work, dedication and heritage experience of Nicky Stockman who is Project Co-ordinator.  Nicky developed the project from an idea born over lunch with keen volunteer Alan Helsdon and EATMT administrator Alex. 

We are also delighted to be working with the Young Folk Moot (creative arts programme at FolkEast) and specifically Finn Collinson and Becky Marshall-Potter.  We are also delighted that our podcast creator from earlier in the year, Jake Lee Savage, is also able and extremely keen to join us to build upon this new digital phenomena!  We have wonderful support from a good number of researchers in the region who are firmly on board as well as willing and keen educational establishments who want to be part of the project – from primary schools through to a local university. 

A new webpage dedicated to this project can be found HERE which will be regularly updated.  If you would like to be involved in any way, please do get in touch.

An American Visitor

We have been very fortunate to have had the company of young Ballad singer and Traditional Ballad Scholar, Nora Rodes staying with us in Suffolk.  19 year old Nora from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania may be known to those of you who are members of the Traditional Song Forum and who may have seen Nora present a couple of talks on the monthly TSF zoom meetings during the pandemic.

Nora arrived in the UK mid-May where she is based until mid-July, working on various archives – indexing and cataloguing – as well as editing her chapter of a forthcoming book published by the Ballard Partners.  She has also been keeping up with some of her university studies and helping out where opportunities arise at the East Anglian Traditional Music Trust, Nora produced a new ‘Maypole Resource Booklet’ which will form part of the Maypole Hire documentation.  She was able to use part of a recently donated archive belonging to Essex based Folk Dance Teacher Pam Warren.

She attended the As I Roved Out traditional song conference in Limerick in early June and will be presenting a paper at the end of July in Portugal at the International Council of Traditional Music Conference based around her research on the collection of Eloise Hubbard Linscott that is in the Library of Congress American Folklife Center.

Nora has been in Suffolk for slightly longer than planned with Covid featuring regularly amongst her fellow hosts and even herself which has led to the rescheduling of plans on several occasions, but we’ve been delighted to have had some of her extended stay with us in East Anglia! So far we’ve been to celebrate the summer solstice at the Geldeston Locks Inn, attended a sculpture exhibition opening and attended a Dance Folkus ceilidh. Nora has been working with Steve Roud and Martin and Shan Graebe and has been introduced to the wonders of the British Library with a planned visit to Cecil Sharp House in the coming weeks.

More than Melodeons

Our huge thanks go to Judy & Eammon Andrews for co-ordinating this event on behalf of EATMT and introduced many to the beautiful Wingfield Barns complex. 

This day comprised a day of workshops – fiddle, melodeon, concertina, whistle plus ensemble for any instrument and we were delighted to have a wonderful team of Tutors: Dave Shepherd, Janet Koralambe, Sally Barrett, Andrew Collins, Jill Parson, Mim Barnes and a very last minute replacement melodeon tutor, Nick Hart who stepped in to replace a poorly Jack Hogsden and his workshops.  We are also grateful to Ron Ross and Tin River who ran two sessions.  Tin River also performed in the evening concert.  The lovely Suffolk Wild Flour pizza bar fed us in the evening and the Wingfield Barns staff looked after us all day providing not just a wonderful set up, but also ale, coffee, tea and lunch.

This event was also made possible with the help from Acorn Instruments, Andrews Survey & Evaluation Ltd and Mid Suffolk District Council.

For a detailed report of the day see HERE.

More Than Melodeons will be back again next year! Dates to be announced in due course.

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

Traditional Music, Song and Stepdancing at Strumpshaw Tree Fair

16^th/17^th July is the date for the wonderful Strumpshaw Tree Fair and we are once again indebted to Chris Holderness and Norfolk band Hushwing for co-ordinating on behalf of EATMT some entertainment. 

Hushing and Friends will be performing around the Gypsy Wagons just after midday and in the dance tent at 4pm on Saturday 16^th July.  Entrance is £15 for over 12s, £5 for under 12s and free for under 5s.  If you’re going on the Sunday 17^th July, from 2pm there will be folk music from Norfolk Duo Two’s Company.

Stepdance Day at Chippenham Village Hall, Cambridgeshire

Sunday 24^th July sees Stepdance day taken to the Suffolk/Cambridgeshire borders and the village of Chippenham, near Newmarket.  The event starts at midday at Chippenham Village Hall with workshops – the first led by Norfolk Stepdancer Fiona Davies accompanied by fiddler James Delarre.  Some of the tunes played in this session will be taught – guided by Ron Ross – to eager musicians in a workshop geared towards the musician and playing for dancing.  Stepdancers will discuss what they look for in a musical accompaniment. The competitions will follow at 2.15pm and the event will finish with a general music and stepdancing session.

We have had a trio of support this year for this event – from our Stepdance Day co-ordinator Fiona Davies, Erin Brown (previous winner of Best Newcomer_, and musician Nicky Stockman.  Erin and Nicky are keen to showcase some of the stepdancing that is alive and well in Cambridgeshire.

We will be bringing Steve Monk’s anglo concertina which was recently donated to the Trust by Steve’s daughter and we invite any anglo concertina players to come along and treat the steppers to a dance tune played on this concertina.

This is always a lovely social event so do come and join in!

This event has been funded by the Instep Research Team.  

FolkEast – Stall, Stepdancing and Vaughan Williams’ Folk

19^th, 20^th & 21^st August This is another lovely festival and we will be there all weekend with our stall and co-ordinating the FolkEast Stepdancing competition for its 2^nd year, which will take place on the Sunday.  There will be a workshop on the Friday and the Saturday. 

Following the success of the Vaughan Williams’ Folk project funding award, we will be putting on an illustrated talk at some point over the weekend with one of our researchers and Finn Collinson and Emma Beach as part of the FolkEast Young Folk Moot will be introducing local songs/tunes collected by Vaughan Williams over 100 years ago as part of youth project will are working on with FolkEast. 

East Anglian Traditional Music Day Stowmarket

Friday 9^th September (7.30pm) and Saturday 10^th September sees the return of Traditional Music Day.  We are delighted to be joined by a whole host of wonderful musicians, mostly from the Eastern region, for a day of Music, Song, Dance, Storytelling and Talks. 

Tickets for both events are on sale from July 1^st 2022.  Please see HERE for a booking form.

Friday 9^th September kicks the weekend off with a Ceilidh at the John Peel Centre at 7.30pm with the Hosepipe Band and caller Mary Panton. 

On Saturday 10^th September we have a full day and evening of events.  The line up so far is looking like this:

Cohan Braithwaite-Kilcoyne       Tony Hall & The Von Krapp Family band           
Belinda Kempster & Fran Foote            Harbour Lights Trio            Mossy Christian & Megan Wisdom        Roger Digby & Liz Giddings         Racker Donnelly                   Justine Di Mierre
Peta Webb & Ken Hall      Katie Howson          Sound Tradition      Potiphar’s Apprentices
Hushwing & Bristol Fashion & Friends including Steve Matthews and Ray Hubbard      The Cambs Acoustic Collective  Gemma Khawaja    The Harbour Inn Crowd           
The Story of the Blaxhall Ship    Christopher Heppa – My Life with Harry Cox    
Haughley Hoofers              Golden Star Morris            Boudicca Morris    

Expect concerts, sessions, talks, workshops, storytelling and dance across a number of venues in Stowmarket including the John Peel Centre, St Peter’s Hall, St Peter’s and St Mary’s Church, Stowmarket Library, Stowmarket Scout Hut, The Mix, The Walnut, The Pallet Bar and the British Legion.

Tickets for both events are on sale from July 1^st 2022.  Please see HERE for a booking form.

Saturday 26th November – Vaughan Williams’ Folk – Research Conference – Stowmarket

Watch this space for further details on this event – part of our 18 month long project – Vaughan Williams’ Folk.

How can you help?

As ever, you can support EATMT by joining as a Friend. Support from our Friends’ membership scheme has been a vital source of income over the many years of its existence and continues to be so.  We are grateful to volunteer Shirley Harry for providing administrative support to the running of the scheme.

We are also looking to increase our board of Trustees over the next year.  If you find yourself with more time on your hands and are keen to get more involved with EATMT then this could be for you!  You don’t have to be a musician, dancer or storyteller, but you have to have an interest in what we do and like what we represent.  Ideally you will be able to commit approximately one day a month/6 weeks.

As a registered charity we can only exist with a Board of Trustees – all of whom give their time for free. We meet a minimum of 3 times a year but the role is not limited to just that.

If you are interested in finding out more about the role of a Trustee, please get in touch with Alex, Administrator – 07495 054669 and more details will be given. Thank you to those who have enquired thus far. Once the summer events have taken place, we will be in a position to look further into this.

As ever, we would welcome any offers of help at events – in particular we are looking for volunteer stewards for September’s East Anglian Traditional Music Day.  Please do get in touch if you would like to be involved.

Best wishes and Happy Summer! 
Alex Bartholomew, EATMT Administrator