Cambridge Museum of Technology welcomes you our second annual Folk Day. We will be showcasing performers from the local area selected and introduced by our partners from the Cambridge Folk Club and the Black Fen Folk Club. A limited number of Early Bird tickets will be available. Children under 16 are free if accompanied by an Adult ticket holder. The provisional list of performers are detailed below…

11am to 3pm

Matthew Dames and Anna Talbot: Originally from Cambridge but now based in Tasmania, Matthew and Anna perform a variety of Celtic and contemporary folk songs. A delicate blend of vocal harmonies, intricate guitar work and dynamic bodhrán creates a sonic fusion not to be missed. .”Matthew stands out amongst his generation of up and coming musicians as an astonishing guitar player and songwriter”. (Daniel Champagne). 

Simon George Kelso: Cambridge-based musician Simon George-Kelso Simon draws his songs mainly from the English tradition. He has a growing collection of seasonal songs, and a long term ambition to fill the calendar – if you know of any songs for July 29th or 31st please let him know!  Otherwise Simon sings of love, betrayal, war, murder, fishing, beer, seduction, cross dressing…. Everything you expect from English and Scottish folk songs!

Ian A Anderson: Ian A. Anderson began his music career in the 1960s, influenced by old country blues players, before taking a swerve in the ’70s into so- called ‘psych folk’. He eventually settled into a personal style that draws from traditional folk, blues, old-time and world roots music. Ian received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Folk Alliance International in 2019 and the Gold Badge Award of the EFDSS in 2015. “A vitally important figure in the history of folk, roots, acoustic and world music, it is surely time for a full and appropriate recognition of his pivotal contribution.” (Folk Radio UK).

Kevin Hunt Band: The Kevin Hunt Band combines the bass of Colin Dewar with the cajon of Rob Kerr to complement and counterbalance the driving rhythm of Kevin Hunt’s G=guitar and soulful powerful voice. With musical roots in his native Ireland, Kevin has been crafting songs for over a quarter of a century, refining his lyrical expression via the fluid, ever-evolving concept of his live act. ​Themes of redemption, anguish and acceptance proliferate, evoking music’s potential as a therapeutic force in a long tradition of existential singer-songwriters or as Kevin prefers to put it: ‘original songs about the same old problems.’

Barbara Wibbelmann and Gerd Wagner: 'Born and raised in Germany,  the first songs Barbara heard were the lullabies her mum sang to her. Since then, she has spent time in the USA, Norway, Italy and Scotland, where she sang in a Gaelic choir. She loves singing in other languages, but she is musically promiscuous and will sing whatever song she falls in love with. Barbara performs at local folk / acoustic clubs, lately with Gerd Wagner, who writes songs and poetry about observations and objects, capturing what did and did not happen in his life. Their growing repertoire ranges from original material to traditional Irish/Scottish folk via Al Stewart and Bertolt Brecht.'

Gemma Khawaja is a singer & guitarist from the Midlands, now based in Norfolk playing and singing traditional songs of the British Isles and creating her own songs inspired by rural poets, mythology and folklore. Gemma's arrangements of traditional songs emphasise the universal stories and themes found in folk traditions and sensitively draw out the richness and beauty of the old melodies.    “...powerful, unpretentious and rooted”  - Mike Harding