MUSIC: FESTIVAL
Barbara Dickson Launches Virtual Keith Festival
D
ue to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic the Keith Traditional Music & Song Association (TMSA) Festival have taken the difficult decision to cancel their in-person festival for the second year running. However, as the saying goes “the show must go on” and on it will go! The festival will, once again, be going virtual building on the success of the 2020 Virtual Festival. The Keith TMSA Virtual Festival 2021 will take place over the weekend of Friday 11th - Sunday 13th June 2021 on Facebook and YouTube.
Barbara Dickson
The announcement of the virtual festival was made by Olivier award-winning actress and TMSA patron Barbara Dickson in a video on the Festival’s Facebook page. In the video the chart-topping singer said that this year there would be concerts, a virtual dance, sessions and sing--arounds as well as a suite of virtual competitions for the first time. Amongst some of the guest artists appearing over the course of the weekend include 7-time bothy ballad champion of champions Joe Aitken, BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year finalists Iona Fyfe, Calum McIlroy and Ellie Beaton, champion accordionist Leonard Brown and singing duo Jim and Susie Malcolm.
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Iona Fyfe
For the virtual dance there will be 14 Scottish dance band leaders providing a programme of old time dances that folk can join in with at home. Joe Aitken
