What are the musical traditions of East Anglia?
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Traditional Music Day
Previous Traditional Music Days
Traditional Music Day 2012 is on Saturday 1st September.
"A fantastic day, with lots of great music, song and dance and lovely people. As always I wish it could be repeated another day so I might have a chance to see some of the many events that I missed as I was busy enjoying myself!"
"Brilliant day! First time for me, but I will be going next year again too!"
"A great day - lovely setting and an intriguing line-up."
"Very friendly atmosphere, people enjoying themselves, wonderful performances. Roll on next year!"
"Different every year - always extremely well organised and yet with a fantastic feeling of spontaneity about it. Fabulous!"
"One of the
best yet. In fact they get better and better."
Saturday 3rd September 2011
Museum of East Anglian Life, Stowmarket, Suffolk
This unique celebration of traditional music takes place in the atmospheric surroundings of the Museum of East Anglian Life, a 70-acre haven of peace with town centre facilities and excellent transport links. The day features an eclectic line-up of guests supported by a myriad of stepdancers, musicians and singers, many of whom have been featured guests in previous years but return again for this wonderful and distinctive event.
Click here for a short compilation video of the 2011 day made by Uggy Brown. A further search on the Youtube website will turn up others from this year and previous years.
Click here for a full timetable of events.
Our resident photographer, John Halliday, has posted some photographs of the 2010 event which may be viewed by clicking here and there are details of previous Traditional Music Days on this website - click here.
Click here to read Pat Pickles' article about her experiences at Traditional
Music Day 2011.
Day season ticket price includes free on-site parking, admission to all daytime events (space allowing) and free programme (sent in advance on request). Most indoor events are open only to day season ticket holders. If you want to see the guests, attend the talks and special events, you will need to buy a ticket in advance! We welcome children at all events - you can get the best deal by buying a family ticket before 1st August. Camping is available to day season ticket holders only. Facilities are basic (no showers or electric hook-up). For accommodation, see www.eatmt.org.uk/accommodationmidsuffolk.htm or contact Mid Suffolk Tourist Information Centre on 01449 676800.
A map showing the vehicle entrance for advance ticket holders is available here. Please note this is for TICKET-HOLDERS only. The postcode you need for sat-navs is IP14 1BQ, not the museum code, which will take you up a cul-de-sac in the wrong place entirely!
Tickets are not available on the day unless pre-ordered and the Box office closes at 4pm on Thursday 1st September. Access to many of the outdoor events is available by buying a museum entrance ticket on the day, although this does not give access to the concerts, talks and other special events, as these are what TMD ticket-holders are paying for! There is no onsite parking for people buying museum-only tickets.
Click here for a printable booking form.
Duck Soup
From English dance music to border ballads, and French Canadian
marches to 1920s novelty hits, played on everything from melodeon
(Dan Quinn) to dobro, mandolin and mouthorgan (Ian Kearey) to
marimba, phonofiddle and musical saw (Adam Bushell).
The result is a cross between an English tune session in your
favourite pub and a collision in an instrument shop … and great fun!
Visit the band's Myspace page.
The Orchard Family
Perennial favourites, the Orchards are back to celebrate the 10th Traditional
Music Day with us. Both Jean and Tom have a family background of
music-making, singing and stepping and sons Ashley and Richard are
keeping it going.
Expect historic ballads side-by-side with popular classics,
lively music and superb stepdancing.
Shirley Collins
Shirley’s distinctive singing has been hugely influential through her seminal recordings
and performances in the 1960s and 70s. She now gives occasional lectures including
field recordings and archive images of singers from the south of England.
She is supported by Vic and Tina Smith, well-respected singers in their own right.
Visit Shirley's website.
Jim Causley
Jim has a fine, rich bass voice and a cheeky stage presence which
makes his solo performances very entertaining! His repertoire varies
from soulful ballads to jolly cider-drinking songs.
He was a big hit at Traditional Music Day a few years ago with
The Devil's Interval and recent collaborations have been with
Waterson Carthy and David Rotheray (Beautiful South).
Visit Jim's website.
A New Vintage
Ed Rennie (Bismarks) brings his new band, playing irresistibly stompy
English music, to Suffolk for the first time.
Both Jenny Read (piano) and Matt Norman (mandolin) are also superb
Dartmoor stepdancers, so keep an eye out for them in that role too!
Ed (melodeon) is also a fine singer and will be contributing some
songs to various events.
Visit the band's Myspace page.
Potiphar's Apprentices
Sue and John Cubbin and Adrian May got together for EATMT's “Vaughan
Williams in the East” event three years ago, to sing songs collected in Essex .
They feature in “A Focus on Essex” and also in Sue’s talk "That Precious
Legacy" about Vaughan Williams folksong collecting in Essex in the early 1900s.
Visit the band's website.
Pat Pickles
Pat and her late husband Rennie were well known on the folk scene a few decades ago, but it’s now rare to see Pat’s collections outside her home.
She will be hosting the Jig Doll Party, with some special examples of these percussive dancing dolls, and we also hope that she will be able to display some of her extensive collection of postcards on British folklore and customs.
Click here to read about Pat's experiences at Traditional Music Day 2011.
Dave Hunt
A legend in his own lunchtime, Dave Hunt (aka Dr Sunshine) is a well-respected and much-loved dance caller and childrens' entertainer who will be calling for the afternoon ceilidh and leading a craft workshop for children in the morning.
Visit
Dave's website.
Click here for a full timetable of events.
Latest news: There are still tickets available for both the daytime and the evening concert.
The programme includes:
Concert Spots
Enjoy some extended sets from our guests in the intimate
atmosphere of Edgar’s Farmhouse: Duck Soup, Jim Causley,
The Orchard Family plus Shirley Collins' Romany Rai
talk.
Stepdancing
The biggest gathering of steppers from Suffolk, Norfolk, Essex and beyond.
Showcased in the Stepdance Special and at informal events throughout the day ...
you may even end up having a go yourself!
Big Music Session
An English Country Music jam session hosted by various guests throughout the
day. Great music for participants and listeners alike.
Song sessions
A chance to sing or listen: all singers welcome.
Focus on Essex
Featuring Potiphar's Apprentices and others. The fourth in our series of regional county-focused events.
Ceilidh
An afternoon barn dance with A New Vintage and caller
Dave Hunt. Bring
your friends and family and join the fun!
Stories through Songs
The museum’s Story Hut provides a relaxed setting for young and old to enjoy
some stories told through song. Traditional folk songs and ballads very often
tell a story - whether it is of corn growing and being turned into beer, as in
the centuries-old "John Barleycorn" or a news item such as "The Ballad of the
Red Barn" which tells the story of the murder of Maria Marten, from Polstead in
south Suffolk. One song lasting 5-10 minutes on the hour and half-hour -
there will be a list available so you can check if the content is child-friendly
or not!
Talks
- Shirley Collins will be giving two illustrated talks: “I'm A Romany Rai” and “You Never Heard so Sweet”. Tina and Vic Smith look after the pictures and the sound in both shows.‘I’m a Romany Rai’ is about the songs of Southern English Gypsies. Using field recordings and some wonderful images, this is a lively and often moving show. In ‘You Never Heard So Sweet’ again using field recordings, Shirley presents some of the singers and songs that Peter Kennedy met in the South East of England in the 1950s, when he was commissioned by the BBC to record traditional songs throughout the country. This talk features the remarkable Dorset gypsy Queen Caroline Hughes and many contemporary photos and images. Shirley has just selected material from this collection for three CDs to be released on Topic Records later this year as part of second The Voice of the People series.
- Sue Cubbin
presents “That Precious Legacy” about the composer Vaughan Williams’ first
folk-song collecting trips in Essex in the early 1900s. Supported by
Potiphar's Apprentices (including John Cubbin and Adrian May).
Exhibitions
Antique melodeons and postcards of British folklore customs will be on display during the day.
Jig dolls
Have a go at using a dancing doll from our Big Jig collection, with live music:
great fun! This year we are also delighted to welcome back Pat Pickles,
author and expert on jig dolls, who will be bringing some of her extensive
collection of antique dancing dolls and hosting a Jig Doll Party - to which you
are invited to bring your own!
Play an instrument
Have a go on one of our instruments: melodeons, concertinas and mouthorgans.
Have a look at …
... photographs, instruments and displays throughout the day
... the animals, buildings, exhibits and nature trails around the site
Enjoy something tasty ...
... mini beer festival in the Barn, with help from CAMRA, featuring the best of local brews, plus ciders, soft drinks etc
... delicious food from the new Osier Cafe at the Museum, who will have stalls around the site with hot and cold drinks, sandwiches, ice-creams etc.
and in the evening ...
Traditional Night Out in the Tithe Barn
A good-time evening: with a variety of songs, music and
dance, including spots from all the guests, supported by some surprise "turns" -
superb performers who have often been guests in previous years, but come back
again because of the unique character of this special event. A magical evening in the atmospheric setting of the
museum’s medieval Tithe Barn. 8pm-11pm.
NB: separate ticket required for this very popular event.
Latest news: There are still tickets available for the evening concert.
Click here for a printable booking form.
The new cafe at
the Museum is offering a hot meal (with vegetarian option) for £6.50 to be
served between 6.30pm and 8pm - this must be pre-booked with your concert
tickets. The bar is open at this time too. There is
indoor seating, or if it's fine, plenty of space to spread outside at picnic
tables in the pretty gardens.
Why not come to Traditional Music Day in 2011 and see what all the fuss is about?
Photographs of previous Traditional Music Days, guest lists etc can be accessed by clicking here.
What are the musical traditions of East Anglia?
Traditional Music Day Melodeons & More Workshops, classes & schools Community Projects
Profiles of traditional musicians Research Jig Dolls Dulcimers Stepdancing
Resources Shop Links Press Room